Ahead of celebrating their 7th business birthday this month, Exeter-based KW Marketing has hosted and delivered its first-ever business growth event fuelling ambition and success for food and drink brands in the region.
FUEL Live, held at the stunning Winslade Manor, Exeter in April, saw more than 45 South West businesses attend a day to spark ideas and set a fire under their plans for success for 2024. Attendees included popular brands Hobbs Chocolates, Quickes Cheese, Foxcombe Bakehouse, Devon Distillery, Boundless Activated Snacking, Owens Organic Coffee and more.
Partnering alongside Taste Of The West, Food Drink Devon, Unscripted Marketing, and photographer Becky Craven, the networking and personal development event hosted by the award-winning digital marketing agency saw a range of powerful keynote speeches.
Founder and CEO of KW Marketing, Kate Williams, who has recently been celebrated in Business Insider South West’s 42 under 42 powerhouse list, is the ultimate champion for food and drink brands in the region, and it was her passion that brought the event to life. In her keynote talk, she revealed how food and drink brands can unlock the power of digital marketing to make 2024 the year of ambitious growth and new levels of success.
Kate said: “The energy, ambition and drive to succeed from everyone in the room created an atmosphere like no other. FUEL Live was more than just a networking event; there was connection, learning, and friendships formed, which in a challenging world for small businesses is so important.
“On a personal level, it was fantastic to get so many like-minded people together in one room. The South West is known for its thriving food and drink scene for good reason, so to be able to collaborate, share knowledge and just have a brilliant time celebrating how far everyone has come, and explore what they want to achieve, was fuel for everyone in the room to be even more ambitious!”
The KW Marketing team also showcased their dedication and experience via their client, nationally renowned Popcorn Kitchen, showcasing their exceptional results around Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas which included 70% YOY revenue growth, sales from social media up 400% and an increase in customer numbers by 55%. This highlighted the immense power of aligned digital channels including email, social media and paid advertising in a real-world setting for other brands to learn from.
Further speaker highlights included Cathy Moseley, the strategic mind behind Boundless Activated Snacking who highlighted how and when to scale up a business, John Sheaves from Taste of the West on how to utilise the powerful South West region and build a thriving community, and Rob Hartman of Pop Restaurant Exeter who spoke about their success from a small start up to the nationally recognised brand and much-loved restaurant they are today using the power of community.
Feedback from the event included statements such as “Great event with very interesting content, this is the way forward and you are leading it”, “You absolutely smashed it, the event was incredible”, and “An absolute triumph”, with 100% of people saying they would attend a future event.
Cathy Moseley, from Boundless Activated Snacking, shared; “As a small business in the South West, we often find ourselves navigating the unique challenges of building a community outside the bustling hubs such as London. Foodie events such as FUEL serve as invaluable platforms for connecting with like-minded individuals in our backyard. Big thanks to KW Marketing for hosting such an insightful event!”
Kate added: “The feedback we have received since the event is a testament to what a success FUEL Live was, it’s something that we will definitely look to recreate to help even more food and drink brands to grow and have all the success they want – FUEL 2.0 is coming and this time we’ll be on the move so watch this space!”
The success of FUEL Live for KW Marketing is the cherry on top of an already successful first quarter for the agency, which saw multiple client wins and an unprecedented 70% rise in revenue YoY.
KW Marketing is well established as a powerhouse client partner, founded by digital marketing expert Kate Williams in Exeter in 2017, it has fast become the ‘go to’ digital marketing agency in the South West for food and drink businesses, with award nominations such as ‘Small Business of the Year’ and ‘Fearless Leader Award’ flooding in.
With offices in both the South West and in London, founder Kate and her team integrate themselves into clients’ businesses, deliver exceptional results and help them to drive forward and stand out in the competitive food and drink sector.
KW Marketing specialises in digital marketing for food and drink brands across the UK. The team offer full-service digital marketing expertise, including email marketing, paid and organic social media, SEO, website design, strategic consultancy, workshops and masterclasses to powerfully grow brands, deliver positive impact and help them to thrive in competitive markets.
For more information about KW Marketing, visit: https://kwmarketinguk.co.uk/
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