Urban League of Rochester’s 60th Anniversary Gala
In December 2024, the Urban League of Rochester engaged LáLew Public Relations to manage and promote its upcoming 60th Anniversary Gala, scheduled for February 2025. The Urban League, established in 1965, serves over 25,000 community members annually, focusing on economic self-reliance and civil rights. Our primary role was project management, ensuring seamless coordination among committee members, consultants and Urban League staff. We facilitated task delegation, planning meetings and consultant coordination to execute a successful event. We also provided earned media support and managed the social media campaign for the event.
Our strategy focused on maximizing attendance, media coverage and community engagement while staying within a $300 social media advertising budget. We set clear, measurable objectives: securing 800 attendees, obtaining media placements in at least 13 outlets and driving strong social media engagement. To ensure the event was executed smoothly, on time and within budget, we worked closely with Urban League partners to manage all key aspects, including sponsorship benefits, signage, decorations, entertainment and overall event coordination, proactively addressing any gaps as they arose.
We executed a multi-channel promotional strategy including a press release and a partnership with WDKX for a ticket giveaway. These efforts generated 75.9K social media impressions, a 25.4K user reach and 1K interactions. On-site, our team managed real-time social media updates and secured five additional media placements during the event.
Our event management and earned media strategy surpassed all objectives. The gala sold out, exceeding the goal of 800 attendees, including 6 elected officials. Our nearly 20 media placements included ARC Rochester (FOX News), Rochester Business Journal, Minority Reporter, WHEC-TV, WDKX-FM, Democrat and Chronicle and MSN. Social media efforts contributed significantly, with 1.7K link clicks and sustained audience engagement.
