A landmark exhibition commemorates 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon

Written By Alicia Vial

Situation

Fifty years ago, in the wake of the devastating Vietnam War, millions of individuals were displaced, seeking refuge from unimaginable loss and trauma. In 2015, the Historic New Orleans Collection (HNOC) curators began to work on an exhibit that would commemorate the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and honor the thousands of Vietnamese refugees that settled in and around New Orleans. The exhibit, "Making It Home: From Vietnam to New Orleans” would illuminate the extraordinary journey of thousands who resettled in New Orleans, carrying with them not material possessions, but the indelible stories of their lives. The exhibit would be a powerful and deeply significant bilingual exhibition that offered a vital and moving testament to the enduring spirit of Vietnamese refugees.  As the largest repository of New Orleans history and culture, HNOC is committed to ensuring that these vital stories are preserved and shared. “Making It Home”' is a testament to their commitment to representing the diverse voices that have shaped New Orleans.  

“Making It Home” would include interactive replicas of a living room and kitchen, where visitors can listen to oral histories and watch video clips that recount the journey to the US and the experience of starting over. The landmark exhibition would also bring together items from elders in New Orleans as well as museums and cultural institutions from around the country to create a comprehensive and deeply moving story that had yet to be told. 

Strategy

The campaign for "Making It Home: From Vietnam to New Orleans" centered on strategic, earned-media outreach, utilizing comprehensive planning and adaptive execution to ensure sustained, broad-based coverage and maximize visitor engagement.

Strategic media outreach began by securing essential private media tours with the exhibit’s lead curator. These exclusive previews were prioritized at launch to ensure widespread local coverage of the exhibition’s debut across key media outlets.

Throughout the exhibition's duration, Gambel Communications secured consistent coverage by offering diverse storytelling opportunities across various media channels. This included one-on-one media tours, in-studio broadcast and call-in radio appearances on New Orleans’ most trustworthy news talk stations. The content mix featured in-exhibit interviews with the lead curator, podcasts, and feature stories depicting Vietnamese refugees’ personal accounts in the city’s leading alternative news sources and local university newspapers. All stories consistently discussed the profound impact of the Vietnamese community experience and their contribution to New Orleans culture over the last 50 years.

A critical component of the strategy was incorporating proactive measures to maintain media interest and broaden the exhibit's relevance beyond the initial anniversary date. Anticipating a natural decline in coverage after the Fall of Saigon anniversary, and facing the parallel 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the team worked with the curator to author a guest column that strategically drew parallels between the Vietnamese refugee experience and the city’s Katrina recovery, successfully reiterating the key message that the Vietnamese community had become an essential part of New Orleans. Further capitalizing on historical connections, the team leveraged research—which showed that the Vietnamese resettlement framework had been used to resettle Cuban immigrants—to secure a story with a key Hispanic publication, highlighting the similarities between the two peoples and broadening the campaign’s reach.

Finally, media attention was strategically drawn to three key, culture-rich programs to provide fresh storylines: an Opening Reception featuring local Vietnamese artists and chefs; a Family-Friendly Community Day with bilingual tours and hands-on activities; and a special Panel Discussion blending historical insight from a military historian with powerful personal stories from a respected Saigon refugee and community organizer. Responding to staff reports of exceptional visitor engagement and longer-than-average 'view time,' we further promoted HNOC's direct, adaptive response: the launch of daily guided tours that ran for the majority of the exhibition’s duration, successfully sustaining media interest and enhancing the visitor experience.

Results

The exhibition transported visitors to the aftermath of the Vietnam War when thousands of refugees fled their homeland and followed their journey to resettlement and community rebuilding in New Orleans. As a result of Gambel Communications strategic media relations campaign, 21,743 people visited “Making It Home,” more than doubling the campaign goal of 10,000 visitors. The closing weekend saw 1,424 museum visitors alone. The two programs, Community Day and Veterans Panel, were a resounding success with HNOC reporting attendance numbers surpassing their initial expectations.

Gambel Communication achieved 134 total story placements including 52 online mentions, 52 broadcast, 16 radio and 14 print including Forbes and out of state outlets in Mississippi, Georgia, and Virginia.

In summary, the media relations campaign for “Making It Home” was a resounding success and the media coverage secured are credited to the museum’s increased year-over-year visitation.

Alicia Vial

Alicia Vial is a New Orleans native with more than a decade of experience elevating client stories and leading crisis response. As the senior director of strategy, Alicia acts as a leader within the Gambel Communications team ensuring each agency team member is positioned to deliver strategic public relations services that meet the highest standards of the industry. In addition to supporting the agency’s long-term business growth and development, she coordinates day-to-day account services and oversees strategic direction while staying abreast of best practices and industry trends to provide innovative solutions to meet client’s needs.

Before joining Gambel Communications, Alicia served as the communications director for the Louisiana SPCA, the oldest and largest animal welfare organization in Louisiana that impacts more than 74,000 animals per year. During her nearly eight-year tenure, Alicia oversaw numerous crises, served on national communication taskforces, oversaw all aspects of internal and external relations and worked alongside the development department to raise critical funding. Prior to that, she worked in the fast-paced New Orleans hospitality industry focusing on digital public relations for multiple hotels.

Alicia is a member of the Public Relations Association of Louisiana (PRAL), Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF), a board member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) New Orleans Chapter and a member of the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute. An accredited public relations practitioner (APR), Alicia is also certified in crisis communications, organizational leadership, content marketing and social media.

A well respected and trusted public relations practitioner, Alicia has been recognized by SPRF as a ‘Senior Practitioner of the Year’. Dubbed early on in her career as one to watch, she also received the ‘Rising Star’ award by PRAL and was profiled in St. Charles Avenue Magazine as part of their Young Bloods series. Most recently, she was recognized at PRSA’s annual Fleurish Awards and received four Awards of Excellence for her work along with the ‘Plate Spinner’ award for her efforts on the board of directors for the chapter.

An LSU graduate, Alicia received a bachelor's degree in mass communications with a concentration in public relations and minors in business administration and leadership development. She is a frequent speaker and presenter on public relations topics, most recently presenting at the Jefferson Economic Development Commission and SPRF annual conference.

When Alicia is not at work, you can find her at the ballpark with her three boys or cheering on the Tigers in Death Valley.

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