Reed Exhibitions licensed the French global consumer culinary event to premiere in New York City. Although the client tried this once before at a small venue with marginal results, they wanted to give this delectable property another try at the Javitz Center. However, the budget was limited, as were their resources, so they hired us to reimagine the brand for the NYC audience and uncover an insight that would drive traffic and interest in the event for both exhibitors and attendees. 

 

We approached the assignment in 3 phases. Firstly, we dove into discovery sessions on why the show didn’t gain traction when it first premiered, conducted attendee and exhibitor interviews, and client workshops. From these sessions, we gleaned three key insights that led to a cohesive strategy and ultimately drove engagement and attendance:

1. 89% of women are chocolate enthusiasts 

2. Most social media traffic is between 8pm-10pm, including purchasing event tickets

3. 8pm-midnight is when chocolate cravings are at their peak

 

The second phase was weaving the strategic infrastructure of phase 1 into a unified and audience-segmented messaging and a content calendar. We created a lexicon, avoiding the word “delicious” and expanding the vocabulary so the viewer could taste the words. 

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The final phase was to create a visual asset library, adding NYC flavour to Salon du Chocolat identity, which included images, templates, fonts, graphics, and icons. 

 

These elements made it possible for Reed’s internal team to execute tactics based on the content calendar that used PR and an omnichannel outreach to drive excitement and engagement, resulting in an overwhelming interest and attendance. We partnered with them every step of the way, acting as brand champions with PR agencies and at introductory events such as PopSugar hosted by Chrissy Teigen, which led to greater brand exposure to our key millennial female audience.

 

Outcome:

Attendance was so overwhelming that Reed had to turn people away. Exhibitors were sold out of product mid-show. The momentum and excitement has not abated even post-COVID, and the event is returning in 2025.