Table of Contents 6 2012 OVATION Awards Winning Entries

IMPLEMENTATION AND CHALLENGES
The overall program budget was $25,000, which included media outreach, communications materials
and photography. Event planning began in early September 2010 and was handled entirely by the
communications team. The majority of print materials and signage were produced in‐house. An
additional $5,000 was set aside for the special breakfast and catering, which was much less than we
would have spent on a luncheon if the event had happened later in the day.
We oversaw all event details including set‐up, scheduling, securing and briefing spokespeople and
special guest liaison. We developed all of the media materials, speaking notes and photography
coordination.
Our contracted PR agency, Narrative Advocacy Media, provided media outreach. This included the
creation of a “sizzle video” of the ceremony for dissemination on the Social Media Release and via the
Science Centre’s social media channels and website. It obtained close to 5000 views on YouTube.
Narrative also provided media outreach and on‐site support during the event, and sustaining media
outreach after the event.
The team faced some challenges during the planning and execution of the event, including:
Short deadlines: Work began in early September, leaving only a little over two months to engage
all stakeholders and prepare for the execution of the event
Competing priorities: Planning for the event started only a month after previous large‐scale
exhibition launch
Cultural sensitivities: The entire team had to be sure to follow proper protocol for rituals and
ceremonies, including sharing of meals and entrusting the exhibition to our own First Nations
leader
Sensitivity of artifacts (ceremonial treasures) which limited use of photography in some areas
Last minute approvals/changes: Much of the ceremony was determined the night before when
Māori elders and Te Papa officials arrived in Toronto for the event run‐through
Timing of event: The early start time posed an obstacle when liaising with media, but could not
be avoided due to the protocol dictated by the ceremony/blessing
MEASUREMENT/EVALUATION
Success of the event was measured in part by earned media coverage, attendance of the event by
stakeholders and key influencers, and visitor attendance of the exhibition through its duration.
As a result of the event, the following was output was measured:
50+ members of the New Zealand expatriate community and government officials attended the
event
90+ Science Centre stakeholders and guests attended
Branded print, online and broadcast coverage of the event and/or exhibition yielded 11,463,567
impressions