the progression of innovation in the event marketing and...

The Progression of Innovation in the Event

Marketing and Special Events Industry

By

Lauren Alexa Dominick

Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for a Degree in Writing

Public Relations Option

12/12/13

Thesis Advisor: Prof. Vastola

Abstract

This public relations thesis provides an analysis of the current special events and event

marketing industry. There is a common theme in the analysis, and it focuses on brands creating

a story to share with their target market. This thesis will focus on five different event agencies

that have used this concept in their events. A business overview is provided for each of the

companies, as well as an example of an innovative event each company has produced. My own

proposal for an event is included in the thesis. The event I propose uses prior knowledge and new

ideas which I would create for a Beats by Dre’s new product introduction.

The following are the agencies that will be focused on:

Barkley Kalpak Agency

Jack Morton Worldwide

Inspira Marketing Group

Van Wyck

Agency AE

T h e P r o g r e s s i o n o f I n n o v a t i o n i n t h e E v e n t M a r k e t i n g a n d S p e c i a l E v e n t s I n d u s t r y

Lauren Alexa Dominick

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Breakdown of the Industry…………………………………….……………………………….4

Event Planner vs. Event Designer or Both……………………………….……………………4

Moving Forward………………………………………………………..………………………..6

Leading the Way Through Events…………………………………..………………………….7

B-to-B vs. B-to-C………………………………………………………………………..………..7

Experiential Marketing……………………………..…………………………………………...8

Social Media Use in Events…………………………..………………………………………….8

BizBash Online Source and Publication……………………..………………………………..10

Special Events Magazine………………………………………….……………………………10

International Special Events Society………………………………………………….……….11

A Career in Events…………………………………………………………….………………..11

Barkley Kalpak Agency………………………….……………………………………………..12

Samsung Galaxy S4 Product Launch……………………………….………………………....14

Jack Morton Worldwide……………………………………………………………………….15

Dell World……………………………………………………………………………………….18

Inspira Marketing Group…………………………...…………………………………………20

Courvoisier Rosé Lounge………………………………………………………………………21

Van Wyck………………………………………...……………………………………………..23

New York City Ballet Gala………………………...…………………………………………...25

Agency EA…………………………………………..…………………………………………..26

City Target-Chicago Opening………………………...………………………………………..28

Beats by Dre-Mixr Series………………………………………………………………………31

Conclusion…………………………………..…………………………………………………..33

Work Cited………………………………………………………...……………………………35

Breakdown of the Industry

The special event industry has evolved greatly over the past years, despite the recession

that took place in the U.S. during 2008. This affected events, due to clients cutting back on

budgets, cancelling events all together, or

looking for the most inexpensive way to

implement the events they are hosting.

Changing economic conditions require that

industry professionals need to constantly be

looking for new ways they can evolve and

stay ahead in their market to produce innovative events, while also keeping the customers

booking to increase retention.

Even though each of these “businesses are different from one another," top professional’s

working in this industry can consist of agencies, special events, corporate and wedding planners.

Each of their main goal is to produce a successful and memorable event that keeps their

customers happy. Many people assume that when someone is a professional in the industry they

are an “event planner,” but there is more than that. The biggest grey area falls between the Event

Planners and the Event Designers. Clients often use the term interchangeably, but there are many

differences between the two and they often do not overlap. Let’s break it down by looking at the

two key words that are used here: planning and design.

Event Planner vs. Event Designer or Both

Merriam-Webster defines planning as, “the act or process of making or carrying out

plans.” The Event Planner makes sure that all of the pieces are worked out in advance. On the

day of the event the overall timeline, vendors and activities should simultaneously run together,

which is considered the coordination process for the event planner.

Event design focuses on different aspects of the event. Merriam-Webster also defines

design as, “to create, fashion, execute, or construct according to plan.” These designers take the

idea that is planned by the client or work with them to create an idea that they can use while fully

developing the style of their event. What are the guests going to see when they enter the event?

How are they going to feel? These are two of the main questions Event Designers need to

address for their clients. Again, Event Designers will focus on the creative aspect while Event

Planners will be in charge of the overall management. These two professionals must work

together to fully develop events.

Today’s most successful event

companies often find that they are skilled

at both different ends of the spectrum.

