Chicago Flower & Garden Show – ‘Flowertales’ Event
A partnership with Bernie’s Book Bank led the Chicago Flower & Garden Show to a start a new chapter. And, with goals of increased attendance and sponsorship, it was our job to make sure this chapter had a happy ending.
Once upon a time, the Chicago Flower & Garden Show began a partnership.
Teaming up with Bernie’s Book Bank, a local organization dedicated to promoting childhood reading development, lent the perfect opportunity for the Chicago Flower & Garden Show to speak to parents, specifically mothers with young children who are interested in horticulture. With the Flower Show’s goals to increase attendance, sponsors, stakeholders and exhibitors in hand, we got to work immersing ourselves in literary inspiration for the 2018 theme.
SERVICES: EVENT MESSAGING / VISUAL IDENTITY / EVENT Collateral / Marketing
From nostalgic children’s tales to the classics we all hold dear, we searched for the perfect name to convey the essence of the books-meets-blooms event. Dissatisfied with what we found, we made up our own word to capture the special blend of storytelling and horticulture.
The tagline, “Every Garden Has a Story to Tell,” brings the concept home, setting the tone for all of 2018’s advertising and marketing. We gave the playful name a fanciful treatment with a custom typeface that looks as if it were straight from the cover of an antique storybook.
A floral photoshoot provided us with all the beautiful blooms we needed to put the “flower” in Flowertales.
We infused the look with all the whimsy and charm one would expect from a fairytale garden and carried it across various pieces of collateral, from social media posts and postcards to billboards and a comprehensive show guide.
Over the course of the Chicago Flower & Garden Show’s five-day event, the halls of Navy Pier were filled with plant lovers taking in gardens overflowing with blooms and beloved stories.
The show was so well-recieved, we’ve already begun writing the next chapter of the Flowertales story.
“BatesMeron has been critical to the creative success of our events since our partnership began in 2012. They’ve continuously developed beautiful and inspiring work that everyone loves.”
