Legacy Place Food and Wine Festival
International owners of a large outdoor lifestyle center in northern Palm Beach County desired an annual event to attract consumers and businesses, showcasing the center’s wide array of restaurants and retail outlets and build brand identity within Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast. Additional goals were to enhance Legacy Place’s relationships with the city government and raise money for a deserving local charity.
Solution:
Polin PR created an annual charity culinary event, The Legacy Place Food and Wine Experience, which kicked off on Thursday, April 23, 2009 at Legacy Place in Palm Beach Gardens. Each year, the center provides a unique outdoor venue that plays host to more than 50 wines, 20 beers and 60 area restaurants, who offer samples of delectable food items. With close to 2,000 attendees each year, the event raises close to $40,000 for the American Lung Association’s local “Say No to Smoking” campaign. Special attention is given to coordinate all event happenings with city planning and zoning officials and the city police department, including permitting for tents, outdoor stages, outdoor restroom facilities, audio-visual, electrical needs, Department of Transportation electronic highway signs, parking, traffic control, and security. A special program to utilize the City Police Explorers (high school students interested in law enforcement) was also created. In 2013, the beneficiary charity was changed to the Palm Beach Gardens Police Foundation, an organization providing services and funding for police and their families. Security is a primary concern in this upscale community and the organization has a lot of supporters.
A special area is designated for Legacy Place merchants to handout information on their products/services and hold live demonstrations. Polin PR prepares a special Media/VIP area with press kits and coordinates staffing at check-in areas. Polin PR also handles all pre-event media, including print, radio and television sponsorships as well as extensive post-event coverage. An event logo is designed as well as numerous pieces of supporting promotional materials including posters, flyers, signage, staff shirts, check stuffers, print ads, Public Service Announcements (Television), and promotional coupon booklets given to each attendee at what has become one of the most anticipated events in Palm Beach County. Each year, Polin PR secures television, radio and print sponsors and invites well-known Zagat reviewer and food columnist, Jan Norris, to serve as a Chairperson of the event. This is a big attraction to area restaurants who participate.
Polin PR prepares a master event timeline, and speeches for VIP’s, as well as on-site management of media at the event. At the client’s request, Polin PR has come to serve as the Official Spokesperson for all center-related activities. Each year, this marquis event garners close to $450,000 of unpaid media coverage including on-site television segments, radio interviews, print feature stories and glossy magazine coverage.
A sampling of media is below.