They are able to take on the tasks of both

Event Designer and Planner to ensure the client the best event. Different departments are created

within the business to offer both of these different services for each event. For example, one of

the top 50 Special Event Companies by Special Events Magazine, Jack Morton Worldwide is

also a global brand experience agency that works with corporate brands, galas and non-profits.

This agency focuses on both the creation and logistics of each “experience” they plan. The

employees that are involved in this are the Creative Director, Producer, Strategists and the

Director of Logistic Solutions. Morton’s current estimated revenue by the Special Events

Magazine is $100 million, which is one of the highest out of all 50 of the top rated special event

companies. They would not be able to achieve this without having multiple professionals who

can lead different aspects of one project.

Moving Forward

How can these companies make sure they’re staying ahead in the field that is constantly

growing and improving? Many of the top event agencies in the world take both clients with

social events and corporate events.

When working on a corporate

event the professionals need to

keep in mind that they have an

overall goal that has to align that

specific event with the company’s

mission statement or target market. Many brands have developed a new strategy called brand

storytelling. This strategy is a form of concept marketing, where companies create content on

their brand that is themed or interrelated. Typically, this is used for web marketing, but this can

be used in other forms of business as well. An article posted on Ad Week online, by Jon Hamm

states, “stories are how we pass on our accumulated wisdom, beliefs, and values. They are the

process through which we describe and explain the world around us, and our role and purpose in

it.” This concept is meant to be more than just two-dimensional. The third-dimensional world of

live events can fully utilize this idea during production. This is a concept that a lot of top event

leaders are already using without even knowing it. Developing this idea further and making sure

this is a part of every event that a company creates can strengthen the overall message to the

audience. The best events transform consumers or guest experiences from the time they walk

into the venue to the time when they leave. By telling each person a story throughout their time

there, they can fully understand the message that the event is portraying. Each Event Designer

should first establish a theme with their client that will be the main focus during the entire

planning process.

Leading the Way Through Events

Five different professional agencies and designers that have begun to use this concept

will be analyzed closely. An overview of their business as well as an example of an event that

has utilized this process will be given. Reference to sources such as Special Events Magazine,

Event Marketer and BizBash will be provided. Each of these are main sources of the event

industry for planners, designers and event enthusiasts.

B-to-B vs. B-to-C

Agencies can be broken down into two specific markets. The first is business to business

(B-to-B) market. This means that this business is focusing on working on events that will not be

open to the public. Their target market will not be the consumer; instead they address industry

leaders or employees. The other type of market an agency works with is the business to

consumer (B-to-C) market. With these types of events a company is targeting the actual

customers of the product instead of any business clients. If an agency takes social event clients,

then they do focus on the B-to-C market. Social events consist of private clients that book

professionals for weddings, family parties, bar mitzvah’s, bat mitzvah’s etc. Many big agencies

focus on B-to-B clients specifically, or even both of these markets.

Experiential Marketing

Many brands are looking for new ways to engage consumers and this requires some more

creativity then just running a simple ad campaign. This is when these brands turn to agencies to

deliver an experiential marketing campaign, which they will create a brand experience that a

consumer won’t forget. These types of events also create, “buzz,” around that particular product

or service. This is something that agencies strive for and gives consumers something to talk

about. If people want to experience the product before purchase, it needs to be relatable to each

of them and this can be achieved by creating an emotional connection. Companies have found

that they are getting a return on their investment when utilizing an event like this. A social

media connection can also be used to reach more consumers who cannot physically attend the

event or as a way to create awareness, such as live streaming and editorial coverage.

Social Media Use In Events

There are many ways that social media has changed the future of events. It can be used

before, during and after an event to ensure that the event is gaining its potential reach with

consumers. When planning an event, the planner as well as the company or brand hosting the

event should encourage their target market to share the event content through social media to

create buzz. Brands have also given out rewards to consumers who share their tweets and

Facebook posts, or consumers who participate in contests through this platform.

On Twitter, hash tags are also used to tag a phrase in a post. Once a hash tag catches on

multiple consumers will be using it in their Twitter updates. There are also many creative ways

to brand an event both before and after the event is over. Guests like to feel that they are a part

of the event and encouraging the use of a Twitter hash tag can give them that opportunity. An

example of a hash tag would for an event would be:

#SXWS2013

#RocketteLaunchParty

#MTVmusicawards

If too many guests are using different hash tags for an event there won’t be any consistency

through social media. Facebook now utilizes the hash tag feature as well. There are many

websites that can monitor specific social activity online. There are many software programs that

allow users to type in a specific word which will then show all the results with those words

included. This is an easy way for users to see who is talking about their events and how they are

doing it online.

