By Claire Eden, Senior Account Executive
On a grey Saturday morning, the Grosvenor Casinos team left London behind and made the journey to Leeds for an afternoon of live entertainment.
The culmination of a search by Grosvenor Casinos and the Yorkshire Evening Post to find talented creatives across Leeds, which saw many hopefuls whittled down to just 13 acts, the live final of Excite & Entertain was upon us.
The finalists were battling it out for one of two incredible prizes. For the design category winner, a £2,500 cash prize and their artwork displayed on a billboard in Leeds city centre, and for the winning singer, the same cash prize and a contract with talent agency Champions.
Hosted in White Rose Shopping Centre, the crowds quickly gathered when the first artist, the soulful Alyshah Jackson all the way from California, started to hit the high notes. One by one, each performer gave it their all, each exciting and entertaining the crowd with their dazzling voices. A true highlight was Carina Galsim, a full time nurse whose uplifting rendition of Uptown Funk drew an astonishing crowd and made absolutely everyone smile. The hashtag #ExciteLeeds was trending on Twitter, and live voting on Facebook was too close to call.
Once the last act had performed, it was an agonising wait for both singers and artists whilst the judging panel deliberated, but in the end Keri-Ellah and Yalim Malik were crowned the worthy winners, with both acts showcasing their talents once more at the grand re-launch party of Grosvenor Casino Leeds Westgate just seven days later.
Overall, Excite & Entertain did exactly what it said on the tin. Crowds were delighted, the online community went wild; but most importantly, we delivered results for the client. The campaign raised extensive awareness of the relaunch of Grosvenor Casino Leeds Westgate, and highlighted the company’s continued efforts to support and invest in the communities it operates in, in a truly innovative way.
Winner of the design category, Yalim Malik