Case Study: Addis Restaurant Week

Challenge

Flawless Events faced a significant challenge. Traditional food festivals, held in fixed venues, come with high costs and complex logistics. While popular globally, they often require significant investment in infrastructure—something that was not viable for a first-time consumer event in Addis Ababa. Additionally, the event needed to avoid an elitist tone and instead focus on inclusivity and community impact, which was critical for both the client and local sponsors.

Solution

We conceptualized Addis Restaurant Week (ARW), an event that broke free from the traditional festival model. Instead of a fixed venue, ARW leveraged the existing infrastructure of high-end restaurants across the city. This approach drastically reduced upfront costs while meeting the client’s goal of driving foot traffic directly into restaurants, where new customer relationships could be built.

The core concept centered around a set menu offering—a global standard in food festivals but a fresh idea for Addis Ababa. Restaurants provided specially priced lunch and dinner menus, giving consumers access to high-quality dining experiences at a fraction of the normal cost. The event was designed to be accessible, appealing to a wide audience without compromising the high-end dining experience.

Services Provided

To ensure the success of Addis Restaurant Week, we provided a full suite of strategic and operational services, including:

• Concept creation and value proposition development: Ensuring that the festival delivered value to attendees, restaurants, and corporate sponsors alike.
• Financial modeling and sponsorship materials: Initial P&L modeling, helping to shape a financially sustainable event. We also developed commercial sponsorship decks, which were instrumental in securing Knorr stock cubes as the festival's first sponsor.
• Operational planning: We assisted in developing procedures and structures for the event’s operation, from content development to procurement and contracting. This included detailed plans for restaurant involvement, marketing frameworks, and stakeholder engagement.

Results

The first edition of Addis Restaurant Week was a resounding success:

• Over 5,000 attendees participated in the event, purchasing set menus across some of Addis Ababa's top restaurants.
• The event secured its first major sponsor, Knorr stock cubes, a significant achievement for a debut consumer event.
• Since its inception, ARW has continued to grow, building on the foundational work we provided to establish it as a sustainable, high-impact event in Addis Ababa’s culinary scene.

Conclusion

The success of Addis Restaurant Week is a testament to our expertise in creating innovative event concepts that drive value for all stakeholders. Whether you’re looking to launch a new consumer event or reimagine an existing format, our approach ensures operational efficiency and impactful results. Get in touch to see how we can help bring your vision to life.

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‍Interested in taking your event to the next level? Get in touch with Hammerton Barca today to see how we can make your vision a reality.

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