Posting polls through social media is also an easy way to gather information quickly.

Polls also require guests and consumers to participate. Event planners are always looking for

ways to keep the consumers engaged; this provides them with that opportunity as well as an

effective way to gather opinions on a topic.

Posting on all platforms of social media is also a way to increase search engine

optimization. Search engine optimization is a technique to increase where a website is ranked

on search engine websites. If a company would like their event website to be more searchable

they can achieve this by providing as much content as they can online on multiple different

platforms. Utilizing social media for this purpose is both cost efficient and a way to reach more

consumers or guests.

BizBash Online Source and Publication

BizBash is a website for event and meeting planners which was founded in 2000. There

is also a magazine that the company produces. They cover all of North America and also

provide industry

news for event

professionals. A

directory of vendors

in the main cities

where events take

place are also

included, and a lot

of the information

provided in this

piece for agencies and events can be found through BizBash.

Special Events Magazine

This publication publishes during each financial

quarter of the fiscal year. They have a partnership with the

International Special Events Society and provide articles on

trends in the industry. They produce a top list of industry

professionals annually as well as the top 100 agencies. This

publication also produces a Special Events Sourcebook for

industry professionals to utilize. As an event professional,

it is important to become very familiar with sources like

this, because they will most likely be used on a daily basis. Both the online platform and actual

magazine provide ideas from many top industry professionals as well. Some categories that

Special Events Magazine covers are décor, entertainment, catering, event tools to use and event

types. They also host the annual Special Event Show for this industry.

International Special Events Society

Founded in 1987, the International Special Events Society is an organization for industry

professionals who are looking to increase their skills and network. They promote event

education and have formed a partnership with the Certified Special Event Professionals. They

have also formed a “cooperative alliance,” with Special Events Magazine so they can attend the

Special Event Show at a discounted rate. Their primary target is event and meeting planners, but

they also have many members who work in catering as well. Every major city in the United

States has their own chapter as well as some states. The key to this organization is creativity and

keeping up with industry trends. There are many networking events provided by each local

chapter that encourage members to form relationships with one another. What better way is

there to grow your business?

A Career in Events

Many people look into a career in the events industry and then soon realize that it is not

for them. Becoming an event professional might sound fun and exciting, but it requires a lot of

hard work and time dedication that people often underestimate when first considering this career.

This field requires a true passion and drive to outweigh all of the negative aspects of committing

to this industry. Professionals in this industry usually advise that people evaluate their current

lifestyle before diving straight in. Sometimes certain positions may require 60 to 80 hour work

weeks, as well as frequent traveling on weekends when others typically are off while working

standard nine to five jobs. However, once someone decides to commit to a career in events it can

be very rewarding. A career in events will be constantly growing with different projects and

clients to work with frequently. It will be well worth it in the end if the passion is truly there.

There are many perks that professionals in this industry receive from the position. Not only do

these professionals work with elite clients, but they also receive constant travel opportunities

depending on the events they work on.

Barkley Kalpak Agency

“Every brand has a story to tell; we build those stories into Experiences.”

The Background

Barkley Kalpak strongly believes in acknowledging storytelling in events. They are

actually one of the few companies who talk about the concept. Headquartered in New York

City, the agency is expected to have a $13 million dollar revenue for the 2013 fiscal year. Not

only doe they have an office in New York City, but they work on events worldwide. On average

they hold fifty events per year-95% of the events are B-to-B while only 5% of the events are

business to consumers. Barkley Kalpak Agency was ranked one of the top 100 agencies for

Experiential Marketing by Event Marketer. The

company consists of both designers and producers

that break each event down into the following four

different parts:

Strategy

Design

Planning

Production

Barkley Kalpak has shared that they have used a story telling concept while creating their

events. Their main focus is planning and designing events for productions such as entertainment

and live show events. The company sometimes refers to their designers as, “story builders.”

Some of their top clients are Samsung, Deloitte, MasterCard and LG. They have become

memorable for their auto demonstrations for Lexus and Mercedes Benz.

