From blank slate to 1.6 million impressions, Winter Bites Festival built momentum
How we built excitement and real results for a brand-new regional festival (without an existing audience or playbook).
Project snapshot
Client
King Events (event coordinator, contracted by Snowy Valleys Council)
Location
Snowy Valleys, NSW (Tumbarumba, Adelong, Batlow)
When we worked together
February 2021 – September 2022
What we worked on
Social media strategy + management
Email marketing strategy + execution
Website copy support
Reporting + insights
Winter Bites Festival in Adelong, July 2022. Photographer: Matt Beaver.
Winter Bites Festival needed to attract locals and visitors to three events across three towns but had no audience, no content and a whole lot of pandemic uncertainty. Backed by bushfire recovery funding, this wasn’t just about promotion. It was about reconnection.
Assembld came on board to shape the digital presence, build momentum and keep things moving, even when plans changed.
Where they started
Winter Bites Festival was a brand-new event series with no existing audience, no database, and no content to repurpose.
Backed by bushfire recovery funding, the festival aimed to bring visitors back to three Snowy Valleys towns with a series of one-day events celebrating local food, drinks and music.
But it launched in the thick of pandemic disruption, with lockdowns forcing multiple postponements and uncertainty affecting local tourism confidence and ticket sales.
The goal? Build community momentum and (eventually) drive ticket sales, all from scratch.
What we did
Assembld came on board to build buzz and connection from the ground up, turning a new event brand into something locals and visitors wanted to be part of. Our cleverly crafted messaging piqued curiosity and supported strong ticket sales. The multi-channel digital marketing strategy also maintained and built momentum across all three events.
Our work included:
Developed a consistent tone of voice to work alongside the visual identity
Created all content and managed communities on Facebook and Instagram
Grew a new Mailchimp email list, with ongoing list management
Wrote and scheduled all email campaigns, including audience segmentation
Managed strategic paid Meta campaigns to build brand familiarity and drive attendance
Delivered reporting and strategic insights after each event to inform funding acquittals and strategy decisions
Emails for Winter Bites Festival
Social media content for Winter Bites Festival
Social media content for Winter Bites Festival
The impact
+3,000 followers
Built the audience from scratch across Facebook and Instagram.
1.6M impressions
Combined reach across paid and organic campaigns.
47.6% average email open rate
Email campaigns consistently doubled industry averages (20.5%).
We also…
Used strategic wrap-up content to keep energy high across three events
Achieved email click rates up to 6.7% (industry average: 2.4%)
Kept audience engagement rates consistently strong, even across postponed dates
What our client said
“In true Rach fashion, she took everything in her stride and exceeded our targets with all facets of her brief. She was able to build a loyal and engaged following on our social platforms and via email, using a voice and tone that really resonated with our audience. Most importantly, she was able to continue to build and grow engagement with each festival. We put much of the success of Winter Bites down to the involvement of Assembld from the early stages of the event.”
Belinda King, King Events — Winter Bites Festival event coordinator
What this shows
A successful festival needs more than a line-up. It needs a strategy.
Winter Bites proves that with the right voice, structure and consistency, even a new event with no digital presence can build momentum and a loyal audience.
While funding was only provided for the initial event run, the digital foundations are there to support a strong return if needed.
Winter Bites Festival in Adelong, July 2022. Photographer: Matt Beaver.
Planning something from scratch?
If you’re launching a regional event and need support to grow your audience, build engagement and back it all with meaningful data, let’s talk.
