Amplifying a Movement: Strategic Storytelling for Xpand Fest
The Quick Snapshot
Client: Xpand Fest – Arts & Impact Festival in Asheville, NC
Challenge: A powerful vision rooted in community equity and the UN Sustainable Development Goals needed clear, consistent, and compelling messaging to match its mission—and rally hundreds of artists, sponsors, volunteers, and attendees.
Solution: Members of the Biz Hero team led the festival’s copy and communications strategy across every touchpoint: press releases, blog content, social media, video scripts, newsletters, and direct outreach for attendees, sponsors, and artists.
Result:
$300,000+ raised, with 95% reinvested locally
500+ creatives highlighted and compensated
300+ staff/volunteers coordinated through unified messaging
12,000+ attendees across 3 years
Lasting community-led clubs and initiatives formed from the festival’s momentum
How We Helped Spark Connection and Change
When Xpand Fest was just an idea—an arts festival to activate the Sustainable Development Goals on a local level—its founders knew the message had to do more than sound good. It had to move people.
Biz Hero stepped in to lead strategic messaging across every layer of the festival—from early fundraising language and sponsor decks to public-facing storytelling, artist coordination, attendee outreach, and press visibility.
We crafted:
On-brand blog posts and thought leadership pieces to contextualize the festival’s “why”
Bold, clear social media and email copy that boosted engagement and converted interest into action
Video scripts and visual storytelling strategies that gave the event soul, not just info
Direct messaging campaigns to artists, nonprofits, sponsors, and volunteers that turned chaos into clarity
Community-centered press releases and outreach that landed regional media coverage
This wasn’t just about making the festival look good. It was about building trust, belonging, and shared purpose—at scale.
The Lasting Impact
Because every word was aligned with values and vision, Xpand Fest did more than draw a crowd—it built a movement. The communications strategy helped unite over 300 volunteers, drive major donor engagement, and ensure over 500 creatives were paid and celebrated.
The result? A free, high-impact festival with over $300K raised—and 95% reinvested in the local creative economy. Long after the final performance, the connections forged through these messages continue to ripple out through clubs, initiatives, and creative collaborations born at the event.
Curious how we’d bring this kind of clarity to your brand?
