By all measures – and despite the weather – it was a thundering success.
Head For The Hills, the inaugural Georgetown Craft Beer Festival, delivered attendance that was nearly 150% over expectations, with significant pre-sale tickets (80% of total sales) reflecting the anticipation built up through strong promotion in the weeks leading up to the weekend. Participation from craft brewers was exceptional, as was sampling of their product, with several running dry by mid-afternoon, and several more out of product by the end of the day.
Most importantly, the event raised tens of thousands of dollars for local charities.
Yield’s participation began in March, with the positioning of the festival, designed to differentiate it from dozens of other competitive beer festivals held in the region. Yield took on the entire project pro bono, helping guide an energetic team through the positioning, branding and promotion of the event.
Making the most of the picturesque Halton Hills location at the height of the fall colours, Yield named the event Head For The Hills: The Georgetown Craft Beer Festival. A whimsical, craft-inspired identity played off the head of a pint of beer, and gave the event a strong rural character. The identity appeared in all advertising, signage, event materials and web properties, as well as generating significant additional revenue from T-shirt and merchandise sales at the event.
The website helped build anticipation for the festival among attendees, exhibitors and sponsors. Yield helped differentiate the event with a dynamic, illustrated homepage using roll-over icons that led visitors to explore everything the festival had to offer – craft brewers in attendance, entertainment, volunteer opportunities, and of course, online ticket sales.
As interest built in Georgetown and surrounding communities, donated media opportunities came in for storefront posters, newspaper print ads and a series of rich media online banner ads. Finally, a series of 60-second radio ads ran on local stations in the run-up to the event.
“Yield has been an absolute pleasure to deal with”, said festival organizer John Fini. “Their creative and innovative thinking has brought our brand to life, and helped our fundraising event stand out in a crowded market. It’s turned our dream into a reality.”
Work has already begun on next year’s event, with Yield helping the organizers set the stage for growth. Key insights gained from attendance polls and input from brewers and food suppliers are setting the stage for the strategic evolution of the event. Yield is continuing in our role as a strategic and management partner, working to achieve greater scale and engagement – and increased charity revenue – within the capabilities and cost structure of the organizing members.
The second annual Georgetown Beer Festival will be held Saturday, September 17th, 2016 at The Trafalgar Sports Park in Georgetown.
Raise a glass. Drink some beer. Do some good.
