30 Apr Take 5 with South Florida Ford’s Allan Young

As the weekend kicked off, and the sun cooled down, we had a chance to chat with Allan Young, chairman of the board for the South Florida Ford Dealers, as well as a local dealer or his own store, Wayne Akers Ford.

Dressed handsomely for the day, Young met with key members of his team, by the 16-foot-guitar that greeted attendees at the SunFest entrance each day. We had a chance to learn more about Young’s favorite music and his long-term involvement with our favorite festival.

Thank you for speaking with us, Mr. Young! How many years have you attended SunFest?

Young: I’ve attended 30 plus years. The South Florida Ford and the Ford dealers have been involved 30 plus years. [Years ago] one of the local dealers, Mark Packer, had [SunFest] as his own sponsorship. It was basically a little sidewalk art show, [but] I remember coming to it.

We have a lot invested here. I remember [at first] there being 20 or 30 art easels. It has grown to this! In the last 10 years, we’ve kept acquiring and acquiring. My ultimate goal is to call it the Ford Fest. Don’t laugh! We just got the Fort Lauderdale Air Show. It’s called the Ford Fort Lauderdale Air Show this year. Everything is possible!

Thank you so much for being a sponsor. We love all the acts on the Ford Stage!

That stage is pretty cool, huh? That’s something we added a few years back. It’s the main stage and it’s always good to have something that’s called the Ford Stage. If you look around, we have our experiential team, up and down the midway, and [there’s a lot of] technology there for the fans.

Who are you most excited to see at SunFest this year?

I have to be honest with you, I’ll be working this weekend so I’m not going to get a chance to see too many of the bands.

[But] I like ZZ Top, I like Van Halen. I’m an 80s classic guy. Duran Duran was here Wednesday night. The generation [SunFest is] set up for– they’ve got who they want to see here. There’s a lot of good bands.But other than tonight, I won’t have a share in really watching them.

What is your favorite musician of all time?

I’m a Bob Seger fan. I was born and raised in Cleveland, he’s from Detroit, but that’s close enough, right? I’m a [Rolling] Stones fan. I visited the World Series of Rock, in Cleveland, Ohio where Def Leppard opened at 10 in the morning and the Rolling Stones closed at midnight.

Wow! That could be a whole interview in itself. Tell me, how can people win a SunFest signed guitar?

My team from Detroit came up with the idea [for a giant guitar near the entrance]. The idea is, it’s a good place for a social pit. Everybody is stopping there. We have our promotion team there, they’re taking pictures. Everyone is posting, sharing.

We do experiential marketing. That’s what this is right here. Taking a picture in front of the guitar, and hashtagging it, you’re eligible to win a real-sized guitar that’s signed by a few of the artists that are here.

Fans also have a chance to win other upgrades. How can they do that?

Go to the app! Download the sunfest app, powered by Ford, [and]click on where it says “Upgrades,” and [win a chance] to upgrade to the front row or VIP Hospitality, which is basically the front row of the [Ford] stage. All through the SunFest app, powered by Ford!

Lastly, what do you love most about South Florida?

I moved here from Cleveland, Ohio. I was a young man. What’s there not to like about South Florida?

I like the activity, I like to be active. I like to move. I like things to be going on. If you can’t find something to do that’s interesting, whether it’s in the arts, sciences, sports, humanitarian [efforts] in South Florida, you probably have a problem. [Laughs.] Obviously, the weather is great.

You come here and there is so much to do, so much to see. [There’s] so much to get involved in. That’s what I like to do. That’s what I like best.