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NBCUniversal once again took its beloved Bravo shows directly to fans with Bravo Fan Fest (BFF) held at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center in Charleston, S.C., on October 24.  Designed as an immersive celebration for one of television’s most passionate communities, the event showcased how NBCU's experiential fan strategy successfully bridges brand sponsors with dedicated fandoms.

Bravo Fan Fest marks another milestone in NBCUniversal's growing portfolio of live fan experiences, going back to the inaugural 2024 gathering at Ice Palace Studios in Miami before heading to Charleston in 2026. NBCU launched BravoCon in 2019 at New York City's Javits Center, later expanding it into a multi-day spectacle at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas.

BravoCon has proven to be highly popular, consistently selling out tickets within hours of release. This success is one of the key reasons that Bravo is the only cable outlet that NBCU kept while spinning off its other cable nets into Versant early this year. The flagship convention has drawn up to 19 major brand sponsors, featured more than 165 so-called “Bravolebrities,” and generated double-digit lifts in brand recall, purchase intent and emotional engagement across linear broadcasts, social channels and Peacock streaming services.

This year's Bravo Fan Fest lineup highlighted hit series across the network, bringing talent and interactive programming to Charleston from Southern Charm, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, Summer House, Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (WWHL), The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip and The Real Housewives of Rhode Island.

“What makes moments like these so valuable for our partners is simple: today’s fandoms don’t do anything halfway, and the demand for these highly engaging, immersive experiences has never been greater. Bravo Fan Fest is proof of that with the event selling out within a few hours,” said Ann Scheiner, EVP, agency partnerships, NBCUniversal Advertising & Partnerships, in a statement. 

The event featured a diverse lineup of brand integrations tailored both to attendees on-site and followers on social:

‍Ally Bank, Member FDIC: Captured social content with Southern Charm's Venita Aspen to extend the event experience beyond Charleston.

‍Colgate Optic White: Hosted 'The Science of WOW' reunion-ready vanity station featuring franchise trivia, customized travel bags, photo-strip keepsakes and a meet-and-greet with Bronwyn Newport from The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.

‍Genesis: Produced commerce-enabled custom content featuring the GV80 Coupe alongside Southern Charm's Madison LeCroy.

‍Planet Fitness: Provided branded hydration stations with Bravosphere phrases, co-branded water bottles unlocking a free month of PF Black Card membership, and a meet-and-greet with Summer House’s Carl Radke.

‍State Farm: Created a Shem Creek-inspired pier activation with boat tote customization, meet-and-greets featuring Southern Charm's Craig Conover, Shep Rose and Molly O’Connell, and sponsored an interactive poll during the taping of an episode of WWHL.

‍Wayfair: Delivered Summer House party vibes with a video booth, holiday ornament giveaways with shoppable QR codes for Way Day deals and a meet-and-greet with Summer House's Mia Calabrese.

‍Wendy’s: Designed The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip hotel activation with custom keepsakes and meals as well as hosted meet-and-greets with Lisa Barlow of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City and Alicia Carmody of Real Housewives of Rhode Island.