World Youth Day 2008

Days in the Diocese Festival

In the week leading up to World Youth Day 08, the Catholic Dioceses of Australia and New Zealand welcomed the youth of the world in what has been described as a cultural exchange in the context of faith.

The aim of the Days in the Diocese (DiD) was to facilitate an experience of cultural and spiritual exchange between local and international pilgrims. The Archdiocese of Canberra Goulburn committed the local DiD experience with the staging of the Days in the Diocese Festival and Commissioning Mass. These two events were conducted on Saturday July 12, 2008, at Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPiC).

Over 12,000 participants took part in the event.

The Director of World Youth Day Canberra, referred to us by a client, contacted vervecreative on the 16th May 2008 needing immediate assistance with this project. The Days in the Diocese Festival planning was at a standstill. With little over 6 weeks to the day, virtually nothing but the venue had been booked.

We quickly developed a project plan which included every element of the event – branding & marketing including print, TVC and radio production, transport, security, production (staging, video coverage, band liaison with more than 60 acts over 4 stages), an exhibition, toilets, logistics, venue management, media management, speaker co-ordination, co ordination with public authorities (local government, police, health, transport), co ordination of 200 volunteers, and onsite accommodation for 400 pilgrims.

Thus, full speed ahead, vervecreative created momentum and drive into the project and the wheels started (quickly) turning with creativity, enthusiasm & innovation.

A major component of vervecreative’s role was to create a unique brand and communications campaign for Days in the Diocese.

With a six week campaign period and limited funds, our task was to excite the local community – both the Catholic and wider community, to motivate them to attend the festival, and ultimately, engage with the Catholic church on a longer term basis.

Because World Youth Day in Sydney had previously established a look and feel, it made sense to capitalise on the energy and excitement already generated in the hearts and minds of our audience. At the same time, we needed to created a brand that stood out and made the local community feel this was their event.

Given the primary target audience, youth, Facebook and MySpace pages were established. Very quickly, as the word spread, these social networking sites had thousands of “friends”. This became a highly effective means of constant communication and updates.

Another significant element in the branding and communication strategy was to engage an army of enthusiastic volunteers recruited from the local churches. We had hundreds of ambassadors for Days in the Diocese from all over the Canberra and Goulburn area – distributing posters, postcards and personal invitations to all they came in contact with.

This integrated campaign strategy proved to be highly effective – borne out by not only the high attendance at the Festival, but also the increased interest in and attendance at Catholic churches all over the area after the Days in the Diocese.

Upon vervecreative’s engagement, the program was nothing more than a sketch on a piece of paper - every aspect was unconfirmed. vervecreative took ownership and, together with the Archdiocese team looked after content - compiled a fluid, hearty and vibrant Festival program.

The program included:

• Chapel
• Outdoor confession
• Touch football games— organised with local Catholic schools throughout the diocese. The international pilgrims immersed themselves in Australian culture with local kids of their demographic.
• 4 performance stages (all running simultaneously) - This included the main outdoor stage where the Commissioning Mass was also held. Over 60 local and international acts performed over the course of the day.
• Exhibition—80 exhibitors, and a stage, were placed inside one of the main pavilions of EPiC. This exhibition showcased the breadth of activities, ministries, groups and movements that were operating within the Archdiocese.
• Seminars—Rooms throughout EPiC were set up to host seminars and discussions
• Kids Festival

The Commissioning Mass marked the official close of the DiD activities. The Mass took place on the main show ground of EPiC and drew the largest number of participants over the day. Highlights of the Mass included a procession and participation of 250 priests from all over the world; a flawless communion for over 12,000 attendees; the involvement of community bands as part of the mass’ musical program; a full choir onstage; a procession of Islanders bringing the gifts.

This festival was a stepping stone to the massive celebration that was the Pope’s arrival in Sydney. The overwhelming feeling of enjoyment that the international pilgrims and the local community expressed was feeling very few will ever experience. They were singing, dancing, hugging and laughing, as were our clients, as were we.

The diversity of the crowd, individual ambitions and Festival spirits brought a sense of organised chaos to the day with the flying of flags from hundreds of countries around the world, conga lines of adults, children, Australians and foreigners alike, and a continuous spirit of excitement and buzz. The nature of this Festival was one of global acceptance, excitement, passion, belief and celebrating diversity. It is not often that one is privileged enough to be a part of it.

It was a day no one will soon forget.

30 July 2008
On behalf of CatholicLIFE and the whole Canberra & Goulburn WYD team, I would like to sincerely thank you for all your support and contributions towards the Days in the Diocese and World Youth Day celebrations.

It has been wonderful sharing this journey with you and success of the celebrations would not have been possible without your hard work, flexibility and commitment in relation to being our Event Managers for the festival at EPiC ….The event was highly successful…. (and) I extend my gratitude to all the employees at VerveCreative for the time, talent and effort they invested in planning and delivering this event under very tight timeframes and challenging conditions.

Yours Sincerely

Shawn van der Linden
Project Director
Days in the Diocese CG

“Days in the Diocese Festival in Canberra and Goulburn had an intensity about it. It was a big hit, thanks largely to the extraordinary hospitality of the people here in Canberra as well as a fantastic management team behind the scenes. Vervecreative’s professionalism, efficiency and hard work showed throughout all aspects of the day – from the pilgrim welcoming, the exhibition, the various stages and the Commissioning Mass. Most importantly it showed in the smiling faces, the impromptu dance circles, the personal reflections and the cohesion of such a vast array of individuals. The pilgrims were bowled over by the welcome they received.

We can take for granted the hospitality of which Australians are capable. Perhaps it's because this was so distant and unwelcoming a place in our early history, that Australians acquired the gift of hospitality. We learnt early to welcome a stranger, and we did it spectacularly well as shown at the Festival.

The VerveCreative team worked cohesively with the Archdiocese to create this truly exceptional experience for all involved. The Festival could not have taken place without them.”

Most Reverend Mark Coleridge
Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn