Results
The month was fast, furious and, most importantly, wildly successful. We engaged 25,000+ consumers in more than 40 states and changed perceptions about how fun, engaging and energetic—virtual events can be.
When Wonders of Wisconsin—a weekend-long series of events designed to gather cheese lovers from all over the country—hit a snag due to COVID restrictions, we helped Wisconsin Cheese pivot by transitioning in-person events to interactive, online infotainment.
Strategy
We started by outlining the content of each event, scriptwriting, hiring talent and pre-producing as much as we could. We also developed an event registration strategy, created experience boxes that encouraged engagement and interactivity and collaborated with a virtual event production team to help turn our vision into a reality: five event concepts over one month that bring the Wonders of Wisconsin Cheese to the world.
Harmonious Pairings:
A Night of Music and Cheese
Who knew so many of Wisconsin's dairy rock stars are also actual, bonafide rock stars? We found a dairy farmer who leads an internationally lauded blues band and two musically gifted cheesemakers to be our guests in this fast-paced, interactive late-night style talk show. Led by Wisconsin Foodie host Luke Zahm, the event featured interviews, S/B-produced music videos, trivia with a live virtual audience, prize giveaways, cheese tastings and a whole lot of fun. Registrants for the event received featured cheeses in advance along with other swag, including coasters and, of course, cowbells.
The Art of Affinage
Just four days after our kickoff, we produced this education-forward event. It was so nice, we did it twice—once for a trade audience, and once for consumers. The "class" was hosted by Food Network personality Justin Warner and featured insights from affinage expert Eric Meredith who educated the audience on the various finishing techniques that give cheeses their unique flavors and textures. Each participant received an experience box prior to the event that contained not only the cheeses, but sensory elements that are used in the affinage process to create engagement and interaction with the course content. The Art of Affinage holds the honor of being the highest rated event of the entire series!
Cheese, Cheers and Beers
Luke Zahm was back, this time as host of a live trivia event held on back-to-back nights featuring one of Wisconsin's favorite pairings, beer and cheese. One of our partners led this effort with S/B providing script support, set design, graphics, live production assistance and registration facilitation.
Find Your Inner Chef
We worked with season 15 Top Chef Winner Joe Flamm to develop a Wisconsin Cheese-forward menu that he cooked for us live on back-to-back nights. Participants were given featured cheeses and S/B-produced recipe cards ahead of time so they could cook along with Flamm while he shared stories about his new restaurant in Chicago, his time on Top Chef and, of course, his love of Wisconsin Cheese.
The Great Wisconsin Cheese Giveaway
The month culminated with a massive giveaway that also celebrated the 180-year anniversary of cheesemaking in Wisconsin. The action-packed evening featured hundreds of prizes with the grand prize of a cake made from wheels of cheese. The show also featured custom songs, a visit to a cheese museum and cheese shop and well wishes from celebrities—all coordinated and produced by S/B.