Tulsa Boat, Sport & Travel Show
Media Relations Campaign Overview

The Tulsa Boat, Sport & Travel Show is the largest and longest-running annual event in the Tulsa area, second only to the Tulsa State Fair.

The issue.
In its 53rd year, Tulsa's boat show is ranked in the top five events of its kind by The Marine Retailers Association of America. This past year, however, the depressed national economy had begun negatively affecting attendance at outdoor sporting and recreational events across the country, with other boat shows seeing their attendance levels decrease from 5 to 60 percent.

The solution.
Waller & Company was asked to join the show's marketing and branding firm, Branders, to coordinate with the media on behalf of the Tulsa Boat Show's organizers to generate more earned media than preceding years and reach previously untapped media markets to help offset discouraging attendance numbers seen at other boat shows nationally.

Waller worked to develop unique and positive story angles to present to local and regional media. More than 125 media mentions were generated as a result of the media relations campaign.

The Tulsa Boat Show was able to buck national trends and saw attendance increase every day of the week-long show except for one day compared to last year for only a 1 percent drop in attendance. Vendors and exhibitors, meanwhile, reported better-than-expected sales and, in a majority of cases, better sales than they had seen in several years.