Three Main Type of Events Produced:

Business to Business Meetings

PR Events

Internal Employee Events

Winning team, Jeff Kalpak and Lynette Barkley, who are both executives at the company

seem to have had a much more unusual way of breaking into the industry of events. Both have

an inspiring backgrounds in theatrical production, whether it is Mr. Kalpak producing or

directing, or Barkley writing a show. They may not have had the corporate background like

many other companies that they are compared to, but the creativity is strong. Both of them have

even been involved in Broadway productions. The duo is known for providing their best work in

event entertainment, which surely has something to do with their creative background. This

agency specializes in telling the brand’s story as well as brand messaging, which focuses on

getting one specific message across to the target audience for an event.

Top Clients:

MasterCard

Samsung

HSBC

Google

Samsung Galaxy S4 Product

Launch

Date: March 14, 2013

This event produced

and designed by Barkley Kalpak took

place both at the Radio City Music Hall and outside in Times Square. The Samsung event was

B-to-C because the event went public once it reached Times Square. The press only event took

place inside Radio City. This two-part event was the first of it’s kind for the brand. The first

half kicked off the day with a theatrical production that introduced the new product using actors

in mini vignettes. A digital background was included on both sides of the stage and a Broadway

director was in charge of the full production of the show. The production highlighted the

phone’s features while showing consumers using the product in different life situations. The

front of this theater included a display bar where the press was able to try the product. The

curtains glowed with blue lighting to portray the Samsung color for some of the show the agency

created. This introduced the brand and hopefully increased positive coverage and product

reviews. Designers need to focus on both the striking décor and innovation as well as making

sure that all negative public relations possibilities are covered. If the event is beautifully

designed, but doesn’t engage industry professionals and the public, then the agency hasn’t done

their job correctly. Every company’s main goal is to reflect positively on the product. BKA’s

main goal of this event was to position this new product by Samsung as the, “lifestyle

companion.” It is important for each company to establish the niche during these types of

product launches. If there aren’t any measurable goals enforced then a company cannot expect

to have a strong return of investment on the event. The general theme of the night was,

“unpacked.” Print material was posted throughout the entrance and lobby of the Radio City

Music Hall. The catering company served food in boxes to go along with the event theme as

well. The Barkley Kalpak Agency was able to utilize their theatrical background to produce this

event.

The next part to the day’s activities took place at Duffy Square in Times Square. One

hundred seats lined up to present teaser videos that played on a giant screen. The screen was

placed on the side of the street almost as if it was a towering billboard mixed in with the other

top products being shown in one of the city’s biggest tourist attractions. A flash mob then

appeared which revealed the, “Experience Box.” This is a product station box that guests can

enter. This part of the event then allowed consumers to use the product for themselves, just like

their Experience Shop in Best Buy retail stores. A top executive of the company revealed the

product to the audience which then moved into opening the, “Experience Box,” for guests to try

using the product. About two thousand people were estimated to be in attendance and the event

was planned in less than three months.

Jack Morton Worldwide

The Background

Referred to as a, “global brand experience agency,” Jack Morton Worldwide is

headquartered in Boston, MA. One of their main focuses is on building brands and they have

been able to achieve this through experiential marketing. They are considered an advertising

agency, which is owned by the Interpublic Group, who own a majority of the top advertising

agencies in the United States. Other offices of the company can be found in Europe, Australia

and Asia. They are an industry leader who isn’t afraid to brand their agency to differentiate them

in the marketplace.

The company got its start from the one and only Jack Morton who founded the company

in 1939. He was an undergraduate student at George Washington University when he started

planning events for the fraternity, in which he was a member of. This was rare in his time and

because of this skill he had, he was able to gain more exposure quickly. He then moved on to

start planning other events for the school before graduating college and taking it one step further

to open his own company. He began working with hotels, resorts and nightclubs in the area of

Washington D.C. After World War II, the business started to pick up as the American economy

grew. Conventions started to grow in popularity as a common practice of doing business and

this is where the event industry with companies started. They began to reach out to Jack about

using his skills to create productions for them. At this time his agency was still considered an

entertainment production, focusing more on the actual planning and booking of an event, rather

than design. The large clientele at this time came from companies such as Johnson & Johnson

and General Motors. It wasn’t until the 1950’s when production events began to expand rapidly

into other urban areas of the United States. The early 1960’s came around and Jack Morton’s

son Bill became a part of the agency. He worked on bringing in audio-visual production, which

helped expand their market, especially at this time when technology like this was hard to come

by. Jack was truly able to change the industry over time. This is also when Jack Morton started

to move into the direction the company is in today. In the 1960’s Bill Morton changed the name

of the company to Jack Morton Productions from Jack Morton Enterprises, which is what it was

called from the beginning. Interpublic Group finally bought out the agency in 1998 and changed

the name to Jack Morton Worldwide, which represents its expansions into new markets. This

agency defines the history of events and helped create the industry of event marketing.

