Reinventing an existing event to build stronger connections
When your small team is issued a challenge to reinvent an existing event, creating a bigger, bolder and better experience, you enlist help. And that’s just what the College of Agriculture did for Celebrate Agriculture Day 2023.
Kansas State University President Richard Linton challenged the College of Agriculture to make Celebrate Agriculture Day bigger, bolder and better than ever in June 2023. The celebration was slated for September 23, before the K-State vs. University of Central Florida football game.
K-State’s College of Agriculture had already elevated its involvement in the event, which started as a sponsorship opportunity through K-State Athletics in 2014.
Deep into a major fundraising initiative, the College of Agriculture also saw this challenge as an opportunity to deepen connections with committed and potential donors to the Agriculture Innovation Initiative.
To make this all happen in a shortened timeline, the college leadership reached out to the MMMG team to partner and make things happen.
The MMMG team and the planning committee created a plan with three areas of focus:
Public promotion of the pre-game events to ensure game-day attendees were aware of Celebrate Ag Day.
Incentives to draw game-day attendees into pre-game activities in and around Bramlage Coliseum.
Creation of a unique experience on Friday evening to engage the donor community with the College of Agriculture.
Strategic Foundations: Reinvention for Higher Engagement
With just 100 days until Celebrate Ag Day, the MMMG and College of Agriculture teams came together to learn from past K-State events and explore other universities' College of Agriculture game-day activities. The team evaluated past events through online videos and social media posts.
As the new K-State president and former dean of the North Carolina State University (NC State) College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, President Linton had ideas. NC State had a big pre-game tailgate and activities for their alumni, and he shared those ideas with the planning team.
To elevate the event, the team sought to engage with at least 1,000 consumers at the pre-game activities in Bramlage Coliseum, increase awareness of the Agriculture Innovation Initiative and increase engagement with College of Agriculture alumni, friends and donors and strengthen those relationships.
Since the Celebrate Ag Weekend events coincided with a K-State football game, the team knew there was an audience on-site of at least 51,000 people, in addition to those who could be reached through social media.
K-State football fans take their pre-game rituals seriously. To entice alumni and potential donors away from beloved game-day traditions, the events had to be engaging, exciting and enviable, establishing a fear of missing out on something among college alumni and friends.
Creating Exclusive, Unforgettable Moments
Kicking off the weekend was an event to celebrate donors and potential partners, Kansas agriculture and the future of agriculture at K-State. Every detail was carefully planned to create an air of exclusivity.
The program was designed to build excitement for the Agriculture Innovation Initiative and enhance connections between the college and its leading donors.
The Evening to Celebrate Agriculture was hosted in the Stanley Stout Center, one of the few meeting/event facilities located in the agriculture-focused section of campus.
The event was also a celebration of the launch of a new K-State interdisciplinary Institute for Digital Agriculture and Advanced Analytics (ID3A). The ID3A institute This approach will bring together the College of Agriculture, College of Arts and Sciences and College of Engineering and specialties working together to keep K-State at the forefront of land-grant education and transform Kansas agriculture with research and innovation.
The Stanley Stout Center was transformed into an upscale event space with decorations featuring locally grown grains, including corn, soybeans, wheat and sorghum sourced from Kansas farmers with connections to K-State’s College of Agriculture.
Cow and pig planters, created and printed in 3-D by a Kansas 4-Her whose parent is a College of Ag alum, were filled with flowers sourced from a greenhouse owned by another alum. Attendees were encouraged to take a little agriculture home by taking home the 3-D planters of pansies to enjoy following the event.
More than 130 people enjoyed a steak dinner, Call Hall ice cream, Bakery Science Club cookies, signature cocktails created with spirits produced by companies owned by K-State alumni and a 90’s country cover band.
MMMG provided direct contact with vendors for outdoor tents, audio-visual, a photo booth and mobile bar, event rentals, caterers, floral and decor and on-campus vendors. The MMMG team was also responsible for capturing and producing a video aligned with the launch of a new website for the initiative that was created in partnership with K-State.
Fostering Agriculture-Consumer Connections
To connect consumers with the Kansas agriculture industry and the different areas of study in the college, entities were invited to create interactive experiences for their booths at Celebrate Agriculture Day pre-game activities.
The MMMG team provided advance and on-site logistical support and coordination with K-State Athletics and booth organizers.
MMMG recommended focusing on grass-roots efforts to entice participation in the Activity Zone. The team created a landing page, email messages, social media posts and invitational signs to promote the event in advance.
MMMG coordinated the creation of a Celebrate Ag Day T-Shirt along with a passport listing every booth to encourage consumers to visit booths and get a stamp. Those getting at least five stamps could trade in their passport for a T-shirt.
We were pleased with all the participation that day! Bramlage Coliseum hosted 29 organizations with ties to agriculture or rural living around the concourse and the west lawn and sidewalk. Volunteers distributed 1,250 Celebrate Ag Day passports and 1,000 T-shirts.
MMMG’s graphics team designed life-size props of commonly grown Kansas crops with measurements that were printed on plexiglass so people, from children to adults, could see how they measure up. This interactive display helped people make a connection back to Kansas fields.
Social media posts during the event encouraged people to come to Bramlage and enjoy the festivities. A social media hashtag was printed on passports, and people were encouraged to include it when posting photos of their Celebrate Agriculture Day participation.
Reinventing Alumni Engagement for Tomorrow
Reconnecting with college alumni and sharing the vision for the College of Agriculture tomorrow were the dual purposes outlined for the College of Agriculture Alumni & Friends Tailgate. Working with the College of Agriculture, the MMMG team coordinated the logistics, promotion and communication for the event.
Working with outside vendors and K-State Athletics, the basketball arena was transformed into a pre-game tailgate.
Decorations featured locally grown grains, including corn, soybeans, wheat, and sorghum sourced from farmers with connections to K-State’s College of Agriculture. A photo booth offered an opportunity to grab a photo with the family or fellow alumni.
Working with the college and the K-State President’s Office to determine the most important information to share with college alumni, the MMMG team mapped out the program and coordinated with the A/V contractor for the short program during the event.
MMMG coordinated volunteers, procured Call Hall ice cream and assorted Bakery Science Club cookies, and served as the primary contact for the tailgate caterer.
The tailgate was a ticketed event, so MMMG also sent electronic confirmations to those registered with ticket numbers and provided registration assistance during the event.
Empower Your Events: Partner with MMMG
Let the MMMG team be your partner and help you level-up your next event. From guiding and assisting in the planning process to identifying vendors and managing on-site logistics, MMMG can help. Let’s talk.