Challenge: We hosted “A Conversation with Bill Clinton and James Patterson” at SAP Center in 2019. I was provided strict parameters to market the event with a mid-week event date. I was only able to originally market the event with print and digital advertising with a small budget. The only graphic I was provided was an Instagram sized graphic.

Solution:
I was resourceful and utilized in-house resources while also networking with the other venues who hosted the same event to determine our strategy.

Approach: 
Step 1: Define “rules” for the marketing campaign
Step 2: Evaluate existing mediums vs cost to maximize budget 
Step 3: Conduct market research with other venues on the tour and reach out to our local government for advertising assistance
Step 4: Booked media within guidelines placing a print advertising campaign
Step 5: Utilized in-house resources providing additional marketing support recieving approval based on ticket sales to produce and run a TV spot and radio campaign on local NewsTalk radio during the traffic report.
Step 6: Completed well-rounded marketing plan

Result:
I found a way to produce a more modern and well-rounded marketing plan to promote the event. While we ultimately didn’t achieve our ticket sales goal, we used this event as a company-wide learning experience on how to get creative within your confines.

I was the lead local marketer along with Cirque du Soleil and put together a marketing plan that led to the highest grossing stop on the tour in the United States. The marketing plan consisted of a robust media plan with TV, radio, outdoor including bus tails, as well as grass roots advertising with our local outdoor mall. Cirque mailed us plastic ice crystal cubes with the intention that we would use them for a last minute promotional scavenger hunt to push the remaining tickets. We ended up canceling the scavenger hunt and returning the tickets back to the box office to be sold, as we SOLD OUT!