Wild Atlantic Way – Sales Mission and Event
The Brief
The Wild Atlantic Way (WAW), an alliance made up of the Shannon, Kerry, Cork and Galway CVBs that was created in 2015 to specifically promote the west coast of Ireland. They approached Axis to help them penetrate the UK MICE market and create a platform to grow the brand.
What We Did
With a limited budget, we outlined a plan to leverage our strong relationships for a two-day sales mission culminating in an evening event.
We had a representative from each bureau on the sales calls, and our evening event included a showcase featuring 20 suppliers from the region.
To kick-start the project and get the brand into the marketplace, we sent personalised postcards to our clients as appointment requests to build strong interest in the brand. During the sales mission, we visited 10 clients and left a hamper of authentic regional produce to further whet their appetites.
We ran a social media campaign urging clients to tweet their most adventurous picture from the day, the company with the most social media impact winning a trip for two to the region.
For the evening event, we wanted to pair education with the fun that Ireland is synonymous with. We chose the newly opened Ham Yard Hotel, which also had a bowling alley, allowing us to form teams and run a competition. Each supplier captained a team, allowing for great interaction.
Results
Confirmed business immediately worth EUR 600,000 with more confirming since. We had 80 guests attend the evening event.
Social media campaign got 905 tweets.
