Apple & Grape Festival Marketing Awarded Best in Australia

Stanthorpe can proudly claim to have the best promotion for an event in Australia, with the Stanthorpe Apple and Grape Harvest Festival’s 2020 marketing campaign awarded winner in ‘Best Achievement in Marketing, Communication or Sponsorship’ category at the 2020 Australian Event Awards.

In the same awards, the Festival was also placed as a national finalist in the ‘Best Tourism Event’ category, with the ulimate win awarded to the very worthy Splendour in the Grass 2019.

The ‘Best Achievement in Marketing’ award was presented this week to Krista Hauritz Tourism and Events, who partnered with the festival for the first time in 2019/2020 to deliver the marketing strategy and implement the festival promotions and publicity.

The Awards Presentations ran a little differently in 2020, with Krista Hauritz attending the Brisbane event, which was one of four ‘in-person’ events held in different states simultaneously across the country, all linked up via video technology, with Victorian Finalists able to join via zoom.

Krista Hauritz reflected “running right through our campaign of print media, TV, radio, social media, publicity, signage and all the rest was a refreshed branding for 2020 and our new slogan ‘Crushing It Since 1966’.”

“We felt incredibly privileged to be given the task of marketing Stanthorpe’s long loved festival,” said Mrs Hauritz.  “The deeper we got in to working with the festival committee, we saw we could deliver so much because the festival committee are one of the most professional committees we have encountered and just such lovely people to work alongside.”

“What people don’t see behind the scenes is our marketing effort being supported by a very passionate festival volunteer team and one of the best examples was President Max Hunter handpicking grapes in the rain the day before we were staging a big media event where we had 23 travel writers visiting Stanthorpe to preview the festival fun,” said Ms Hauritz. “We needed the grapes for the travel writers and social media influencers to do a grape stomp experience, so Max, together with the help of then Vice President Greg Thouard, Ray Zannata and Sam Costanzo staged a grape stomp at the wine college three weeks before the festival.”

“Another example of committee members going above and beyond was Bill and Annette Brown and Jenny Rossington with her young family who were up before the crack of dawn to bring the festival mascots to life ready for the first live cross on national TV when we brought the Today Show TV crew to Stanthorpe to promote the festival,” explains Ms Hauritz.  “There are too many local volunteers to name all that made the festival promotions possible, with everyone including then Treasurer very hands on in making everything down to the important festival ticketing run smoothly”

The awards judging panel reflected on the festival’s marketing efforts, “Judging this entry was such a privilege. This is a highly commendable Campaign with purpose at its very core. Congratulations!”

“Congratulations to all the Finalists and Winners. The quality of the entries has meant a very high-scoring year, significantly higher than previous years and the judges have definitely had their work cut out for them.” Peter Rix AM, Co-Chair of the judging panel.

The festival’s marketing was up against stiff competition from events including finalists: City of Melbourne for their work on City of Melbourne Christmas Festival 2019; City Parklands Services for their work on Regional Flavours 2019; Deni Play on the Plains Festival for their work on Deni Ute Muster 2019 and Milestone Creative Australia for their work on Sydney SailGP 2020.

Krista also credited festival marketing funding from Tourism and Events Queensland and support from Southern Downs Regional Council, Channel 7 Toowoomba and the many festival sponsors for their part in making the 2020 marketing a success.

Krista Hauritz, together with her Marketing Manager, Monique Krause are well known in Granite Belt tourism circles, having partnered with Granite Belt Wine & Tourism to deliver the region’s tourism marketing efforts since September 2018.

The Stanthorpe Apple and Grape Harvest Festival continues towards the 2022 festival with newly elected President Russell Wantling at the leading the team forward.

 

Event Awards BNE

 

IMAGES FOR INSTANT DOWNLOAD

Download images from Awards at this link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qupu6tvy6n8lh5a/AABqvQQ7pwL3S5_JIwEmL5fsa?dl=0

 

Download festival images with captions (credit Leeroy Todd Photography):

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/etj150qoorus2fp/AAAhAIKY1PbLSqTpOWVONf9Wa?dl=0

 

 

MEDIA INTERVIEWS

 

Krista Hauritz

Event Awards BNE
Event Awards BNE

|  mob: 0421 148 098  |  krista@kristahauritz.com.au