Harnessing the Power of Local Events: Transforming a Rodeo into a Revenue-Driver

Harnessing the Power of Local Events: Transforming a Rodeo into a Revenue Driver

Turning the Herd
As COO of an advertising and media company, I was always looking for ways to diversify revenue, deepen client value, and amplify the voice of our publication. When our town’s biggest annual rodeo rolled around—a high-visibility local event—I recognized it not just as a marketing moment, but as an opportunity to prototype an event-based media strategy that could scale. Social media was shifting (Facebook Live had just arrived), and many clients were under-leveraging their ad spend. I saw a chance to design something bigger: a strategy that would turn event content into lasting client relationships and net-new revenue streams.

The Solution

1. Innovative Product Strategy

• Designed a rodeo content program modeled after major sports coverage, blending livestreams, on-the-ground interviews, and real-time audience engagement.

• Implemented OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) to enable multi-source video capture, streaming directly to Facebook Live.

2. Sponsorship Activation & Cost Containment

• Built tiered sponsorship packages featuring in-stream branding, on-site interviews, and cross-promotion.

• Secured partnerships to offset equipment, staffing, and logistics—delivering premium production without impacting core budgets.

3. Client Conversion & Retention Planning

• Created personalized vendor advertising bundles to promote rodeo attendees’ products and services.

• Rolled out onboarding and follow-up campaigns to transition first-time advertisers into long-term clients.

4. Team Coordination & Execution

• Built a centralized command hub and pre-event comms plan to manage team logistics, interviews, and livestream timing.

• Ran onsite scheduling, QA, and delivery—balancing creative production with tight operational timelines.

The Results

• $80,000+ in Direct Revenue

• 70% Client Program Participation from Existing Advertisers

• 50% Retention Rate from New Client Signups

• Expanded Readership & Visibility for the Publication

Reflection & Impact

This was more than event coverage—it was platform innovation in action. I aligned content, client acquisition, and sponsorship monetization into a scalable framework. It required not only operational coordination but product vision, technical experimentation, and client education—blending COO execution with CTO-style thinking.

The project cemented my belief that creativity, data, and trust drive lasting business relationships. It showed me how local ecosystems—when harnessed thoughtfully—can become engines of both community value and commercial success.