Orange City Council has received a Highly Commended award in the RH Dougherty Award for Excellence in Communication, recognising the success of its marketing and communications campaign for Zest Fest 2024.
The RH Dougherty Award, presented by Local Government NSW, recognises and encourages excellence in communication between councils and their communities. Council's entry was judged in Division B - for councils serving populations between 30,000 and 100,000 people.
The award recognises the strategic approach used to position Zest Fest as a free, community-focused music event with its own identity and distinct from the region's established premium food and wine festivals. The campaign was developed, delivered, and evaluated entirely in-house by Council's marketing, branding and communications team.
Left to right: Communications Lead Natasha Townsend, Communications Officer Léa Phillips and Digital Communications Officer Olivia Sargent
The team worked closely with businesses and local musicians to share their stories and build community ownership of the event. Digital content, media, and partnerships were used to create momentum and reach a broad audience on a modest budget.
Highlights included:
– An original event brand and website developed in-house, giving Zest Fest a bold, recognisable look.
– Social media campaigns that generated more than 395,000 impressions.
– Content that brought local performers and businesses into the spotlight.
The campaign delivered strong results, with 4,532 attendees and a Net Promoter Score of 78.3, showing high levels of community satisfaction.
Orange Mayor Tony Mileto said the award was recognition for the team's creative and targeted approach.
"Zest Fest was designed to bring people together and showcase our local talent. The in-house team delivered a campaign that captured that spirit and reached the right audiences," Cr Mileto said.
Communications Lead, Natasha Townsend, said working in-house gave the campaign its authenticity.
"We could adapt quickly, work directly with performers, businesses and residents and make sure the campaign truly reflected Orange. This award is a real credit to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved," Ms Townsend said.
Zest Fest will return on Saturday 1 November 2025, bringing another day of free live music and community celebration to the heart of Orange.
Left to right: The Hon. Ron Hoenig MP. Minister for Local Government, Orange Mayor, Tony Mileto, Local Government NSW President Cr Phyllis Miller OAM
