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How this Charleston festival uses social media influencers to boost ticket sales

Krys Merryman //March 23, 2023//

How this Charleston festival uses social media influencers to boost ticket sales

Krys Merryman //March 23, 2023//

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Events such as the Charleston Wine + Food Festival increasing rely on influencers like Emma Waugh to raise interest. (Photo/Emma Waugh)Have you ever wondered how big the role social media influencers plays in events such as the Charleston Wine + Food Festival, that draw in tourists from all around the country?

At this year’s festival, 15 influencers were badged, and although many of them were local to the Charleston area, others were from as far away as Los Angeles.

“We were thrilled to welcome a robust group of local and national social media influencers to the 2023 festival this year,” said Charleston Wine + Food Festival Executive Director Alyssa Maute Smith. “Working with a variety of different media types is key to the overall success and growth of our ticket sales. Particularly inviting influencers to attend early-in-the-week events, their real time posts and feedback can impact ticket sales instantaneously. Nothing like real time advertising for any last-minute ticket sales.”

From content creators, to sharing experiences

Jenny Silva considers herself more of a creator than an influencer, but her influence can help an event boost ticket sales. (Photo/Jenny Silva)Jenny Silva (on Instagram as @spousesproutsme), who considers herself more of a content creator than an influencer, creates content mostly for family lifestyle, travel and local recommendations. She officially started out in 2017 but didn’t head into it with full force until June 2018.

“This started out as a way to work through my social anxiety after I had my daughter,” said Silva. “I was sharing our day-to-day life, then I started getting a lot of parenting questions from my clients and friends who were going through their first pregnancy or who just became parents for the first time. A friend suggested I start a blog to share all that information in one place, and it evolved from there. I love that my family gets to be involved with what I'm doing, and that we get to share our experiences with others. It's also a great way for us to help support our local businesses.”

This year was Silva’s first invite to cover the festival, and she was a part of the Street Team. When covering events like the Charleston Wine + Food Festival, said Silva, she thinks it's important to have the help of influencers, because they can reach a different market, and oftentimes are seen as more relatable, because their content is not as commercialized.

“We all have different niches, personalities and marketing styles that attract different audiences, which helps promote these types of events to people who may have thought it was not suited for them, attainable, or maybe never even heard of the event,” she added. “Now that I've been a part of it, I know that it's much more. It really takes a village to put together such an amazing event that brings people together and helps support the local food and beverage scene.”

Elise DeVoe's enterprise grew out of her natural penchant for photographing the food she enjoys. (Photo/Elise DeVoe)Elise DeVoe (@cookinwithbooze) also started her foodie Instagram page in 2017. Back then, she was just posting photos of food with cute captions, but since then it’s evolved into her telling the stories of local restaurants in Charleston. DeVoe has been involved in the festival since 2018 when she started as an intern, and in subsequent years was involved as talent or media. This was the first year she was invited because of her social media presence rather than her writing, she said.

In college, DeVoe was a member of Spoon University, which was her introduction to food writing. For some articles, she had to take her own photos and she really enjoyed it, so she started sharing those photos on Instagram.

“Being an influencer was never the goal,” she said. “I just wanted to share about food with people.”

DeVoe’s favorite part of being an influencer is the connections made, she said. A lot of fellow food influencers are some of her closest friends, and there’s a strong sense of community, she added. She also has connected with business owners, and their passion is inspiring, said DeVoe.

“So I love sharing their stories with people. The most rewarding aspect of what I do is getting messages from people that they visited a business because of my recommendations,” she said. “It’s nice to know that I am really making an impact.”

As for the festival, DeVoe said she believes it’s important for influencers to be involved, because people turn to them for recommendations.

“If someone wants to attend the festival for the first time, it can be very overwhelming to choose which events to go to, but if they watch my recap videos, they can get a sense of which ones to choose,” she added. “I definitely look forward to Charleston Wine + Food every year. In fact, I already have next year’s dates blocked off on my calendar! It’s just five days of heaven for me. I get to connect with so many chefs, business owners and fellow foodies and try dishes from restaurants I haven’t had the chance to visit yet. There is something new and exciting to look forward to every year, so I will keep coming as long as they will have me!”

Emma Waugh started @girleatseverything on Instagram to highlight the best food and drink in Charleston. (Photo/Emma Waugh)Charleston foodie influencer Emma Waugh, who also attended the festival, started her Instagram account (@girleatseverything) in 2018, which highlights the best food and drinks in Charleston and beyond, she said.

“I honestly started my account simply to have somewhere to put the countless photos of the incredible food I was eating in Charleston,” she said. “I've always been passionate about great food, restaurants and culture, so the decision to create a separate Instagram devoted to it was a no-brainer. There are so many things I love about what I do, but the people I've met — chefs, F&B professionals, other like-minded foodies — are at the top of the list. I also genuinely enjoy the creativity and skill involved in making video and photo content.”

Technically, this was Waugh’s second year attending the festival with an influencer badge. She thinks influencers have a lot of skill covering events and food in an engaging way, educating their audience about the food, drinks and culinary talent involved in the experience, and inspiring them to attend next year.

“I received several DMs in response to my coverage of this year's Wine + Food from people saying they decided to buy a ticket in 2024, as well as people with questions about the event,” said Waugh. “I hope to attend Wine + Food every year. The festival organizers work so hard to put on such an incredible weekend of events, and it's amazing to be a part of it. It's by far my favorite Charleston event, because I always meet someone new, try something new, and learn something new.

Tickets for the 2024 festival will go on sale Oct. 19.

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