Celebrities Play Chef at Gateway
Earlier this year, Gateway Theatre of Shopping was host to ten of South Africa’s top celebrities going head-to-head in in five of the center’s restaurants, and its shoppers had a chance to be the beneficiaries.
The Celebrity Chef Showdown was one step in a campaign to improve Gateway’s standing as a dining destination.
“The objectives of the campaign included increasing foot count, restaurant turnover, brand awareness, and reaffirming Gateway as a food and entertainment destination of choice, said Penny Barlow, center marketing manager. “We also aimed to increase Gateway’s CRM database, and to secure PR and sponsorships for the centre,”.
To achieve those goals, visitors to the center could book space to enjoy fine dining and healthy competition at the five participating restaurants. Competitors included television actress Sma Mbatha, pictured, fashion designer Terrence Bray, rugby legend Stefan Terblanche, former Miss South Africa, Tatum Keshwar and more.
Gateway VIPs had a leg-up on securing tables for the Showdown, and they were also given a shot at winning one of two R18 000 trips for two to the 7-star Karkloof Safari Spa.
“The Gateway Marketing Department succeeded in its objectives by securing PR to the value of over R500,000 and numerous sponsorships, including partnership agreements with restaurants amounting to approximately R150,000. All of the restaurants were thrilled to be involved, and have said that they will definitely partner with us again on ventures such as this in the future,” said Barlow.
