Rail Riot 2025: Turning a Campus Rail Jam Into a 1,500-Person Tradition
Rail Riot is Kamloops’ only rail jam; a one-night winter event that transforms a famous handrail at Thompson Rivers University into a lit-up terrain park. What began as a class project and a workaround to security shutting down late-night rail sessions has grown into one of the most anticipated winter events on campus.
In its third year, Rail Riot wanted to elevate its presence, expand beyond the ‘core’ ski/snowboard community and strengthen its identity across TRU and the wider Kamloops region. Rugged Marketing partnered with the event team to bring clarity to the brand, refine the messaging, execute a strategic social campaign and significantly increase digital visibility.
The Result?
The biggest Rail Riot yet — 1,500+ spectators, 35 riders, more than 220,000 video views, and over 100 community posts using #RailRiot.
Background
Rail Riot began as a student-built idea to legally ride TRU’s most iconic handrail. Now, it’s a campus tradition. Blending ‘core’ snow culture with an accessible, all-ages environment. Event organizers include Justin Tarasoff and the Out Here Ski & Snowboard Club, supported by campus offices, volunteers and local sponsors.
2025 marked the third year of the event, and the first time Rail Riot formally partnered with Rugged Marketing.
The Challenges
Despite growing interest, Rail Riot faced several limitations heading into 2025.
Rail Riot’s previous marketing plans had been written by first- and second-year students; the foundations were there, but the plans lacked depth, identity, targeting and a formal content strategy. Digital visibility was minimal, and beyond Justin posting the event poster on his personal account, there was no consistent online presence. While the ‘core’ ski/snowboard community was well aware of the event, broader off-campus awareness remained low.
The event also lacked cohesive branding, defined messaging or unified visuals. Everything needed to be built and executed within a tight three-month timeline while coordinating with a volunteer-run operations team.
Still, the opportunity was clear: two years of strong, unused content existed and Rail Riot was ready for a professional, strategically guided push.
Goals & KPIs
Together with the Rail Riot team, we established clear and measurable outcomes:
Awareness: 10,000+ impressions across platforms
Engagement: 5% engagement, 20+ comments on key posts, recap reaching 2× announcement
Followers: 200 followers by event week
UGC: 10+ public posts, 50+ tagged posts/stories
Attendance: 1,500 spectators
Sponsor Visibility: 3+ sponsor mentions across channels
Our Approach
We began by defining a clear brand direction and messaging framework for Rail Riot, something the event had never formally established before. We created a unified identity built around four core ideas: (1) a student-built event rooted in TRU culture, (2) a free and inclusive atmosphere that welcomes everyone, (3) the energy and exclusivity of a one-night hype event, and (4) the professionalism and safety behind the rail setup.
These pillars shaped the tone, visuals and messaging across the entire campaign, supported by taglines such as ‘We’re back Friday November 21 at 6pm’; and ‘All ages welcome. Free to spectate.’
With the brand foundation in place, we developed a comprehensive marketing plan that would define our entire strategy and approach. This included the visual direction, audience segmentation, campaign KPIs, key messages, PR coordination and a structured content calendar that guided every post leading into the event. The plan also ensured consistent sponsor visibility and created a roadmap for how Rail Riot would present itself over the three-month lead-up.
Content played a major role in the campaign. We sourced and curated media from the previous two years: photos, videos, drone clips, recaps and athlete content. We combined this with new graphics and poster assets to build a diverse and hype-driven mix. This allowed us to balance the ‘core snow culture’ with broader accessibility for students who had never attended a rail jam before.
From there, Rugged Marketing took over the day-to-day management of the Rail Riot Instagram account. Throughout November, we posted consistently, aligned event announcement timing with poster drops around campus, highlighted riders and giveaways, amplified sponsor involvement and maintained an active presence through DMs and community reposts. During the event, we provided live coverage through Stories, sharing rider highlights, crowd reactions and sponsor showcases to extend the hype beyond the rail itself.
To complement the organic content strategy, we launched a three-week targeted ad campaign with a modest budget of approximately $300. Ads were directed toward three segments: committed skiers and snowboarders, TRU students new to Kamloops and the event, as well as students who were aware of Rail Riot but undecided about attending. These ads helped push awareness beyond the ‘core’ ski community and ensured the event reached both new and returning audiences.
Throughout the entire process, we worked closely with event organizer Justin Tarasoff to align messaging, timing and sponsor collaboration. The result was Rail Riot’s most cohesive and intentional marketing effort to date. A campaign that felt true to the event’s roots while strengthening its identity and reach across the campus and community.
Results
Rail Riot 2025 exceeded nearly every KPI set at the start of the campaign.
From an awareness standpoint, the goal was to exceed 10,000 impressions. By the end of the campaign, Rail Riot reached 35,184 unique accounts, more than triple the target. Video content alone generated over 220,500 organic views, driven by hype momentum, strategic timing and strong creative.
Engagement metrics also surpassed expectations. We aimed for a minimum engagement rate of 5% and hoped to see the event recap reach twice the announcement post. Both benchmarks were met. The Rail Riot Instagram page also far exceeded its follower target. The original goal was 200 followers by event week, yet the page reached approximately 485 followers before the event and 580 followers by the week after, nearly triple what we anticipated.
User-generated content grew well beyond expectations. The original goal of 10+ public posts and 50+ tagged stories was dramatically exceeded, with more than 100 posts using #RailRiot alongside dozens of stories, creator shoutouts and on-site tags. The hashtag became widely active across TRU and the local ski community.
Attendance, the campaign’s most important KPI, also hit its mark. The target was 1,500 spectators, and the event achieved 1,500+ attendees at its height, officially marking the most successful turnout in Rail Riot’s history. This growth was significantly influenced by strategic advertising, strong brand clarity and heightened digital visibility.
Sponsor visibility goals were similarly surpassed. RedBull, Spoke Bike & Ski and others received repeated mentions across posts and stories and RedBull increased their involvement substantially — bringing a branded arch, a sampling team and an after-party drink collaboration. This deeper partnership engagement was a direct outcome of stronger marketing presence and community hype.
Across all major indicators, reach, engagement, UGC, attendance and sponsor activity, Rail Riot 2025 delivered its strongest results to date, solidifying its position as a defining event on the TRU campus.
Rail Riot 2025 was a breakthrough for the continued future. A clearer brand identity, focused messaging, strategic rollout and unified content plan transformed Rail Riot into a campus tradition with real momentum.
For Rugged Marketing, this project reflects exactly what we stand for: supporting outdoor experiences, empowering community events and helping real stories reach the people who need to hear them.
Have an outdoor event, tourism operator, or experience that deserves stronger visibility?
Let’s build a strategy that amplifies your story and drives meaningful results.