Using PR to drive record seasonal revenue for SnowDome
SnowDome partnered with Leopard Co across a series of seasonal PR projects designed to raise awareness, attract visitors and support bookings at key points in the calendar. The work included an initial campaign for Santa’s Winter Wonderland, PR for the Summer Passport offer, and a further campaign supporting the annual Winter Wonderland event.
Challenge
SnowDome wanted to increase awareness of its seasonal offers and turn media attention into more visits and bookings. Santa’s Winter Wonderland was locally loved, but the venue needed stronger regional and national press coverage to help sell tickets, particularly for midweek and post-Christmas dates.
The Christmas campaign also faced a tight turnaround and a competitive media landscape. Separately, SnowDome needed to build awareness around its Summer Passport offer and maintain momentum across peak seasons. Following a tragic incident at the venue that had resulted in significant negative press, communications also needed to help rebuild positive sentiment and reinforce the venue’s appeal to families.
Solution
We developed a seasonal PR approach built around SnowDome’s key calendar moments, combining a strong Christmas news hook with proactive outreach, a reactive press office and activity designed to sustain interest across the year.
Christmas PR: making guaranteed snow the story
For the initial Christmas campaign, we positioned SnowDome as the only place to guarantee real snow at Christmas. This connected the Winter Wonderland experience to the emotional association between snow and the festive season, giving journalists a clear and timely story angle.
Working to a tight turnaround, we pitched the story to national, regional and niche media. We also ran a reactive press office for six weeks, responding quickly to journalist requests about festive activities and creating further opportunities to feature SnowDome. The activity was designed to raise the profile of Santa’s Winter Wonderland and help drive ticket sales, including midweek and post-Christmas bookings.
Summer Passport: keeping SnowDome in the conversation
For the Summer Passport offer, we built a phased PR approach to generate awareness and maintain momentum throughout the summer. We targeted regional, national, what’s-on and lifestyle publications to reach families and potential visitors.
We also responded to relevant news moments with agile pitching. During a summer heatwave, for example, we positioned SnowDome as a place to cool down, bringing the venue into a timely conversation and giving media a relevant reason to cover the offer.
Winter Wonderland: sustaining seasonal awareness and positive sentiment
We continued to support SnowDome’s annual Winter Wonderland event through targeted media outreach and experiences that could bring the venue to life for journalists. Activity included securing journalist attendance, pursuing magazine competitions and building coverage in family-focused listings, including Netmums, Money Magpie and Staffordshire Living.
Across the seasonal activity, we focused on presenting SnowDome as a fun, safe and inclusive destination for families. The combination of planned outreach and reactive opportunities helped sustain visibility across key regional and national media and supported the wider objective of rebuilding positive brand reputation.
Impact
Across the initial Christmas campaign and the subsequent seasonal PR programme, Leopard Co helped SnowDome generate national and regional visibility, support bookings and rebuild positive brand sentiment. Across the reported periods, the work delivered:
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68 pieces of press coverage
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More than 995 million in combined reported media reach across the two sets of results
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Coverage in national and regional media including BBC News, The Sun, The Telegraph and i News
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Two media visits from national journalists and interest from ITV Central regarding filming at SnowDome
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100% positive sentiment across coverage in the six-month reporting period, a 44% increase from the previous quarter, compared with 78% negative overall sentiment in 2024
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85% of PR coverage included a backlink, helping strengthen SnowDome’s digital presence and support search visibility
Our first campaign coincided with SnowDome reporting its best Christmas revenue to date, while the wider activity helped increase bookings and positively rebuild brand reputation.
“Working with Leopard is an absolute pleasure. From the very beginning, they’ve slotted seamlessly into our team and genuinely feel like an extension of us. The team is supportive, approachable and a joy to collaborate with, nothing ever feels too much trouble. Over the past year, they’ve helped us secure some fantastic press opportunities, and their energy and creativity continue to impress us.”
Kirsty Tucker, Marketing Manager at SnowDome