The Montage Memory Makers contest began last year as a way to mark Montage Hotels & Resorts’ 10th anniversary, but even in just its second year, it has shown impressive growth. The annual competition, which awards five 13- to 17-year-olds making impactful changes in their communities a US$10,000 college scholarship, attracted more than 500 entrants this year — more than double the number who entered last year. Montage also received almost 2 billion media impressions thanks to the program.
This year’s contest judges included Montage Founder and CEO Alan Fuerstman; Premal Shah of Kiva.org, which aims to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty; Charles Best of DonorsChoose.org, which addresses educational equality; and Darell Hammond of KaBoom, which focuses on bringing active play to all kids. Voting via social media will determine the five winners from among 10 finalists, with an announcement of the winners expected next week.
HOTELS recently spoke with Montage PR Director Alyssa Bushey about the contest’s impressive momentum and why highlighting the positive efforts of young people is an ongoing priority for the company.
HOTELS: What first inspired Montage to launch this contest last year?
Alyssa Bushey: Montage is very committed to being actively involved in each of the communities in which our hotels reside. Our 10-year anniversary was the perfect time to encourage the next generation to serve and help others as well as to reach out to communities where we don’t have hotels and celebrate what people are doing in those communities as well.
HOTELS: What has been the company’s reaction to the entries overall, and what stood out about last year’s winners?
Bushey: Their entrepreneurial spirits really impressed us as a company — the fact that these children saw a need in their communities and reached beyond their own means and found ways to create solutions and create change and be unbelievable ambassadors for each of their causes.
One of the children, Lulu Cerone — she was our youngest winner; she was only 14 — started her charity when she was 10. She started LemonAid Warriors lemonade stands. After the Haitian earthquake in 2010, she couldn’t really write a check to help, but she was moved by that, even at 10 years old. So she started this lemonade-stand competition and ended up raising more than US$4,000 for Haitian earthquake relief. She now has a partnership with Mattel — just unbelievably impressive.
HOTELS: What was the rationale behind incorporating a social component to the voting?
Bushey: On a business level it was greater reach, allowing for the public at large to have a say. I think as the larger public votes on something, they become more invested in it. People get excited about it.
It was also a chance for these children to share with their communities and drum up support for each of their charities and give them kind of a marketing platform.
HOTELS: Are there any other plans for involving the winners in media opportunities or other promotions that might better share their stories at your properties?
Bushey: Last year and this year, on top of winners’ US$10,000 scholarship, they also win a trip to come out to Montage Laguna Beach to meet our founder and CEO. We really didn’t publicize that as much; we wanted them to feel that this is a very genuine contest. We did a story on them — this will also happen this year — in Montage Magazine. That goes out to our database and goes into all of our rooms across the company.
I think this year we will try to find ways in each of their communities to do a bit of press on each of them — again, giving them the resources they may need to do even greater things.
HOTELS: Are there plans to continue this contest next year?
Bushey: There are, yes. I think every year we will re-evaluate it and see how we can make it better. I’d like to involve the winners from previous years and engage them more in the process for the following year and find ways they can really be ambassadors for the company and their communities moving forward.
HOTELS: When there are so many good causes out there, why has Montage chosen to make young humanitarians a priority?
Bushey: Yes, there are a lot of great causes, but these kids maybe don’t have as many resources or the tools or financial wherewithal adults may have. The creativity and pioneering spirit behind it was inspiring to us. I don’t think it was necessarily something we were seeking out; it just kind of organically came about. Internally, learning, development and mentoring is really big in the company — those are key pillars for our associates. This is an extension of that.