How La Trobe City Council s rose festival planted the seeds for virtual engagement
La Trobe City Council details how it pivoted the Annual International Rose Festival from a physical to hybrid event and the marketing and engagement lessons learnt
Highly engaged local and international audiences and influencers, strategic marketing content and an appreciation for the power of online engagement are just a few legacies La Trobe City Council has secured after delivering its annual rose festival virtually.
The Annual International Rose Festival is a free community festival devised and run by the La Trobe City Council aimed at showcasing and recognising the hard work of volunteers who devote over 6000 hours annually to maintaining its Morwell Centenary Rose Garden. The festival quickly evolved from a one-day event in 2018 to a two-day festival in 2019 including talks, workshops, live music, children’s activities, food and wine masterclasses, stalls and an evening light installat
22 December 2020 3 min read
This case study demonstrates how Latrobe City Council’s ‘International Rose Garden Festival’ transformed the traditionally in-person festival into a virtual experience for guests to enjoy from the comfort of their own home.
Background:
The International Rose Garden Festival is an annual celebration of award winning rose arbours, garden beds and trees transformed into festival by lighting, performance and sound held in Latrobe Valley for its third consecutive year. As a food and wine fiesta, this event is traditionally run as an in-person community stallholder event in which producers showcase amazing produce from the Gippsland region. Visitors typically enjoy a relaxing picnic-style setting amongst the main attraction of the rose garden itself, underscored by musicians, international presenters and performers over the course of three days.