CHICAGO – May 19, 2009 – The Bulldog Award for Excellence in Media Relations, the only national competition judged by working journalists, awarded Resolute Consulting with a Silver Bulldog Award for work on the Illinois Restaurant Association’s debut urban food and wine festival, Chicago Gourmet.

Just one month prior to the event, Resolute was hired to provide strategic communications support to showcase Chicago’s world renowned culinary talent. Resolute conducted media and online outreach, Web strategy and development and marketing support. Through in-studio celebrity chef demonstrations and blogger outreach, and advance work for keynote speakers, Resolute executed a detailed program that provided a clear message and access for all audiences.

"For a debut event in Chicago, we had to define the event and generate a lot of buzz in a short amount of time," said Sheila O’Grady, president Illinois Restaurant Association.  "Resolute Consulting developed and implemented a strategy that provided Chicago Gourmet with instant stature and engaged our target audiences.  The result was great turnout and incredible coverage."

Resolute secured more than 12 million impressions in regional and national coverage and helped drive ticket sales, contributing to a turnout of more than 6,400 attendees over the three-day festival.

"The Bulldog Award is a top honor for media relations," said Greg Goldner, president of Resolute Consulting. "We are very pleased to be recognized by working journalists for the work we do on behalf of our clients."