Goal
Attract a record number of more than 5,000 attendees to this annual event
Situation Analysis
The three-day Moose Festival is held in a different Maine location each year. It includes lots of family-friendly activities, moose calling competitions, and the announcement of the results for the state’s moose permit lottery. In 2018, Main Street Skowhegan hosted the event and set a goal to break the Guinness World Record for the most people moose calling simultaneously.
Skowhegan has gone through a significant revitalization over the last decade, so the town also saw this as a great opportunity to draw attention to the many new offerings of its downtown area, both among Maine residents and visitors to the state, not to mention the economic impact such a well-attended event would bring with it.
Main Street Skowhegan tapped Marshall Communications to generate widespread excitement about the event and draw more guests than had ever attended the event before.
Methods
In the weeks leading up to the event, Marshall Communications contacted its local and national media contacts to secure coverage on the event, focusing on the uniqueness of the moose calling competition and the world record goal. Marshall also shot a YouTube video featuring a registered Maine guide to show the media and potential attendees what an actual moose call sounds like. The Marshall team was also on site at the event, using social media to shine the spotlight on the town of Skowhegan and the most successful moose festival held in Maine to date. Photos and video clips were directly uploaded to the Moose Festival Facebook page throughout the festival, capturing all the excitement in real time.
Results
The event posted record attendance with more than 5,000 people attending from more than 10 different states and Canada. More than 2,000 people took part in the world record attempt, and Skowhegan officials expect confirmation from the Guinness Book of World Records that a new world record has indeed been set.
Pre-event coverage encompassed the Associated Press, Smithsonian.com; the Boston Globe’s website; many major Maine TV, print and radio outlets; and more. Social media endeavors were also a big hit. A Facebook Live clip of the world record attempt garnered more than 15,000 views. A second Facebook Live video of a public forum about Maine’s moose population received more than 600 views.
