Minty Pixel first got involved with the Waterbear Board Game Exchange to collaborate with and support local small businesses alongside a good cause. But it also afforded us an opportunity to demonstrate our expertise where event marketing and promotion are concerned.

We worked closely with Waterbear Workshop, a startup board game design and publishing company, Zymos Brewery, a local brewery just a year old, and Extra Life, a fundraising arm of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, to bring the event to life. Our role included discussions of strategy and messaging, development of digital and print marketing assets, and a physical presence at the event where we took photos and helped keep things rolling.

Was the event successful? Yes! Did we learn anything new that we’d bring to the next event marketing effort? Also, yes! Let’s learn more about what we did, what went right, and what we learned.

High Event Turnout

Waterbear Workshop hosts a ton of events, but this was the first that Minty Pixel was actively involved in promoting. It was also their most successful by far, with around 60 attendees (not including those involved with running the event). That’s a 100% increase over their next highest turnout and around 200% increase over their average for games and playtest events.

Minty Pixel’s Role:

Granted, this event had a few tricks that others did not. There’s nothing like prize drawings and the promise of new games to bring people out in droves. But Minty Pixel’s guidance, professional digital assets, and active pavement pounding to get flyers into local businesses went a long way toward getting the word out. 

Substantial Support for Extra Life

Extra Life is a gaming-themed nonprofit that raises money via gaming marathons and similar events. At this particular event, support for Extra Life took a few different forms:

• Age-appropriate games left over at the end of the exchange were donated directly to their cause.
• Some games were directly donated outside of the exchange.
• Zymos donated $1 for every pour of their custom Water-beary beer.
• Waterbear donated $1 for every sale of their debut board game, The Mire. 
• Some guests made direct donations.

All told, Extra Life walked away with hundreds of dollars in donations and well over a hundred board games. They were also able to get the word out about their program to aid in future fundraising efforts.

Minty Pixel’s Role:

Minty Pixel was proud to work with Extra Life before and during the event. We communicated regularly with their representative, ensuring that all event promotion fell within their brand guidelines and general policies. Given how many “cooks” can be involved with event marketing, this sort of communication is paramount and made it possible for Extra Life to participate in and benefit from the event.

Notable Business for Local Brewery

Zymos Brewing is quickly becoming a popular place for events, but despite this fact, that early Saturday afternoon was more successful than average. Zymos owners reported notably high sales during the two hour event alone. Additionally, the strong turnout helped contribute to Zymos’s stated goal of becoming a popular spot for local gamers.

Minty Pixel’s Role:

As in the cases above, we heavily promoted the event, working with Zymos owners to ensure appropriate marketing. Our marketing specifically mentioned the custom brew. We also helped facilitate activities while there, further promoting the beer in question.

Increased Visibility for Local Game Makers

As a startup board game design and publishing company, Waterbear Workshop is keen to build community and promote visibility for their events and products. This event coincided with the release of their debut board game, The Mire, and yielded them their first sales. Waterbear also experienced a 120% increase in email subscribers.

Alongside Waterbear, Studio Sp1cy made an appearance, putting a handful of copies of Myth Mash up for our raffle to support the community and promote their own brand visibility.

Minty Pixel’s Role:

Outside of general event promotion, Minty Pixel worked closely with Waterbear to align with their brand and ensure those seeing event promotion materials would remember our gracious organizers. After all, brand recognition starts with consistency, and the right marketing agency will take the time to learn yours.