Partnership to Announce Outdoor Retailer Shows’ Move to Denver

Challenge

Colorado’s Outdoor Recreation Industry Office partnered with GroundFloor Media (GFM) to bring key partners together to organize the announcement that Denver was selected as the new home for the Outdoor Retailer shows: the Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show, the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market and Outdoor Retailer Winter Market. The news was a feather in Colorado’s cap, as it would drive millions of dollars into the state’s economy and further Colorado’s position as the leading voice in the outdoor recreation industry in our country.

While the announcement was positive for our state, there were challenges to overcome at the outset – as with any major announcement. GFM needed to coordinate with the staffs of Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock and VISIT Denver offices, as well as key industry trade groups involved in the shows, to identify an agreeable date and neutral location to conduct the announcement – all within a two-week timeframe, with the added challenge of the July 4th holiday.

Solution

We agreed upon July 6, 2017, in Denver’s City Park as the location for the big announcement. Once the date and location had been confirmed, GFM began organizing the logistics for the event, including development of the run of show, which featured seven speakers representing the multitude of entities involved, organizing all the speaking points and coordinating A/V, staging and hydration needs for an outdoor announcement in the middle of summer in the Rocky Mountains. GFM drafted a media advisory to garner attendance at the event and a news release to secure coverage following the announcement. The team also drafted social media posts for all constituents involved and coordinated photography and b-roll to share with media following the event.

Result

More than a dozen local, national and outdoor industry trade media attended the news conference and conducted interviews with many of the speakers, including Governor Hickenlooper and Mayor Hancock. The news release, b-roll and photos were distributed via wire service immediately following the news conference, and the announcement generated the below results: