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Project:
Centennial Scoop
Client:
Porter Novelli, New York
Big Brothers Big Sisters, Philadelphia
Overview:
To celebrate its 100th Anniversary, Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS), the nation's largest and oldest mentoring program, needed to make a big splash nationwide. As part of a program to re-unite "Bigs" and "Littles" from throughout the organization's history, a gala reunion and ice cream social was planned for New York's Bryant Park. The event would coincide with BBBS's annual conference being held in a Times Square hotel.
Production Plan:
Upon being retained, Eventage worked directly with Porter Novelli and their client on all aspects of the event. Initial duties included developing an event site plan with the Bryant Park Restoration Corporation and designing a show flow which met the client's varied goals of celebration, recognition and promotion.
A strong celebrity contingent was a big part of the celebration, especially with pop star Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees and MTV's The Newlyweds on board as a new Big Brother. This was publicly announced for the first time at the event. Eventage worked with Lachey in rehearsals and helped fine tune the script and show flow for the event. Other celebrities, such as football legend Lynn Swann, film and Broadway star Michael McKean and Olympian Oksana Baiul, were on hand to help scoop thousands of free ice cream servings to the public. The event also celebrated the publication of a book telling the stories of dozens of Bigs and Littles. Excerpts were read from the stage throughout the day and the book was sold from a tent in the park.
Eventage designed and installed the set and stage-managed both the press conference and other activities on the stage. Eventage also designed an economical system to keep 180 gallons of ice cream cold and set up a distribution method where thousands of guests could be served quickly and efficiently. BBBS sponsors donated goods and services to the event and Eventage worked with them to make sure their donations were used effectively. Eventage staff were on hand for line management as well as the behind-the-scenes movement and management of ice cream and water.
Results:
Media coverage of the event was enormous: Television coverage including TODAY, Good Morning America, The Early Show, Extra!, Access Hollywood, The View, Fox News Live and MTV; Stories in US Weekly, LA Times, Denver Post and Philadelphia Inquirer plus many more. The event garnered over 806,000,000 media impressions via TV, radio, print and online. An estimated 4,000 people attended the event and heard the BBBS story while enjoying a delicious cup of ice cream.
Client
Feedback:
"The 'thanks' and 'kudos' keep coming in from all sides. Collectively we pulled this off without a hitch. Eventage has been terrific to work with. It's been a pleasure - we ought to do this again!" Pia Garcia, Senior Vice President, Porter Novelli
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