From Strategy to Celebration: Behind the Scenes of Ben Franklin Fest

Ben Franklin Fest was more than a one-day community event. It was the result of collaboration, planning, creativity, and promotion coming together around one shared vision. Held August 7 at Green Mill Village in Arcola, Illinois, the event brought the community together for an evening of entertainment, family activities, food, tourism, and celebration as the country approaches America’s 250th anniversary.

For Cass Concepts, the project went far beyond simply promoting the event. Our team was involved from the early planning stages through the day of the festival, working alongside the City of Arcola, Visit Amazing Arcola/Arcola Chamber of Commerce, Green Mill Village, and Green Mill Village Hotel & Suites to help bring the event to life.

Cass Concepts helped develop the overall event strategy, including how Ben Franklin Fest would be positioned, promoted, and communicated throughout the region. Our involvement included planning, branding, messaging, promotional timelines, advertising strategy, vendor communication, and identifying opportunities that could help generate excitement and increase attendance. The goal was not only to create an event people wanted to attend, but also to showcase Arcola and Green Mill Village as destinations worth visiting.

Once the strategy was in place, our team developed and executed the marketing campaign surrounding the event. Cass Concepts created the Ben Franklin Fest branding and promotional materials, managed social media content, developed advertising creative, coordinated paid ad buys, and built messaging around the experiences that made the festival unique. Promotion highlighted attractions such as tethered hot air balloon rides, Foam & Flight activities, Lawn Rangers Boot Camp, food and vendors, and Big Al’s Lemon Shake-Ups’ record attempt.

Media outreach and exposure were also an important part of the campaign. Cass Concepts helped coordinate opportunities that expanded the event’s reach beyond social media, including WCIA’s Weather on the Road with Kevin Lighty, which broadcast live from Green Mill Village during the evening newscasts. By combining paid advertising, organic social media, traditional media, community partnerships, and cross-promotion, the campaign gave audiences multiple ways to discover the event.

Behind the scenes, Cass Concepts also supported vendor communication and event logistics. With several organizations and participants involved, keeping information, messaging, and branding aligned was an important part of creating a cohesive experience. Our team helped develop materials and communications that kept everyone moving in the same direction leading up to the festival.

Our involvement continued on event day with on-site coverage designed to capture the people, activities, atmosphere, and energy of Ben Franklin Fest. Photography and video from the event not only documented the celebration, but also created valuable content that can continue supporting Green Mill Village, Visit Amazing Arcola, the City of Arcola, and future community events.

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One of the biggest successes of Ben Franklin Fest was the collaboration behind it. The City of Arcola, Visit Amazing Arcola/Arcola Chamber of Commerce, Green Mill Village, Green Mill Village Hotel & Suites, and Cass Concepts each brought something different to the table, creating an event that promoted more than one organization or location. It promoted the community as a whole.

For Cass Concepts, Ben Franklin Fest is a great example of what integrated event marketing looks like in action. Strategy, planning, branding, advertising, media buying, public relations, coordination, event coverage, and content creation all worked together toward one goal: creating an experience people wanted to be part of and giving them another reason to discover what makes Arcola special.