Submitted to the Reporter by the City of Renton:

The Puget Sound Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America has awarded the City of Renton a Certificate of Excellence for successfully developing and promoting the third annual Renton Multicultural Festival.

PRSA cited the city for its use of both traditional and non-traditional means of including the community in marketing the festival.

“It’s an honor to be recognized,” said Mayor Denis Law. “My thanks go to the members of the Mayor’s Inclusion Task for their work in developing an idea into our current festival and to the community for making it one of our most popular and anticipated city events. I also want to recognize our exceptionally creative and talented communications team for continuously raising the bar to serve our community.”

The Renton Multicultural Festival was launched in 2016 and is a free, two-day celebration designed to celebrate Renton’s diverse community. It features a wide variety of singers and dancers, with each group also providing an explanation of the historical or cultural significance of the performance. Community booths are also part of the festival and provide interaction and information to the attendees. More than 3,000 people attended in 2018.

The festival is sponsored by the Mayor’s Inclusion Task Force, a cross section of community leaders established by Mayor Denis Law. The task force’s goal is to unite the community, celebrate Renton’s cultural differences, and work to make Renton an inclusive city with equal opportunities for all residents.

The city provided logistical support and worked with task force members to involve their communities and encourage participation, not just as performers, but as attendees. The city and task force established relationships with hotels and restaurants, who provided discounts and incentives; hired performers; contracted food trucks; and worked with media to help promote the festival.