Christmas with Alexander McCall Smith

Brief

Alexander McCall Smith is one of the world's best loved authors. He has sold over twenty million copies of books in his No.1 Ladies Detective Series. We invited him to read some of his favourite poetry with our Chairman as a light-hearted festive event that would generate income for the Centre during COVID. The task was to sell as many tickets as possible to maximise donations and increase the reputation of the Centre.

Execution

Releases were sent to several organisations along with free tickets in exchange for sharing our news. Organisations included book clubs, fan clubs, press and local politicians. An email and social media campaign leveraged Mr McCall Smith's fame and the fact that this event would be perhaps a one off chance to speak directly with such a well-know author.

Results

• Releases were published by some local press and national magazines.
• The event sold out in that our ZOOM meeting capacity was full.
• The event was so successful, Mr McCall Smith decided to return to the Centre the following year to do another event with us.