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Stories Unfold
Stories Unfold is an extraordinary event, organized by EventFlanders at the initiative of VISITFLANDERS, which tries to offer an answer to the revaluation issue of Flemish estates in an innovative, creative, artistic and participative manner. The first edition took place in and around the Rubens Castle, in Zemst, from 1 August to 29 October 2023. It was an experiment to provide inspiration for repurposing and has put the wealth of Flemish castles on the map. During 3 months, the Rubens castle & surroundings were bustling with activities and events such as concerts in the modern pavilion, children’s summer camps and entertainment, lectures, tours, the Rubenssuite, “Kamperen mag”, the crafts market, and so on.
Our objective? To get as many people as possible towards this revaluation festival. To draw even more attention from media and visitors, we put forward the earned first idea to transform a room in the castle into a modern interpretation of Rubens’ world & have people experience that first hand. During Stories Unfold, people got the unique opportunity to spend the night in a real “Rubens suite”. They could rent the suite via Airbnb and live as a castle owner for one night. We also proposed overnight stays to media in order to write a review about their stay. This was the cherry on the cake we needed to top off the abundance of fun activities and interesting events at the Rubens Castle for Stories Unfold.
booked in no time
With over 190 media clippings Stories Unfold was omnipresent during the summer of 2023, spurring many to come & discover the many events first hand. Clippings included announcing articles, press reviews in newspapers, magazines and online, radio and broadcast appearances and interviews. The Rubenssuite was fully booked in no time and made up for 13% of the media coverage. The other media presence went to the press conference, the different events that took place and the future of the Rubens Castle. We gained a reach of 32mio, good for 1.528 mio ad value. During Stories Unfold no less than 30000 people visited the Rubens castle, with 1288 visitors during the opening weekend and 1983 during closing. A successful experiment if you ask us.
- Making Stories Unfold visible as an extraordinary event
- Increase awareness about the event and the numerous activities that were organized around it
- Creating a new concept, the unique opportunity to spend the night in a real “Rubens suite”, and inviting media to experience this
- Develop and create PR hooks around Stories Unfold
- Copywriting & editing of press releases
- Editorial tours & visits