20th Anniversary NJ Seafood Festival in Belmar
Sponsorship, Promotion and Event Enhancement
The New Jersey Seafood Festival in Belmar was about to celebrate its 20th Anniversary. It needed a
” freshening up” to attract foodies, families and entertainment fans. Spark’s mission was to make the huge free festival more exciting, generate corporate sponsorships to support the event and spread the word about the new offerings, longtime features and corporate event sponsors.
Building on the current “chefmania,” Spark and hospitality industry partner, Conroy Hospitality, created a professionally equipped chef’s demonstration tent that attracted a host of local talents and some big guns including Weber Grill and Johnson and Wales University. Spark teamed the festival with the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean counties and publicized an enter-to-win prizes opportunity to festival visitors that brought donations of non-perishable food items.
To promote the festival and its sponsors, Spark arranged a press launch at a popular seaside restaurant/club and circulated a press kit that made sure all the facts, figures and faces were in front of the media. On the eve of the festival, a VIP reception brought together sponsors, organizers and local dignitaries. To insure maximum promotion, Spark created a magazine that filled everyone in on the festival and Belmar’s tourism offerings, and produced collateral that conveyed the fun of the event. Spark also arranged for the creation of a DVD to promote the event throughout the year.
Record press coverage in newspapers, magazines and websites, as well as on radio and TV, resulted in attendance well above the 100,000 mark. The American Bus Association named the 2007 festival one of its Top 100 Events in America!
