Building on the sold-out inaugural event in 2024, the 2025 Spirit of Japan presented an opportunity—and responsibility—to elevate the attendee experience while scaling the event. Key challenges included optimizing the event layout and entrance flow, expanding and diversifying vendor offerings, procuring aligned sponsors, and rebuilding attendee confidence to drive greater return attendance and revenue. At the same time, the event expanded into a full street closure, introducing increased operational complexity and heightened public visibility—making thoughtful planning, clear communication, and reputation management critical to year-two success.

To rebuild trust and strengthen public sentiment, Fireside focused on reinforcing the operational, communications, and partnership foundations of Spirit of Japan. This included supporting an expanded footprint, helping procure a $20K BOK Financial sponsorship, and implementing clearer, more transparent guest communications.We deepened community credibility through strategic partnerships with Downtown Denver Partnership, Visit Denver, LoDo District, The Rally Hotel, and the Denver Metro Chamber, while building upon our 2024 marketing successes by activating influencer and media partnerships to extend reach and reinforce positive storytelling. To proactively manage public perception, Fireside created a comprehensive FAQ, Crisis Response Guide, and Social Listening Plan—equipping the Sakura Foundation and JTM teams with tools to monitor, respond to, and shape online discourse in real time. Together, these efforts drove 31% year-over-year revenue growth and a 16% increase in attendance, while elevating operational confidence, strengthening community trust, and positioning Spirit of Japan as a leading cultural event in Denver and a vital annual fundraiser for the Sakura Foundation.

Fireside led influencer, public relations, communications, and partnership efforts for Spirit of Japan, resulting in 45.9 million media impressions across 39 placements, a combined influencer reach of 2.1 million through 24 creator collaborations, and more than 380 promo code redemptions. Our team managed all aspects of the influencer program, partnering with 24 vetted Denver-based creators aligned with the event’s audience and brand ethos. We handled outreach, contracting, comp tickets, promo codes, payments, and cross-promotional support, driving strong pre-event buzz across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
In collaboration with the Sakura Foundation, Fireside also produced Media Night, hosting 41 attendees from leading Denver publications, freelancers, influencers, and food writers. From guest curation and communications to on-site engagement, Media Night helped strengthen key relationships and secure impactful coverage in the final weeks leading up to Spirit of Japan.