Venetian Festival

Provided Social Media Marketing for the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival, leading the strategy and execution of marketing for one of Lake Geneva’s largest annual community events. Work includes brand development, website management, paid digital advertising, social media, content creation, public relations, event promotion, sponsorship visibility, audience development, and creative direction.

Developed targeted campaigns promoting the festival’s carnival, live entertainment, craft fair, car and bike show, fireworks, family attractions, and other signature events. Marketing strategies are designed to reach local families, regional visitors, and overnight travelers while supporting vendor recruitment, presale ticket sales, hotel stays, community awareness, and overall festival attendance.

The 2026 campaign generated more than 2.5 million Facebook and Instagram views, 48,700 link clicks, 13,600 content interactions, 53,300 page and profile visits, and more than 1,300 new followers. Facebook alone produced 2.1 million views, 839,800 viewers, 44,000 link clicks, 50,800 page visits, and approximately 1,100 new followers.

Compared with the 2025 campaign managed by another local marketing agency, which generated approximately 1.4 million views, 579,200 viewers, 15,800 link clicks, 23,400 page visits, and 632 new followers, the 2026 strategy produced approximately:

* 81% more total social media views
* 208% more link clicks
* 128% more page/profile visits
* 107% more new followers

The increase in traffic is particularly significant because nearly all 2025 link clicks were directed to Venetian Festival’s own website, while approximately 70–80% of 2026 campaign click traffic was intentionally directed to LakeGenevaHotels.org as part of the city tourism commission’s lodging initiative. Despite redirecting the majority of campaign traffic away from VenetianFestival.com, the 2026 campaign still generated more than three times the total link-click volume of the previous year.

Instagram also became a meaningful component of the marketing strategy in 2026 after receiving limited emphasis in the prior campaign. The platform generated 435,700 views, reached 80,600 accounts, drove 4,700 link clicks, produced 3,500 content interactions, generated 2,500 profile visits, and added 208 followers. Meta’s year-over-year reporting showed Instagram views increasing 100%, reach increasing 333.5%, profile visits increasing 353.5%, link clicks increasing approximately 1,100%, and content interactions increasing more than 12,000%.

The broader strategy has helped modernize Venetian Festival’s digital presence, substantially expand its regional audience, and create a more deliberate path from awareness to tourism, attendance, and community engagement. The work also builds on significant website performance, including 169,000 website visitors during the 2025 festival campaign, while increasingly integrating regional lodging partners and destination-marketing objectives into the overall campaign.

Beyond promoting attendance, the messaging reinforces Venetian Festival’s larger purpose: the event is a major community fundraiser supporting the Lake Geneva Jaycees and their year-round charitable work throughout the Geneva Lakes area. The strategy connects the excitement of the festival with the impact it creates—giving audiences a reason not only to attend, but to understand what their participation supports.