Three Main Types of Events Produced:

Public Events

Brand Exhibits

Product Launches

2013

Jack Morton Worldwide uses the creativeness and witty style to reach out to clientele.

By taking a look at their company website anyone can tell that they produce strong work, but

aren’t afraid to have fun doing it. Their website is covered in their agency colors which are

mainly orange and white.

They include a people page,

which focuses not only on

the work that they produce,

but on the actual employees

that make these events

happen. A couple of

different positions are

highlighted from the main

offices around the world.

Their personality can be

seen just from viewing the page and the public can see that they are a casual agency who cares

more about just keeping up a particular image to get ahead in their industry. Some of the main

events they have worked on over the last few years were for Samsung, the Republican

Convention in 2012, the Viewing Party of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the 2004

Olympics’ Opening and Closing Ceremony in Athens and events for Dell Inc.

Top Clients:

Dell

American Airlines

Bank of America

Dell World

Date: December 11, 2012- December 13, 2012

The Dell World event was the second annual event the company held. Taking place in

the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas, the conference brought together about 4,500

stakeholders over three days. There were five main topic areas laid out throughout the venue,

each focusing on a main aspect of the Dell brand and technology. The newest products from the

company were also featured throughout each day. The focus of the event was to create customer

conversations. These engaged both the industry side and the public side to talk about the

products and issues they may be having, that can be resolved. To decide what topics to highlight

Dell looked at the, “five forces disrupting business today.” Social media was one of the

addressed topics, as well as computer security.

Jack Morton also included a new product called a Social Media Prize Machine at the

event, which was created by Dell. When a customer liked the Dell Facebook page, a prize

dropped out of the machine for that guest. They couldn’t tell what prize was coming out of the

machine, but they consisted of water bottles, candy bars, USB drives and other company

products. Although they weren’t expensive prizes released, the small gesture was all the guests

needed to get the motivation to pull their phone out and search their Facebook page to increase

their likes. Dell must have given this goal for Jack Morton during the planning sessions before

the event. This requires great creativity, especially with social media, to think of different ways

to engage consumers and get them to take action while rewarding them at the same time.

Looking up at the Austin Convention Center, guests were able to see colorful

arrangements hanging from the wall with Dell branding covering it. There were five of these

colorful eye catching arrangements used to indicate the five forces area in the space. Each one

represented a different force and by moving into that space, guests would be able to view

keynote speaker sessions on a large screen in a lounge set up. Their main target audience for this

event was technology professionals and industry leaders.

Dell must have been happy with the results of this event. The three-day convention

tripled in attendance in comparison to the same event that took place in the previous year. The

event also was successful in stressing their online presence as well.

Inspira Marketing Group

“We don’t just act, we activate.”

The Background

Inspira Marketing Group is based out of Norwalk, CT and is known as a Consumer

Engagement Agency with a focus in experiential marketing. It is independently owned and

founded by, Jeffrey Snyder. He refers to himself as the Chief Inspiration Officer instead of Chief

Executive Officer. This definitely tells clients that this agency is a lot of fun to work with. They

are bringing the event experience to all different brand markets and are constantly looking for

ways to

incorporate

technology and

innovative

concepts. Their

team focuses on

deep consumer insights by using strategic research. They achieve this by striving to create an

emotional connection with consumers during their events.


Sampling Events

Experiential

Branding Events

Inspira is an independent agency that was founded in 2009. They have recently just

started to work on their new Chicago, Illinois based office. Inspira has a strong presence on

social media and even targets consumers specifically here. They can be seen posting articles and

sharing giveaways. They were recently ranked number thirty-nine out of the top one hundred

rapidly growing marketing agencies with a rate of 239%, based on revenue. There rate of three

year growth is 428%, and they were also stated to be number 12 for the top 100 Connecticut

companies by Inc.com. Their revenue was at $82.4 million at the last quarter of 2012. They are

considered one of the fastest growing marketing agencies in the United States. The agency

statistics are impressive, but what really makes them stand out is their relaxed attitude. One of

their main philosophies is work hard, play hard. Most of their employees that make up their

team are young professionals from generation y. No suits and ties here, you might even be able

to catch their employees dressing up for Halloween in the office.

