The Hondo Rodeo Fest

The Hondo Rodeo Fest puts the best rodeo athletes in the world in one arena, competing for a slice of a million dollar payout, then hands the night to world-class country acts. Year one ran November 7 to 9, 2024, at Chase Field in Phoenix.

The job

A first-year event with no recognition and a lot of surfaces: arena panels, merch, ticketing, the app, the website, and more than 20 sponsors. It needed one look that worked on all of them.

The look

Slate gray, earthy browns, and rust, with a vintage brass and a bright cream for contrast. A tall, rustic display face for personality and place. Every piece, from arena panels and big checks to Ticketmaster ads and app graphics, read as The Hondo and nothing else.

We built assets alongside more than 20 sponsors and partners, from Fritos, Coors, and Cavender’s to Barstool Scottsdale, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Crescent Crown Distributing. Pre-event pushes ran on digital boards at Diamondbacks games, across The Hondo’s social campaigns, and through the athletes and artists on the bill.

The results

• 62,000+ tickets sold across three days
• Chase Field’s walk-up ticket record broken three days in a row
• 10.5 million+ social impressions
• 735 million+ impressions in press coverage
• About 522,000 in-person impressions from Diamondbacks game placements
• Mentions from Zac Brown Band, Old Dominion, Whiskey Myers, Turnpike Troubadours, Tuf Cooper, and Wesley Thorp

“The Fort was an essential partner in helping us build The Hondo Rodeo Fest from the ground up, handling everything from merchandise to large-scale prints and digital designs. Their attention to detail, clear communication, and ability to keep us on brand have made them invaluable.”

James Trawick, CEO, The Hondo Rodeo Fest

Watch the recap: The New Era of Rodeo.