STF Events & Catering

STF Events & Catering is a full-service boutique catering and event design company serving the Nashville area. After meeting and getting to know each other on vacation, in Panama of all places, and talking "shop" in the pool with fruity drinks in hand, Eleni and Joelle asked for our help in rebranding their company in order to set them apart from their competition.

STF had maintained a website for some years, but it has been neglected and is not achieving any objectives for the organization. With a planned company rebrand, advancing technology and the rise of social media, STF needed to redesign their website to align with the goals of the business and the target audience. They needed a website that functions as a powerful marketing and communications tool to attract new clients and position themselves as a leader in the event industry.

The Brief

STF approached SMP Studios to design and develop a new visual brand identity and website. Some business goals for the project included:

1. Refreshing and solidifying the brand as a unique and respected player in the event/catering space
2. Establishing trust and credibility in the minds of potential clients
3. Increasing awareness and visibility in target market
4. Describing in detail what sets STF apart from other caterers and event companies in the area
5. Increasing the number of new inquires coming from the website, and in turn, Increasing booked events

Ultimately, the STF website should be a useful resource for existing clients, potential new clients and potential new community partners.

Our Approach

We tackled this project by starting with a new logo. It would set the tone for everything else to follow. After a couple discovery and brainstorm sessions, concepts were provided for review. Since STF is known for its custom, unique menu creations, the logo concepts visually described their well-rounded, sophisticated, and complete flavor profiles. It only took a couple minor alterations before a final logo was born. From there, we moved on to the corporate identity pieces, and then finally to revamping their website.

Before any development began, we had to come up with a plan. The key factor in building a successful website was to completely understand the client's target audience and determine what they are looking for in a website. We defined the target audience for the STF website as people in the greater Nashville area who are planning a catering or event. They could be brides or event planners coordinating food for a wedding or local businesses planning a corporate event. Most importantly, the target audience is people who love food and have a budget to pay for quality service. The new website needed to assist the target audience in doing the following:

1. Learning about STF’s services and capabilities
2. Viewing sample catering menus and a gallery of images
3. Reading reviews and testimonials from past clients
4. Getting information about event planning
5. Sending an inquiry for an event request

We recommended the development of a website with a completely new, sophisticated and cohesive visual branding look that leverages the content from the current site to convey the value that STF adds to its community. After organizing all of their current content into an intuitive hierarchical sitemap, we borrowed colors and textures from the new logo, and the website began to take shape.

The Result

STF is very pleased with their rebrand project. We are thrilled to have been a part of it and look forward to working with them in the future.

The new website is fully responsive and was designed to:

• Increase brand recognition and awareness in the community
• Provide benefit and result-driven content
• Increase overall website traffic and the number of qualified, high-quality leads
• Raise the conversion rate of leads turning into booked events
• Increase content sharing and engagement
• Highlight past events and company services
• Make STF feel confident and proud of their business