Top Clients:

Sobe

Clinique

Jim Beam

Microsoft

Courvoisier Rosé Lounge

Date: June 30, 2011- October 9, 2011

Inspira Marketing Group was given the challenging task of creating an event for

Courvoisier Rosé to women of Alcohol Anonymous. This is something that brands have not

done in the past and Inspira had to design this high-end event without being unethical or over

stepping boundaries. They were branding this event as a lighter alcohol, which would be a better

option for these women who were once struggling with this. The event was supposed to start out

as a sampling event by the agency, but took it one step further and created a full experience for

their female target. Alcoholics Anonymous is a very personal group where these people are truly

opening up to one another. They developed the idea of creating a "Courvoisier Rosé Lounge"

resembling a top city nightclub. The agency had to work on a way to connect with these females

on an emotional level to make that brand connection. The brand focused on seven specific

markets in major cities; Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and

New York for a period of twelve weeks.

Each event took place in a top bar in that city. The lounge was an added on entrance that

kept doors shut, leaving the general public to what was going happening on the other side of that

door. Bartenders were instructed to use table cards that were given to them by Inspira. One side

of the card contained product information while the other side included the conversation starters.

The cards included topics that would spark a conversation between them and the customers and

encourage curiosity. The brands idea to play off curiosity came from the perception that

consumers do not generally associate cognac with rosé. When a customer was given one of these

cards, they were then invited to enter the lounge and see what they had in store.

As guests stepped into the closed off room they were able to see a chic rose colored lounge, dim,

but with walls outline in lights. Matching furniture was also strategically placed throughout the

room to create a social setting for guests. By creating this atmosphere at the event the brand will

have a more likely chance of these consumers associating this brand with the experience that

they had, creating a story.

They were also able to include some technology into this tour. A free-standing kiosk was

for consumers to upload picture directly to Facebook. Once pictures were uploaded there was a

link provided to win a trip to Paris to visit the Courvoiser's Distillery.

Van Wyck

“We don’t sign our name in the guest book, we sign our client’s name.”

The Background

A Yale alumnus, Bronson Van Wyck after working at Paramount designing sets

ended up starting his event production company with his mother.

The family aspect of this business is what really makes this

agency unique in the market. He founded the company in 1999

and has worked on fashion shows, political events, product

launches and premieres. From where Bronson started it was not clear that he was going to take

this path. Bronson started in this business after realizing he had, “no other marketable skills.”

His friends can often find him attending a party or heading to the gym on a Saturday.

After traveling to Europe as a child and studying art history in college Van Wyck’s

mother, Mary Lynn Van Wyck decided to start the firm with her son Bronson. She did not have

any experience in this field or on the production side.

Kara Minogue & Co. also collaborated with the Van Wyck Company for over 10 years.

Kara has gained her experience from working with the New York City Ballet. She began her

firm in 2007 and focuses on the New York area where the Van Wyck Company is based.

Overall, the agency is very small and they do not have a lot of employees working for them in

comparison to other agencies.


Social Events

Not-For-Profits

Brand Experiences

The agency has won many Event Style Awards since their beginning, from

BizBash, an online publication that focuses on special events. Their main focus is on both event

design and experiential marketing, in private, corporate and non-profit environments. They also

specialize in environmental design, which other agencies do not plan specifically. Their family-

owned business reputation provides them with a strong niche in the market. They break their

company down into three main services; design & production, event management and brand

experience. The agency and employees have been featured in The New York Times, Vogue and

Architectural Digest. They have worked with luxurious brands such as Bergdorf Goodman and

Burberry as well as production companies such as Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures

Entertainment. They also take on multiple weddings throughout each financial year.

Top Clients:

Mercedes-Benz

NBC Films

Range Rover

Rolex

New York City Ballet Gala

Date: September 19, 2013

This event took place in New

York City’s Lincoln Center right

where the NYC ballet company is in

residence. Round tables were placed

throughout the hall with large hot air

balloon figures hanging from the ceiling above the guests at their seats. Each balloon was

colored in red, blue or white and were held by a gold chords to keep them in place. Multiple

candles could be found covering the round tables that seated ten guests. Soft pink uplighting

lined the room to compliment the color palette. Studio lighting is also used to give the event a

showcase feel. The inspiration from the event came from the 20th

century party in the Grand

Paluis in Paris.

