SITUATION

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 1 in 68 children—and 1 in 42 boys—is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined. In contrast, programs that serve children with ASD are limited. The ones that do exist are often expensive and out of reach for many families.  

Bringing together the tremendous need for programs to serve children with autism and an idea about a food festival centered around beignets, Amy and Sherwood Collins founded the Tres Doux Foundation in New Orleans. As parents of a child with autism, the Collins established the foundation to celebrate and enhance the lives of children with developmental delays and disabilities by presenting them as whole beings, and it supports other organizations that do the same. Through this foundation, they created the first ever Beignet Fest.  In doing so, Amy and Sherwood turned to Gambel Communications, where Amy works as vice president, to launch the festival and drive awareness of the cause that prompted the festival’s creation.   

CAMPAIGN

Gambel Communications worked with Beignet Fest to introduce the new festival to the local and regional market and tell the story behind its creation. Gambel Communications’ team planned and organized a press conference to announce the festival.  

For the press event and for use online via Beignet Fest’s website and social media, Gambel Communications produced a video that featured the Collins family in their home as they told their story. The team also created a robust press kit offering background and details  on the festival. The press conference was held at Urban South, a craft brewery that served as the beer sponsor for Beignet Fest. Amy and Sherwood opened the event by introducing the video. After it played, the couple stood with both their children and pulled down a covered banner to reveal the name and nature of the new festival. Following the momentum created by the announcement, Gambel Communications continued its media outreach leading up to the inaugural festival on October 8, 2016. 

 On site the day of the festival, the team coordinated interviews by local television stations, bloggers and print reporters. They also facilitated the “Best Beignet” contest with celebrity judges and disseminated information on the winners. Gambel provided social media support, utilizing Facebook Live to post stories from the fest. 

RESULT

The first Beignet Fest garnered significant media coverage from national outlets such as Travel + Leisure and Thrillist to local television station WWL-TV, which broadcasted live from the press conference announcing the festival. Other media highlights include: 

• Feature stories on the announcement by both major newspapers in the market, as well as online stories and social media feeds garnering significant engagement  by locals and tourists 

• Television coverage by all four local TV stations for the announcement including the noon live broadcast by the CBS affiliate  

• A three-page spread in the New Orleans Advocate’s Friday entertainment section the day before the inaugural festival  

• Cooking segments on two local TV morning shows and a segment on a third television station  

• Significant social media coverage that extended traditional earned media coverage 

The objectives of the project were exceeded, and each of the communications objectives were achieved:  

• Approximately 10,000 people attended the festival, nearly double the goal of 6,000 people  

• In December 2016, the Tres Doux Foundation awarded $25,000 in grants―two-and-a-half times the amount it anticipated for the first year 

Gambel Communications continues to handle all public relations for Beignet Fest, which has more than doubled attendance to some 25,000 annually. Since its inception, Tres Doux Foundation has also dedicated more than $80,000 to fund programs supporting autism spectrum disorder programs.