Little Saigon 50th Anniversary: Business Expo and Food Festival

Overview 

The Little Saigon 50th Anniversary Business Expo and Food Festival was a landmark regional celebration presented in partnership with Garden Grove, Fountain Valley, Santa Ana, and Westminster, alongside VACOC and the OC‑SBDC Network. ArrowGTP led the public relations, marketing, community engagement, and multi‑agency coordination that shaped the event’s narrative and elevated its visibility across the region. The celebration brought together policymakers, business owners, cultural leaders, and community members to honor five decades of Vietnamese American resilience, entrepreneurship, and cultural influence.

Program Themes

From Refugee to Legacy honored first‑generation Vietnamese refugees whose resilience built the foundation of Little Saigon’s cultural and economic identity.

Legacy and Beyond featured community and business leaders sharing generational stories and outlining pathways to support emerging Vietnamese American entrepreneurs.

Goals

The event aimed to celebrate the 50‑year legacy of Little Saigon while strengthening regional partnerships and showcasing the economic and cultural contributions of Vietnamese American communities. Additional goals included supporting local businesses through expo participation, elevating community voices through storytelling and panel discussions, and creating a culturally rich experience that highlighted the diversity and vibrancy of the Little Saigon region.

ArrowGTP’s Strategic Approach

ArrowGTP drove the event narrative through comprehensive branding, storytelling, and coordinated outreach across all four Little Saigon cities. The team led three major outreach phases—property owner outreach and surveys, community needs surveys and focus groups, and design‑phase engagement—to ensure the event reflected community priorities. Recruitment efforts brought together speakers, business owners, cultural organizations, and 16 participating restaurants for the Flavors of Little Saigon tasting experience. Multi‑agency coordination ensured unified messaging, seamless logistics, and strong participation from regional partners, elected officials, and community leaders.

Services

• Public relations leadership — regional storytelling, media coordination, and event visibility.
• Community engagement outreach — surveys, focus groups, and multi‑city engagement.
• Multi‑agency coordination — collaboration across four cities and partner entities.
• Speaker and vendor recruitment — cultural groups, restaurants, and business participants.
• Event branding and marketing — narrative development, promotions, and regional campaigns.

Key Contribution

ArrowGTP led PR, marketing, engagement, and multi‑agency coordination across Garden Grove, Fountain Valley, Santa Ana, and Westminster, supporting VACOC and OC‑SBDC throughout the planning process. The team shaped the event’s storytelling, recruited speakers and restaurants, and managed collaboration among six partner entities. This work strengthened regional partnerships, elevated Vietnamese community voices, and ensured the event authentically reflected the legacy and future of Little Saigon.

Results & Impact

The 50th Anniversary celebration delivered a culturally rich program for more than 800 attendees, featuring 24 sponsor and partner expo tables, over 20 historical and cultural exhibits, 16 restaurants in the Flavors of Little Saigon tasting, nine discussion panels and workshops, and three cultural performance groups. The event successfully united regional partners, amplified community stories, and reinforced the cultural and economic significance of Little Saigon as a cornerstone of Vietnamese American identity.

Event Highlights

★ Free Admission with Registration & $5 Parking ★ Complimentary Vietnamese Cuisine & Cash Bar ★ Light Refreshments by Great Wolf Lodge ★ Cultural Performances ★ Business Workshops & Resource Fair ★ Discussion & Story-Telling Panels

Reference: LS50 Media ToolKit