Dooley Communications was busy again this year setting up UNICEF Canada’s annual pumpkin carving contest yesterday at Kildonan Place. We’re pleased to report the event was even more successful than last year by every measure: we have more teams, more media coverage, bigger crowds and more money raised.

Here are a few clippings of the event:

Fish Find Glory as New Pumpkin Kings, Winnipeg Free Press, October 28, 2009

I’m Not Out of My Gourd, Winnipeg Free Press, October 27, 2009

2nd Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest, Chrisd.ca, October 28, 2009

Billie Jo Ross’ blog, Clear 102.3 FM, October 28, 2009

We were also pleased to see CBC TV, Global TV, CTV, CITY TV and SHAW TV all out to cover the event.

Here are a few more photos of the event. 

Glad to see everyone had fun.

This is the time of year we get very busy with UNICEF Canada activities. As public relations consultants Manitoba and Saskatchewan, we help organize all the media relation activities for the annual Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign.

We help coordinate campaign launch events in multiple cities, set up interviews with radio, television and print reporters across both provinces, and work with UNICEF’s national office to ensure it’s all working in concert with the national campaign.

Among our various October projects for UNICEF, this is the second year we’re organizing a Celebrity Pumpkin Carving contest. We’re currently locking in our guest carvers and sourcing our pumpkins for the big showdown Tuesday, October 27 from 11:45 to 1:15 at Kildonan Place Shopping Centre. So far, it looks as though we’ll have more carving teams than last year with organizations such as CTV, CBC, Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg Police Service, Hot 103 and the Winnipeg Goldeyes attending.

Events like this are a great way to get some attention for your organization. This one works well because it has several really good elements including notable contestants from media, business, arts and other walks of life. It also has good visuals: cameras like this whether they’re shooting for a television station, a paper or a website. It ties in to a major cultural event: Halloween. And it supports a good cause in UNICEF.