The night focused on three new ballet world premieres. The shows were, Capricious

Maneuvers, Neverwhere and Spectral Evidence. Guests were also able to dance with the

company members during the Black Tie Ball that took place directly after the Gala. Famous

guests such as Drew Barrymore, rapper 50 Cent, Natalie Portman and Sarah Jessica Parker were

present that night.

Agency EA

“Creatively fueled, logistically driven.”

Event Architects was the name of Agency EA when the company first launched in 1999

in Chicago, Illinois. The Co-founders were Fergus Rooney who worked on the business side and

Gabrielle Martinez had experience with the creative aspect. The company is now grossing at

over $30 million. This business has now grown into an experiential marketing agency that

organizes branded events. They also produce corporate events, conferences, special events and

product launches in the United States. The company also specializes in B-to-B events that are

not open to general consumers.


Experiential

Conferences

Press Events

Agency EA has worked with big brands such as, AOL, McDonald’s, GE Healthcare and

Target. Martinez who is now a Managing Partner, believes that education can change the world.

That is one of the main focuses of experiential marketing towards consumers. “She sees every

interaction with a brand as a chance to learn something about them.” She was named one of the

“40 Under 40” by Crain’s Chicago and she got her start in this field by working in hospitality

and the food and beverage industry. The company has come a long way from when they started

as a boutique event management company at the end of the 90’s. Many of the main employees

have a theatre and production background that sparks the creativity of their work. They really do

focus on designing experiences and encouraging active engagement. Event agencies tend to

focus on trends and ways to entertain consumer, employees and industry professionals. Agency

EA has created a playlist on the music sharing website, Spotify. Anyone who has created a

Spotify account can search this playlist to listen to what the agency recommends. Many other

agencies in the industry have not taken this route yet.

The agency has won many awards such as, BizBash Event Producer of the Year, Special

Event Magazine Top 50 event companies, Event Marketer Top 100 Experiential Agency and

BizBash Magazine’s Top Production Companies in North America.

Top Clients:

Boeing

McDonald’s

GE Healthcare

Target

City Target- Chicago Opening Date: July 24

th

The goal of this event was to, “produce a series of experiential activations to generate

consumer excitement,” and to have an audience impact. Target was looking to keep the event

fun and surprising for the local consumers. The agency focused on reaching out to consumers to

create buzz while also trying to gain media attention to expand their reach for this event with a

single location. All of these activities that they produced in the city lead up to the grand opening

of the first Target store in Chicago. They couldn’t neglect giveaways that would be received by

multiple of the event attendees. Each day the first 500 guests that arrived would receive a $5 gift

card to City Target.

The event took place in the Chicago Loop and was created specifically for Chicogoans

who would utilize this Target for it’s convenient location. This was considered a consumer,

digital media and press event. The different consumers that the brand was reaching out to were,

workers, students and some possible visitors. The event ended up reaching thousands of

consumers in total and sparked lots of interest through social media. The more innovation that is

included in a brand event, the more likely consumers will be willing to share their experience

through their social media profiles. Since this City Target event would literally stop locals in the

street and traffic it’s impact will be memorable for each person. Creating a new experience

provides both a positive image, which helps when these consumers think of Target in the future.

They also had media coverage from WGN and ABC networks which expanded beyond the

premises of the event.

The people of Chicago were able to see a larger than life Target in multiple places

throughout the city, which could be viewed from miles away. In total 1,500 samples of Archer

Farms coffee were given out over the period as well as 8,000 total impressions were made. These

cups of coffee were branded with a Target coffee cup to spread brand awareness even more when

guests take their coffee with them to go. They were served to commuters in the early morning

on their way to work. For children, they provided a kite building station at North Avenue Beach.

Kids were able to create, one of their

own, and then test out their kite flying

skills. This is an interactive activity

that will be both memorable to

children and tie into the location of

the event, with Chicago, “the

windy city.” Guests couldn’t ask

for a better location then that. Another large Target Bullseye could be found at this beach. This

is a way for the company to tell the people of Chicago that one of the Target activities is taking

place at that location. Spinning classes were provided for the more mature crowd at Millennium

Park where the large brand image could be seen again. The participants were provided with

Target brand bikes and a DJ that performed during their class. A city skyline could be seen

hanging in the back for decoration.

