In response to the terror attack at the Manchester Arena on 22 May 2017, Marketing Manchester’s communications and digital team worked quickly throughout June and July to create and deliver a high impact social media campaign known as the Worker Bee Weekender.
The project saw over 75 social influencers, photographers and journalists visit the city for a weekend of collaboration and exploration over the dates of Friday 28 to Sunday 30 July. The influencers took part in a highly flexible and itinerary which involved over 60 Marketing Manchester members whose support was integral to the success of the project. Almost 600 beautiful images have so far been posted to Instagram using the dedicated Worker Bee Weekender hashtag and several articles and blog posts have been written about the weekend which include mentions for members who supported the project.
Shortly after the weekend we ran a report on the hashtag #WorkerBeeWeekender which showed that content associated with the hashtag had so far received over 250,000 likes and comments and has therefore had over 10 million potential impressions. That’s 250,000 who actively engaged in content about Manchester immediately following the weekend and, of course, this is only the beginning: the content will remain on social media indefinitely; it will grow over time; and new content will be added with the hashtag in the future.
The success of the project far surpassed expectations and we are now considering how and when we will run the next Worker Bee Weekender. Other DMOs such as London & Partners have been in touch with Marketing Manchester for support and advice in running their own version of the Worker Bee Weekender meaning that thanks to our partners Manchester is once again leading the way with social media initiatives.
Please look out for updates in future newsletters to see how you can get involved in the next Worker Bee Weekender which is currently pencilled in for some time in March 2017.
You can access the Week Two Report here
You can access our Worker Bee Weekender press release here
You can watch our Worker Bee Weekender round up video here
The Original Modern City” – Riviera Buzz: part one, part two
“Manchester: 10 things to do” – Journal des Femmes
“Best bars, restaurants and cafes in Manchester” – Come Fly With Me
“Best place to eat in the Northern Quarter” – The Common Wanderer
“English street art: Manchester and Brighton” – Marie France