Case Study · Entertainment & Events

Grand Chefs Gala

PR News Agency Elite Award Winning Campaign

The gala raised $550,000, the second highest amount ever raised at Grand Chefs Gala, second only to the funds raised in 2007 before the economic recession.

What We Did

Heron Agency had the pleasure of working with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF), a nonprofit donor-supported organization dedicated to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis, on one of its biggest annual fundraisers for the Chicago chapter, the Grand Chefs Gala. The Grand Chefs Gala was founded 17 years ago in partnership with our client, Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park. The event is also known for the presentation of the Jean Banchet Awards for Culinary Excellence.

Results We Got

Press coverage from the event was immense. We secured two segments on WLS-TV (ABC) and coverage in Today’s Chicago Woman, Crain’s Chicago Business, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, Pioneer Press, Chicago Sun-Times Splash, CS Magazine, Eater Chicago, The North Shore Weekend, Illinois Meetings + Events, Inside-Booster, Candid Candace, A Girl & Her Food, and ChicagoNow.com. The media impressions totaled over 4 million. We also live tweeted award winners and photos during the gala, in addition to blogging about it on our blog, The Heron Report, following the event. We measured our success both by conversations with CFF, who were extremely thrilled with the amount and quality of publicity, as well as by the final budget. The gala raised $550,000, the second highest amount ever raised at Grand Chefs Gala, second only to the funds raised in 2007 before the economic recession.

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