The Grand Opening event took place specifically on July 24th

and included a performance

of the Chicago Bucket Boys whom many of the locals are very familiar with. These Bucket

Boys performed on Target branded buckets throughout the opening. The Target Corporation

where really looking for any way that they could increase awareness where consumers weren’t

expecting it. This was achieved by placing their logo in unexpected places. Since the Target

logo is already memorable and well received with consumers they did not have a problem

achieving that goal. A photo booth was also presented where guests can take a picture with the

famous Target dog that has been seen in many past Target ads.

My Own Event

I have created the following event based on an actual product that was released within the

last year. Location, target market and logistics were all considered before creating the outline for

this event. Social media and technology are also a growing trend in the event business today.

Both of these are also incorporated in the plan.

Beats by Dre- Mixr Series

People By Day, DJ By Night

Beats by Dre Background

Beats by Dre was co-founded by Dr. Dre the rapper, Jimmy Lovine Chairman of A&M

Records and President Luke Wood in 2008. The headphones were created to share the listening

experience of music with consumers. This company was the first to be branded and recognized

specifically for their headphone products. They have brought energy, emotion and excitement to

this industry.

Niche: Designed to be heard over loud noise for DJ’s specifically.

Features:

Rotating Ear Cups Made For Convenience

Flexible Headband

Dual Connectors for Multiple People to Listen

Multi Colors-Including Neon

Target Market: Millennial/Generation Y, 18 to 24, New York City Colleges, Students

Suburban consumers who do not have previous DJ experience.

Location: New York City

Consumers will be seen crowding the streets to get try out a pair of neon color Mixr’s.

There will be five different DJ stations paired with a professional DJ that is disguised as a Beats

by Dre store employee. At one of these

five stations consumers will have the

opportunity to create a one-minute DJ

track that they can share on social

media. The five stations will also be accompanied with HP Computers to complete the

recording. Beats by Dre has a previous partnership with Hewlett-Packard.

The consumers who recorded their own track are invited back at night to experience the

surprise that will be taking place. Guests are told that there will be a party with possible

celebrities, but they are not given any other information, besides what time they should arrive

when they are back.

Battle of the DJ- Night Party

After the sun goes down guests will be asked who were at the event earlier in the day will

be asked to come back for the surprise that will be taking place at night. Guests do not have any

more knowledge on what will be happening at the event besides that a party will be taking place

with possible celebrities present.

This part of the event will start with an announcer who drops the lights so that the entire

space is completely black.

The announcer will

introduce each of the five

professional DJ’s, both

who they are as a person

and that they are a DJ by

night. Each of the five

DJ’s will have a different

color of the neon Mixr

headphones on so only

they could be seen in the dark. Once each of them are introduced the rest of the black lights go

on that create an entire neon scene that covers the event premises. All the lights are now on and

each of the five DJ’s are already mixing their own tracks, then Dr. Dre appears introducing

everybody to the event and announcing that they will know hold a battle of the DJ’s competition

between the five professional DJ’s who ran the event as well as the ten DJ’s that won the social

media campaign and were invited to the event. There will be five teams of DJ’s each with three

on a team. The night will end with DJ David Guetta performing with the Les Twins, who dance

in the commercial for this product on TV. The winners of the Battle of the DJ’s will be going on

tour with David Guetta and Beats by Dre Mixr headphones will be given out to the first fifty

consumers that upload a picture of themselves trying on the headphones at the night event.

Social Media Campaign

Platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Consumers are invited to create a one-minute track of their own DJ mix and then invited

to upload it to the People By Day, DJ By Night microsite for the campaign. From the microsite,

each consumer can then share their creation on the forms of social media listed above. The ten

DJ’s who share their track with the most people on social media will get free transportation and

an invite to the People By Day, DJ By Night event in New York City. The ten consumers

chosen will then have the opportunity to perform at the event’s night party and Battle of the DJ’s.

Conclusion

There are many ways that different companies create a story for their guests. Whether it

be tapping into a risky market or exploring with technology brands, they need to be creatively

thinking to engage their audience. The five agencies that were outlined each have their own

style and niche market that separates them from the rest. The Beats event that I have created

utilizes many different themes that were used by these agencies.

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