Who knew that a string of fun parties featuring a young TV star could also meet an educational mandate?

In its third year, the popular Lifestyles Love Fest tour enlisted That 70’s Show star Danny Masterson (aka DJ Momjeans) to headline, and expanded from its Ontario roots to become a cross-country happening. The tour, which wrapped in late October, featured DJs and artists and attracted 30,000 Canadian partygoers. The lead sponsor, Cowansville, QC-based Ansell Canada, supported its condom brand Lifestyles by deploying promo teams at each event to hand out condoms and literature about HIV/AIDS awareness.

‘We’re always thinking of how to get to the 18-to-24 crowd,’ says Sam Vella, Ansell’s sales and marketing director, adding that Lifestyles targets both men and women. While Lifestyles frequently sponsors sports teams and events like sex shows, Love Fest became its first time as a lead sponsor on a unique property when promoter Jordan Goodman approached the company in 2005.

‘What differs is that this is not just a party, it’s an educational tour,’ says Vella, who saw it as a good brand-building exercise, and opted to expand it this year.

Love Fest is the brainchild of Goodman, president of Toronto-based Clear World Productions, who also partnered with MTV Canada to help get the word out as part of MTV’s international Staying Alive HIV/AIDS initiative. At press time, Goodman was working with Citytv on a special about the tour and its AIDS awareness message. www.lovefest.ca