The Secret Sauce to Destination Storytelling
From sweet heat to national TV: How Gate 7 brought Louisiana’s culinary culture to life for Australian audiences.
ChallengeExplore Louisiana wanted to inspire Australian travellers to discover a destination where food and culture go hand in hand. The opportunity was Sydney’s Good Food & Wine Show, attracting more than 27,000 visitors. In a busy consumer environment, we needed to create an experience that would capture attention, showcase Louisiana’s distinctive culinary identity and inspire curiosity about the destination itself. The briefGive Sydney a taste of Louisiana it wouldn’t forget. InsightGood Food & Wine Show visitors weren’t just looking to discover new flavours. They wanted to taste, experience and learn something new, creating an opportunity to turn an unexpected culinary encounter into destination discovery. |
 |
 |
IdeaWe brought Louisiana’s bold culinary personality to Sydney through a playful sweet-meets-heat experience, hands-on Cajun cooking and national media storytelling. By combining an attention-grabbing food activation with authentic culinary talent, we created multiple ways for Australians to experience the destination, both at the show and beyond. |
ExecutionGate 7 brought a retro-inspired Louisiana ice cream parlour to the show floor, serving vanilla soft serve with Louisiana-made TABASCO Raspberry Chipotle sauce. The unexpected flavour combination became a conversation starter, bringing the state’s culinary personality to life. Louisiana chefs and television personalities Sam and Cody Carroll, the Cajun Aces, led three sold-out, hands-on gumbo cooking sessions, giving attendees a deeper connection to Louisiana’s food culture. Gate 7 then extended the story nationally through a live TODAY cooking segment and supporting Nine.com.au editorial. To turn culinary inspiration into destination discovery, we also incorporated existing Helloworld Louisiana travel collateral, giving interested consumers information about exploring the state beyond its food. |
 |
 |
Results+ 3 sold-out Cajun Cooking School sessions, representing 120 available places + National broadcast coverage through TODAY with a combined potential audience of 4.5 million across broadcast and supporting editorial + 31% prompted sponsor recall for Louisiana among surveyed Good Food & Wine Show visitors + 89,826 eDM deliveries across three dedicated Cooking School promotions, with a 54% open rate for the final promotional email |
The Gate 7 Difference
Gate 7 connected each element of the activation to a bigger destination story. An unexpected tasting experience captured attention, authentic Cajun cooking brought Louisiana’s culture to life, travel collateral helped turn curiosity into destination discovery, and national television took the story beyond the show floor. Together, we created multiple opportunities for Australian audiences to experience and explore Louisiana.