Client: Twin Cities Wedding & Event Professionals (TCWEP)
Duration: Ongoing (5+ Years)
Project Focus: Annual Peer-Nominated Awards Show
🎯 Objective
To boost engagement, visibility, and long-term online presence for finalists of TCWEP’s annual awards show, while streamlining the process from nominations to post-event publicity through strategic email marketing, branded content, and workflow management.
🤝 Partnership in Action
Over the past five years, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with the TCWEP leadership team—not just as a contractor, but as a trusted creative partner. Together, we’ve built a solid rapport that allows us to move efficiently, brainstorm collaboratively, and bring the best out of each award season. This ongoing relationship has been key to refining our strategy year after year and staying responsive to the community’s evolving needs.
🛠️ My Role
As a long-term creative and communications partner for TCWEP, I’ve lead the visual and digital marketing campaigns surrounding their annual peer-nominated awards. My key contributions include:
- Strategic Timeline & Workflow Planning
Developed a detailed content and production timeline covering each phase of the award season—nominations, voting, finalist reveals, winner content, and event assets. I also lead scheduling for deliverables such as graphics, eblasts, and announcements.
This includes coordinating leadership meetings at 6 months out, 3 months out, and monthly leading up to the showto ensure alignment on logistics, deadlines, and creative direction.
Skills used: project management, workflow mapping, calendar coordination. - Email Marketing Campaigns
Manage a multi-month email campaign series with segmented eblasts announcing nominations, voting, reminders, and final show details—crafted to keep engagement high and details clear.
Skills used: copywriting, list management, A/B testing subject lines, analytics tracking. - Graphic Design & Branding
Designed cohesive visual assets for every phase—nominations open, finalist reveals, award night spotlights—optimized for both email and social media, and tailored for Google image search visibility.
Tools used: Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator). - Voting & Nomination System Development
Created a streamlined, user-friendly system using WordPress forms with conditional logic to guide users through the nomination and voting process with clarity and ease. This helped ensure accuracy, accessibility, and a seamless experience for participants.
Skills used: WordPress form building, conditional logic, UX design, systems thinking. - Content Strategy & SEO Impact
Developed finalist-focused content that consistently appears on the first page of Google search results when nominees’ names or companies are searched—boosting both personal brand recognition and TCWEP’s visibility.
Skills used: content creation, SEO awareness, long-tail keyword strategy. - Press & Post-Event Follow-Up
Created press kits, distributed images to editors, secured magazine placements, and ensured ongoing content life for finalists.
Skills used: media relations, calendar management, brand storytelling.
🌟 Outcomes
- High Engagement: Consistent open rates on email campaigns and strong interaction across social platforms.
- First-Page Search Visibility: Finalist graphics and spotlight content rank prominently on Google, creating lasting digital recognition.
- Workflow Consistency: A replicable, fine-tuned process that gets smoother and more impactful each year.
- Client Trust: A collaborative relationship with leadership that allows for quick decision-making and creative trust.
💡 Skills Applied
Hard Skills
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Email marketing platforms (contact management, segmentation, scheduling)
- SEO-informed content creation
- Systems development (nomination/voting workflows)
- Digital campaign planning and coordination
Soft Skills
- Strong collaboration and communication with leadership
- Problem-solving and adaptability
- Visual storytelling
- Workflow and calendar management
- Empathy, reliability, and a collaborative mindset
🏆 Why It Matters
Recognition is powerful. And searchable, long-lasting recognition?! That’s next-level. By combining creative strategy with trust and teamwork, we’ve made TCWEP’s awards show not just an annual celebration, but an evergreen visibility engine for its members.