In the summer of 2023, Cracker Barrel planned to hold its bi-annual managers’ conference after a four-year hiatus. As a brand that thrives on warm, authentic hospitality, the managers from over 660 locations across the United States and suppliers from around the world yearned to finally reconnect at an in-person event.
The team at Cracker Barrel knew this and turned to OVATION to help make the FY24 Managers Conference unforgettable.
The Director of Strategic Communications at Cracker Barrel said that once they chose OVATION as their production partner, we immediately became a member of the team.
“They jumped right in and were integral in the production of the whole event. We partnered with them in all elements of branding and they just ran with our ideas.”
-Director of Strategic Communications at Cracker Barrel
At a Glance
- 1,800+ managers & vendors
- 94% ranked their overall satisfaction AND quality of the conference as outstanding or exceeding expectations
- ∞ unforgettable moments
The Goals
Due to the 4-year gap between FY24 and Cracker Barrel’s last in-person conference, their team wanted to emphasize the human-to-human and human-to-brand connections that have made their events so special in years past. To do that, there were several key objectives they needed to hit at this year’s conference. They aimed to:
- Get their managers to fall in love with the Cracker Barrel brand again
- Provide intentional opportunities for attendees to reconnect and leave reenergized
- Ensure attendees felt acknowledged, valued, and recognized
- Be fun and informal
The Challenge
Like many businesses in the hospitality industry, COVID-19 hit Cracker Barrel hard. In-person connection is a core part of their brand identity. Not only did managers crave it, but the decision-makers for the brand understood its value too.
Because of that, the challenge was clear: create intentional moments throughout the conference that would help attendees reconnect while incorporating Cracker Barrel’s sense of warmth, hospitality, and strong brand identity.
How did they do it?
With a little help from the team at OVATION.
The Solution
Cracker Barrel teamed up with OVATION to create an immersive in-person event that made managers feel welcome and showed off the conference theme—Heart of Hospitality.
OVATION worked as a seamless extension of the Cracker Barrel creative team. During this working partnership, our team even participated in a Cracker Barrel brand summit to fully understand the values and identity of the brand. With a deeper appreciation and understanding of Cracker Barrel at its core, our team was able to help the brand bring the Heart of Hospitality theme to life.
So, how did we do it? By highlighting those who are the heart of hospitality at Cracker Barrel: the managers.
There were plenty of examples of this around the conference where the space became branding for Cracker Barrel itself, like:
- The red carpet-esque floor of hearts, where each manager’s name, city, and store was laid out in appreciation of their hard work and commitment to Cracker Barrel.
- Photos of Cracker Barrel managers and guests plastered around the conference center, showing them living the true Cracker Barrel experience.
- A tiny version of the iconic Cracker Barrel store.
- A Cracker Barrel branded red truck in the general session.
Alongside that, OVATION created experiences with Cracker Barrel that would help attendees fall back in love with the brand by incorporating some of the restaurant’s most iconic pieces, including:
- A 20-foot-tall illuminated oil lamp
- 50+ Cracker Barrel rocking chairs
- Peg games
- A replica of the Cracker Barrel front porch
What really made this year’s conference stand out, however, was the fun, informal vibe that separated it from traditional buttoned-up conferences.
During the opening night, we helped put together fun activities for all of the attendees including Battleship, mini golf, arcade games, and basketball.
However, it all culminated in a 1980s-culturally themed second day that accentuated the recurring Heart of Hospitality message. OVATION assisted in this by creating assets and experiences for the second-morning session that incorporated ‘80s culture, including building a plan for the panel to run like a throwbackTV show (think MTV News meets ‘80s SNL).
There were commercial breaks, Cracker Barrel-themed parodies of the ‘80s greatest hits sung by the company’s leadership, and a fully designed graphics package, all while mixing in smart, informational content about the business.
At the closing event of the second day, Cracker Barrel decided to take it to 11. OVATION helped them put on a show for the ages by encouraging the attendees to dress up and jam out on an LED dance floor while a fully tricked-out ‘80s hair band took the stage.
“It was one of the best-branded events we’ve had. People loved the branding aspect of the conference and we are going to try and replicate that in future years because it hit the mark on anything we could ask for.”
-Director of Strategic Communications at Cracker Barrel
The Results
The feedback from the conference was resounding:
- Over 70% of Cracker Barrel attendees completed the post-event survey
- 94% ranked their overall satisfaction and the conference quality as outstanding or exceeding their expectations
- 93% ranked the general session on the first day of the conference as outstanding or exceeding their expectations
- 97% ranked the general session on the second day of the conference as outstanding or exceeding their expectations
Attendees couldn’t get enough:
“There seemed to be a lot of emphasis put on the fun aspect and letting us know that we are appreciated. I really enjoyed all of the presentations.”
-FY24 Conference Attendee
“I truly had a blast! I sense that we all left empowered, motivated, and inspired to lead our businesses and teams to new heights! What an awesome event to show appreciation and collaboration with the leaders across our brand!”
-FY24 Conference Attendee
From creative executions to production and content, OVATION can help businesses like yours create unforgettable experiences for attendees. No matter if your event is in-person, hybrid, or virtual, OVATION brings over 30 years of experience to the table with event production and creative services that meet your needs.
Ready to get started? Contact OVATION to start planning your next event today!
About OVATION
Established in 1991, OVATION is an award-winning event agency specializing in providing extensive production and creative support services in the United States and internationally. We maintain a skilled in-house staff, including creative professionals, production experts, technical specialists, and software engineers, ensuring a comprehensive suite of resources at your disposal. You’ll also get access to our well-equipped warehouse stocked with OVATION equipment, which is expertly managed by our dedicated operations team.