sports communication australia case study: blue mountains bicentenary flyover public relations

Case StudyBlue Mountains

Bicentenary Flyover

WHO: Businesses Supporting Bicentenary

WHAT: Public Relations for the Blue Mountains Bicentenary Flyover

WHEN: November 2012 – June 2013

The Businesses Supporting Bicentenary (BSB) is a group of Blue Mountains based businesses who joined together to plan, execute and benefit from events created to celebrate the 200 year anniversary of the first European crossing of the Blue Mountains by explorers Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth.

WHO HIRED US?

The Team: Philip Hammon from Businesses Supporting Bicentenary, Matt Hall & Eric Sward Director of Blue Mountains Lithgow and Oberon Tourism

The team at BSB wanted to drive tourism to the Blue Mountains via a number of events, including the Blue Mountains Bicentenary Flyover – a mass aerial crossing of the route from Emu Plains to Bathurst involving 75 civilian and military aircraft.

WHAT WAS THE BRIEF?

Our mission was to engage both participating pilots, and then media, into extolling the virtues of the event and the Blue Mountains area. We were also charged with being the primary source for communicating the details of the event to the public and managing media in the lead up to, and during, the event. We needed to overcome the challenges provided in promoting an aviation event from a visual / content and logistics perspective.

WHAT WAS THE BRIEF?

Aerial view of the Blue Mountains Bicentenary Flyover (Footprint Productions)

We used the uniqueness of the event and the personalities of the pilot participants to tell the story through words, imagery and video. Prior to the event we created locally relevant stories to engage local and regional media and built individual opportunities for all major metropolitan newspaper and television platforms in Sydney.

HOW DID WE DO IT

On the day of the Flyover we established and managed a media centre operation at Richmond Air Force Base in cooperation with the RAAF, arranged airborne media opportunities for all major metropolitan newspaper and television platforms and both photo and video news releases from the event via our onsite media unit who flew along the route in a helicopter.

HOW DID WE DO IT

Posters and magazine lift outs made up part of the communication strategy

Example of local media strategy used to promote event and recruit pilots

The PR plan we implemented and executed saw seven national news stories on Ch9, Ch7, Ch10, ABC television news, a feature in the Daily Telegraph, a review in the Sun Herald, reports on all major radio news services and dozens of local / regional print and online articles.

THE RESULT

Our clients valued the media activity at well over $1million.

THE RESULT

“I have never been more proud of a tourism outcome. The media exposure in the final 2 days was the best we could ask for.” – Randall Walker, Chairman Blue Mountains Lithgow and Oberon Tourism

THE RESULT• http://

www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/sweeping-planes-in-their-sights/story-e6frg95x-1226623785780

• http://video.au.msn.com/watch/video/blue-mountains-flyover/xoz88tb

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVIqfhJLXHo

• http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/savouring-the-gee-whiz-force/story-fni0cx4q-1226650215972

Social Media Strategy

Example of intensive Facebook and Twitter interaction during the event

For more information about this Case Study or to contact Sports

Communication Australia, email dave@sportscomm.com.au or call

+61 403 777 026.