Established in 1939, Renfro Valley Entertainment Center is a 55-acre destination complex located near Lexington, KY and is proudly known as “Kentucky’s Country Music Capital.” Over the years, Renfro Valley has showcased countless legendary country, gospel, and bluegrass artists. Today, Renfro Valley is known for its rich history of “Real Country Music.”
Challenge: The pandemic nearly forced Renfro Valley to close permanently. The venue had been closed for a year and a half, but in October of 2021, Renfro Valley’s leadership team decided it was time for a resurgence. They needed to revitalize their brand image after being closed for a long period of time and reestablish themselves to win back crowds. They chose Bauer Entertainment Marketing to tackle this feat.
Solution: BEM got to work right away. Through a full digital audit, we identified areas where we could boost brand awareness, capture more leads, plus elevate sales and profitability for Renfro Valley.
After gaining access to and then optimizing social media platforms, BEM developed a comprehensive content calendar. Our social media content helped promote the unique “Renfro Experience” to prospective buyers by showcasing the venue’s rich history, recent improvements, plus exciting future plans. Through engaging with the performing artists, BEM was also able to maximize the organic reach of show-specific content.
Next, we established show-specific digital advertising campaigns. We developed highly-targeted social media ad sets for a variety of interest-based audiences (e.g., Travis Tritt, Sara Evans, Josh Turner, classic country, etc.); engagement-based audiences (e.g., X days since leaving the website without a purchase, RSVP'd to Facebook Event, etc.); and lookalike audiences. Additionally, BEM worked directly with talent managers to establish “dark post” social media ads from the artists’ pages that promoted their upcoming show.
Results: In a span of just six weeks, BEM helped Renfro Valley achieve five sold-out shows! These included Travis Tritt, Diamond Rio, Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser featuring Wynonna Judd, and Tracy Lawrence. Not only did we deliver up to a 19.2X return on ad spend for tickets, but BEM helped secure valuable sponsorships, boost community engagement, and drive record-breaking alcohol sales! In a time when independent venues had been closing their doors for good, BEM proudly helped Renfro Valley come back bigger and better than ever before. 🙌
Looking to sell-out your events just like Renfro Valley Entertainment Center? Say less! Click the button below to check out the 3 most common reasons why events aren’t selling more tickets and then contact us to discuss your marketing approach.