Case study: Restaurant and Bar Design Awards 2013

Case study: Restaurant and Bar Design Awards 2013

This case study briefly sets out the processes, tasks, and successes of Core’s role in promoting the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards 2013 using social media and other digital communications.

Core has been the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards’ digital partner for the last five years, and 2013 was the perfect opportunity during the life of the Awards so far to take on the challenge of building interest in the Awards night itself. Improving engagement with fans and followers all over the world, as well as those present on the night, was a major objective.

The Restaurant and Bar Design Awards are a truly international phenomenon, which attract a significant number of entries to the competition from the four corners of the globe, and many of these shortlisted design teams travel to the UK especially for the Awards.

The opportunities and rewards of social media engagement are self-evident with a project such as this - a unique, visually exciting, and internationally important event in the design calendar - and we’d like to show you how we did.

Summary


Copyright © Core 2013

Facebook

Twitter

Increase in weekly total reachIncrease in ‘people talking about this’Total likesPeople talking about thisWeekly total reachWeekly total reach

Increase in followers

+1278.3%+938.6%+14.38%+1157.66%+1725.48% 49,849

+11%

The numbers

The UK and International Restaurant and Bar Design Awards is totally independent, and the world’s only concept of its kind dedicated exclusively to hospitality design.

They receive entries from the world’s top architects, designers and hospitality operators from all types of sectors including: hotels, offices, transport, industry, fine dining, education, sports and leisure, healthcare, government, aviation, cruise and retail.

A highly influential panel of top design, lifestyle and hospitality personalities are chosen as judges each year. Their role is to recognise and reward design excellence.

Core has been involved with the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards since their first year of operation in 2008. Over the years, we have developed and pushed forward the digital impact and reach of the Awards, and for the 2013 Awards event we took the step of offering live social media coverage, as well as build-up and publicity during the week beforehand.

Introduction

Background



Since Core is the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards’ digital partner, it made sense for us to be more involved in the digital marketing plan for the Awards event itself. The employment of two new members to the Search and Social team meant Core had the capacity and experience to undertake this element of publicity.

Core was tasked with assisting in publicising the build-up to Awards night via the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards’ social media feeds through a variety of methods: researching hospitality design, relevant social media influencers, and the shortlisted entrants; and live blogging the Awards event from the London venue.


The brief


A significant number of hours’ research was undertaken into previous Restaurant and Bar Design Awards events, and into the shortlisted entrants and winners (known in advance by Core). Their social media feeds were monitored for interesting and relevant followers, and more influencers were added. Core also set up new Vine and Instagram accounts, to accompany their pre-existing Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Flickr accounts, to be able to take advantage of the ephemeral and visual nature of the Awards, and capture the atmosphere - as well as interviews with guests - live from the venue.

The copy for two email newsletters was prepared: one to be sent from the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards and one from Core, in the two weeks preceding the Awards event. The newsletters publicised the social media accounts and hashtags to be followed/used, and informed people that it would be Core (as digital partner) who would be responsible for this on the night.

The venue was a Victorian building - a former warehouse - which did not have wi-fi. Given that the decision to live blog the event was made only some five weeks beforehand, the lack of wi-fi had not previously been an issue. In order to guarantee great live coverage of the event by the Core team, and by guests who would wish to share images, videos and comments, it was felt that wi-fi was critical to the success of the project, and was duly temporarily installed.


The response


The Restaurant and Bar Design Awards’ social media accounts were run by Core during the week of the Awards, which coincided with, and built interest in, people’s excitement. A live Twitter interview with a former winner was run by Core the previous week (in the same way as had been done throughout the year with a variety of designers and architects), and the two e-newsletters were sent to 12,000 and 600 people respectively (Restaurant and Bar Design Awards’ database, and guests), ensuring widespread publicity for Core and our social media role.

The event was successfully live blogged on Twitter, Vine and Instagram, with additional photographs being taken by the Core team before and during the event, as a more complete visual record. All the fifth anniversary ‘Box Project’ spaces were captured on Instagram video, and interviews with guests and winners were tweeted live.

Engagement with guests present at the venue, and with interested followers who were not able to be present, was undertaken in the form of re-tweeting, sharing and liking comments made directly to the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards’ accounts, and by the Core team searching for comments using the hashtags associated with the event. The team took an agile approach to covering the evening’s activities, demonstrating creativity, confidence and a deft approach to searching out suitable and attractive content to curate.

We announced the winners live on Twitter and Facebook, having previously scheduled these updates to post at the appropriate time.


The results


2012/13 was the first year the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards used targeted social media, and also a blog as part of their website. This development has been crucial in securing and establishing the Awards in the digital sphere, and the response has been very encouraging.

There are a number of prestigious design awards in London and the UK, although the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards are unique in the hospitality sector, and having closer connections to these awards and events via social media feeds at least, will continue to grow the brand’s significance.

Core expect that social and digital media will play an increasingly important role in the engagement of industry professionals with the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards throughout the year, and will be working with them to achieve further success in 2014.


The future



Facebook

+1278.3%

11/9/13-18/9/13

Increase in weekly total reach of

(from 2509 to 34,581)

[Source: Facebook Insights]



Facebook

+938.6%Increase in ‘people talking about this’

(from 98 to 914)

11/9/13-18/9/13

[Source: Facebook Insights]



FacebookTotal likes 2243

People talking about this 1396

Weekly total reach 49,849

19/9/13

+14.38%

+1157.66%

+1725.48%[Source: Facebook Insights]



Twitter

Increase in followers

+11%

9/9/13-19/9/13

[Source: Tweetdeck]


Can we help promote your business or event through social media marketing?

If you’re interested in finding out more about how we can improve your social media marketing and communications, get in touch here:

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Case study: Restaurant and Bar Design Awards 2013