PROJECT  |   Zoo Lights Powered by LES 

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OBJECTIVE  |  Identify a community event for the holidays, but with high impact as LES doesn’t want to just create “another event.” Our customers don’t think of us till the power is out.

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Noticing a gap in local holiday light displays, I identified strategic benefits for both LES and the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, wrote and pitched a proposal to launch a new holiday event – Zoo Lights Powered by LES. Through a series of conversations, contracts and thousands of LED lights, the new event was born. Zoo Lights Powered by LES is one of the largest light shows in the Midwest, displaying over 250,000 LEDs. Zoo Lights debuted in 2019 with attendance of 36,945 in the inaugural year. All proceeds directly support the Zoo and care for the animals, and I identify this as my career crowning achievement thus far.

 

Part of our contract included LES to be on-site to discuss energy efficient homes. To tie this educational moment in to the holiday season, I came up with an idea to create an Energy Efficient Gingerbread Home to display. A coworker and I built this home piece-by-piece and decorated it to include energy tips. 

 

For this project, I was the strategist, brand owner, community liaison, miniature house designer/builder and project manager. I led our team of a website specialist, copywriter communications specialist focusing on PR and communications specialist focusing on social media to create promotional items to complement what the Lincoln Children's Zoo was doing. The Zoo handled event branding, but I consulted through our partnership on the overall event. I worked with an external videographer to create our event highlight video. In addition, I managed all budgetary activities related to the project.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvOLMl0LLyg