CASE STUDY: Daybreak Rotary Ribfest

Kamloops Daybreak Rotary has hosted Ribfest in Kamloops for 12 years, and this August’s event will be its final one. The event is run and hosted by Rotarians of Kamloops Daybreak Rotary and many, many volunteers. It has been a summer staple in the community, bringing people together in Riverside Park for a feast of ribs and good times, drawing locals and tourists alike to the park for the weekend event. Let’s also not forget the nearly one million dollars raised for local charities from the event and the massive economic spin-off generated for Kamloops.

Challenges

So, what do you do when it is time to move on to another venture and you need to break the news to the community?

That was Kamloops Daybreak Rotary’s situation. We're so glad they reached out for our expertise to communicate updates clearly and consistently, helping to maintain the Rotary Club's reputation and inspire people for their future endeavors!

Solutions

We initially met with the executive of the Ribfest management committee to understand their goals and what they wanted to achieve or avoid regarding the announcement that 2025 would be the final Ribfest event. The outcomes were:

1. Be clear that this was a club decision that looks forward to doing other things in the future.

2. Not damage or jeopardize this year’s 2025 Ribfest attendance and support.

3. Go out with a bang!

4. Help the community feel gratitude for the years Ribfest has taken place.

5. Acknowledge sponsors, volunteers, and everyone who has made Ribfest such a success.

Understanding your outcomes helps you know where you want to go to reverse engineer a plan to help get you there! Once we were clear on the outcomes, we figured out the details - timelines, communication channels, spokespeople, and key messaging to help ensure this announcement would roll out as smoothly as possible.

Results and Benefits

The day of the announcement, Kamloops Daybreak Rotarians were told first at their club meeting that morning, and a comprehensive communication campaign rolled out with a press release, social media messaging, media interviews, and correcting any misinformation that cropped up on social media or in news outlets.

There was excellent and extensive coverage on local and regional media outlets as well as social media channels, and challenges were quickly addressed.

Kudos from Kamloops Daybreak Rotary Ribfest

“The Kamloops Daybreak Club was privileged to work with Amplify Consulting on an important press release regarding our long-running Kamloops event, Kamloops Daybreak Rotary Ribfest.

Under Amplify’s guidance, we informed the community that our 13th year of the event would be our last one hosting Ribfest while framing it as a special ‘going out with a bang’ positive event. Aleece and her team were very good at scripting the key messages and materials we needed to get our message across to the public while meeting our goals. When we received some media and public pushback and questions, the team at Amplify helped us navigate the questions to ensure we stuck with the plan of action. Amplify was with us throughout the whole process of writing the press release, ensuring we were ready to talk to the media and answer social media comments, and that we were taken care of personally. Their communication was outstanding, especially regarding timelines, expectations, and follow-ups.

Without Amplify, framing our final Ribfest as a successful finale would not have been so positive. Daybreak Rotary highly recommends that anyone looking for help navigating challenges, whether about restructuring, developing priorities or any other key priorities, have Amplify in their corner.” - Terry-Lynn Stone, Kamloops Daybreak Rotarian and Rotary Ribfest Planning Committee Member

Thank you, Kamloops Daybreak Rotary, for your kind words and  trust in our team helping you navigate this time for your club. Thank you also for all you do for our community; we truly can’t wait to see what you take on next!