CASE STUDY | 2016 & 2017 EAST LOS ANGELES CHRISTMAS PARADE

In November 2016, North Star Alliances was proud to restore, after seven years of absence, the storied and illustrious East Los Angeles Christmas Parade, a spectacular one-day event of floats, equestrian units, marching bands and celebrity guests. 

Resurrecting the parade was a formidable feat as the team had to develop the event from scratch.  One key to the success of the event was North Star Alliances leading the formation of a planning committee featuring community stakeholders such as public safety, fire department officials, California Highway Patrol, LA County Sheriff, LA County Public Works, local chambers of commerce, local merchant associations, and staff from LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis.  Twenty meetings were held with the planning committee and through their participation, North Star Alliances was able to effectively capture the spirit of the community and keep a handle on all logistical and sourcing needs. The team maintained reports to track meetings, all meeting attendees and all feedback from the meetings.

To promote the parade, the firm engaged with about 70 community-based organizations and school districts to promote the event.  In addition, the team managed social media accounts, kept the parade website fresh with content and utilized a street team to pass out fliers and encourage community members to attend.  North Star Alliances CEO Ernesto Morales personally secured all media (such as ABC, Telemundo, KDAY, Power 106, La Opinion, and more) and corporate sponsorships (Coca-Cola, Western Dental, and more) for the event based on past event reputation.  

The outcomes included:

• Nearly 70,000 attendees in 2016 lined Whittier Boulevard to welcome back the parade.
• In 2017, BG had captivated the community interest and increased attendance to 95,000 attendees per the LA County Sheriff.
• LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis served as Presenting Partner and many elected officials attended the event.
• This one-day parade with spectacular floats, marching bands, equestrian units, and celebrity guests traveled down the historic Whittier Boulevard Shopping District and on through the heart of Downtown East Los Angeles.
• The parade featured more than 193 entrants and was manned by 60 paid staff.
• The Christmas Parade celebration continued into the afternoon, with a post-parade festival filled with music, food and entertainment.
• Major sponsors included Coca-Cola, Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, Telemundo, Radio Centro 93.9FM, La Opinion, Felix Chevrolet, White Memorial Medical Center, SoCalGas, L.A. Care Health Plan