For years, St. Mary’s Steak Out was a staple in the community. It had a loyal following, sold out every year, and had a reputation for being a fun, lively night. But despite its success, it never had a real brand—just a logo.
And while a great steak doesn’t need a lot of fancy ingredients, a great event needs more than just a logo.
When new leadership stepped in, they saw an opportunity. The event had already made a big move outdoors, opened up individual ticket sales, and was gaining momentum. But they had a bigger vision—not just for growth, but for turning Steak Out into a full-blown weekend experience.
This wasn’t just about expanding the event. It was about elevating it—attracting new audiences, creating fresh energy, and making it a bigger community-driven fundraiser.
The event itself was evolving, but its identity was stuck in the past.
And that’s when they decided to do what any good pitmaster knows—you’ve got to season things before you throw them on the grill.
In other words, before they could grow, they needed to invest in branding that made the event look, feel, and operate like the high-energy, high-impact weekend they knew it could be.
The Challenge: Turning One Event Into a Full Weekend Experience
For years, Steak Out was a single-night steak cook-off and dinner, held indoors with cowboy-themed decor and a casual, rustic feel.
It was successful—but it had clear limitations:
• The venue capped attendance at 125 people, restricting ticket sales and fundraising potential.
• Tickets were sold only in sets of eight, making it harder for individuals to attend without organizing a group.
• The event relied on word-of-mouth and community ties rather than a polished, professional presence.
As it transitioned outdoors and ticketing opened to individuals, new leadership saw an opportunity to expand the event into something much bigger.
Instead of a single event, Steak Out would become an entire weekend of fundraising and community-building.
1. Steak Out – The flagship event, now reimagined as a high-end outdoor block party with live music, great food, and a steak cook-off.
2. Mix & Mingle – A ladies-only cocktail competition, designed to bring in a fresh audience and create an experience just for them.
3. Kids’ Play Day – A free, family-friendly festival designed to make the event more inclusive and community-driven.
This was no longer just a dinner. It was three distinct events, three different target audiences, and a much bigger opportunity for ticket sales, sponsorships, and community involvement.
With that kind of shift, branding wasn’t optional—it was essential. If they wanted to attract more people and bring in bigger sponsors, they needed an identity that was exciting, polished, and professional.
The event had always been fun. Now it needed to look as fun as it actually was.
The Event Branding Strategy That Made Everything Click
Expanding an event is one thing. Creating a brand system that keeps everything cohesive but distinct is another challenge entirely. Each event needed to have its own look and feel while still feeling connected to the overall weekend.
Here’s how we made that happen:
1. A Unified Brand System – Every event got its own logo, but all logos shared a consistent font pairing and design style. That made them feel connected while still allowing each one to have its own personality.
2. A Flexible Color System – The weekend event branding used bold, high-energy colors, but each event leaned into a specific subset of colors to differentiate them. Mix & Mingle, for example, always used pink and orange in its promotions, creating instant recognition.
3. A Website Built for Growth – The event needed an online home where people could buy tickets, explore the weekend, and get involved. The website was designed to be action-driven and easy to navigate, making it seamless for attendees and sponsors to participate.
This wasn’t just about making the event look better. It was about making it work better. The brand had to match the scale and energy of the event—so that from the moment someone saw a promo or landed on the website, they would be excited to be part of it.
The Results: A Bigger, Bolder, More Impactful Event
The first year after the rebrand, Steak Out ticket sales doubled, growing from 125 attendees to nearly 300.
The next year? Almost 400.
The new Mix & Mingle cocktail competition launched with 150 attendees and has sustained that momentum year after year.
And the Kids’ Play Day brought in over 1,500 community members, dramatically expanding the event’s reach beyond just the St. Mary’s School network.
Sponsorships also increased year over year, as the event became a proven, polished, and high-energy fundraising weekend.
Because branding isn’t just about recognition. It creates confidence. It makes ticket buyers more excited to show up, gives sponsors a clear reason to invest, and makes an event feel like something people don’t want to miss.
Why Branding Made the Difference
Could Steak Out Weekend have continued without an official brand? Maybe. But it wouldn’t have grown like this.
When an event has been around for years, it’s easy to assume people already know about it. But new audiences need a reason to care, a reason to trust, and a reason to believe the event will be worth their time and money.
That’s what branding does.
It removes hesitation, builds trust, and creates momentum.
More than steaks and fundraising, Steak Out Weekend is about bringing people together, creating experiences, and rallying a community around a cause. And now, the brand makes that clear from the moment someone sees it.
Final Thoughts
The Steak Out Weekend rebrand didn’t just implement change for the sake of change; it was a vital step in aligning the brand with the vision.
As events and businesses grow, their branding has to grow with them. Otherwise, you end up with an identity that doesn’t fully reflect what you’ve become, or where you’re headed.
This project is a perfect example of how branding fuels growth—not just by making an event more recognizable, but by making it easier for people to engage, attend, and support the mission.
And that’s the difference between having a logo and having a brand.
If your brand isn’t keeping up with where your business or event is headed, let’s talk.
