Kansas State Fair

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Celebrated every September in Hutchinson, Kansas, The Kansas State Fair (KSF) has been the state’s largest gathering of Kansans since 1913. Boasting an attendance of nearly 330,000 people and nearly $3 million in revenue, this time-honored tradition is a boon for the local economy.

BowerComm has proudly supported the Kansas State Fair as its primary marketing partner since 2018. As a multi-day, multi-faceted event involving countless moving parts and pieces, marketing the State Fair each year brings a unique set of challenges.

THE CHALLENGE

Grow attendance and revenue—for gate tickets, grandstand sales, and food/beverage
Create a joyful, inspiring brand identity, then reinforce it with annual promotions
Leverage media and sponsor partnerships, in addition to paid media
Craft communications to improve attendee experience

OUR APPROACH

The “Fairified” Concept was created to establish KSF’s place as THE place to experience what it means to be a true Kansan.
The Golden Ticket Giveaway was a new initiative for 2024 designed to build excitement ahead of the fair while growing our email subscriber base.
The social ambassador program helped build excitement and brand loyalty among our top Fair fans, keeping us top of mind earlier than our usual August promos.
The app was completely revamped, better showcasing vendor offerings assisting with wayfinding.
We delayed heavy purchase promotions until mid-August to better align with when people were shifting into “Fair mode,” balancing earlier awareness ads with mid-summer offers.

THE OUTCOME

The “Fairified” concept was embraced by fairgoers and stakeholders alike.
The Golden Ticket Giveaway garnered 7,000 new e-mail subscribers, contributing to $21,603 in direct revenue from those new subscribers.
19,700 total app downloads, far exceeding the goal of 10K, with Etix purchases totaling nearly $69K.
31 Social Ambassadors from around Kansas created 378 unique pieces of content.
Grandstand act promotions achieved 6.5 million social/digital impressions, selling over 27,000 tickets.
Total revenue grew by $500K over the previous year.