Logistics

S.3 Episode 1: Engage your Audience Better!

July 12, 2019 EideCom Inc. Logistics, Relationships

Today we are joined by Kitty H and Justin D at STAR.

Tell us about STAR and your career…

Kitty: We are an experiential marketing agency. Brands we work with come to us because they are looking for new and impactful ways for their brand to be face to face with people. We live in an uber digital world where people are on their devices and we are streaming our content, the whole advertising industry has been turned upside down, so it’s all about events and experiences. People want to have a physical experience with the brand. Our work shows up in all different types of environments, in retail, corporate interior, trade show floor and more. 

I have been at STAR for a little more than a year and half. My career was in business development. Everything I know is from selling and sitting in meetings with clients and asking them how they are going to sell to people and market their product. I worked at a variety of different agencies. The last one I was working at focused on brand design. I became increasingly interested in the discipline of experience design. I walked into STAR one day for a random reason, and I was like this isn’t exhibits,  this is experience design. I knew that’s where I wanted to be.

Justin: I started 22 years ago with STAR as an intern. I have seen a lot of change and growth, it has been super fun and exciting. We are getting into all sorts of cool and unique projects. 

How do you still give the digital what it needs while providing a physical experience for their audience?

Justin: We do one touch point. There are a lot of ways to interact with the brand, digital, socially, we are the more physical space.  What are your objectives and how do we help you get there?  What are the results you are looking to receive?

What are common outcomes?

Justin: Startups may be brand awareness, giving exposure to your product.

Kitty: Right down to impressions, they are incredibly valuable. Sometimes it’s not always easy to put an ROI on things but we know that the more impressions out there the more people are sharing, word of mouth is incredibly powerful.

Let’s say I’m a planner in a company and really want to redo our brand experience, what kind of money are we talking?

Justin: There isn’t a starting point, it depends what are you trying to do, what are your needs and we will help find a solution for your budget.  

How do you start the conversation with brands?

Kitty: We typically love to get people into our space.  It’s important to get outside of your environment and into a creative space. We bring creative people to the table and really experienced project managers. We talk about what are the goals? What needs to happen? The fun part of the project is to sit and brainstorm and go far. You have to be able to dream really big for us to land where the client will be able to go. 

Tell me the difference between being a vendor and a partner.

Kitty: You hear a lot of companies talk about this because everyone wants to be a partner but following through and being that is another thing. Trust is a big part of it. When you have established a level of trust where they know you will always come through, you become a partner. Partnerships will not be the cheapest. 

Causes we love: Minnesota Zoo, Feed My Starving Children, Mentoring: EPA

Engagestar.com

khart@engagestar.com

Instagram: charlesevaneide

eidecomcreative

Twitter: TheMeetingMinds

S.2 Episode 30: Why Booking Your Vendors too Late May Cost You

July 5, 2019 EideCom Inc. About Meeting Minds, Event Production, Logistics

When should you start the planning process?

You have to figure out how big your audience is, if it’s small you don’t need as much lead time. We are talking to someone who is 30-40 thousand people and they plan three years in advance. 

Usually it’s date and location that are the biggest frustration and you need to figures those out first. We had a guest who talked about selling yourself to the venue. Do not think because you have a budget and audience that you will be attractive to the city, you may be competing with some really big names. Some events have ten year contracts because they are so big and need to lock in a venue. 

When do you loop in your partners?

It depends on size and scale of your event. When your organization works with a third party to work with vendors it adds a layer of complexity, but loop that person in immediately.  As soon as possible loop in production and decor. You might get a higher rate if you wait too long, or not get the a-squad! The earlier you book the better everything you get.  You should book your production as you choose a venue, they can help you save money through site visits.  The production partner can see things that you may not notice. 

Instagram: charlesevaneide

eidecomcreative

Twitter: TheMeetingMinds

S.2 Episode 29: Money Laundering?! Using Events to Fight Hot Topics

June 28, 2019 EideCom Inc. conference, Logistics

S.2 Episode 28: Stadiums: The Perfect Event Space?!

June 21, 2019 EideCom Inc. Event Production, Logistics

Lataya from U.S. Bank Stadium joins us this week and share all about their venue. We were challenged to think outside the normal venue box and see events in their space! Here are ways she has gotten to where she is now:

1.Build Relationships in the industry: Lataya was able to build authentic connections by joining a few committees which has given her a network of people

2.Take Opportunities that make you uncomfortable. When she took opportunities she was able to grow and get exposure.

3.Knowledge is Power, so learn as much as you can.

Reach out to usbankstadium.com

lwilliams@usbankstadium.com

Instagram: Lataya.Williams

Instagram: Charlesevaneide

EidecomCreative

S.2 Episode 27: Planning Events in an Unpredictable Environment

June 14, 2019 EideCom Inc. Logistics, On Site Planning

How did you get your start?

I fell into the events industry through working for a non-profit. You wear many hats and ended up planning board meetings for 30 people each month and moved onto Galas. I consider my first big girl job The Basilica. I remember by then boss asking me if I knew anyone interested in an events job and she remembers it as do you know anyone interested in an events job. 

I think what got me to the point where I am today are the relationships I have built over the years with vendors, volunteers and co workers. I have tried hard to who my value through each event that I produce. I make sure I am along side everyone else when we are picking up the trash or pouring the beer or hauling wood to make the fires at Holidazzle. My first year I became the fire master.

I always want to be a part of making the world a better place and I am very lucky to be able to do that through events. 

How do you plan for an event when you do not know what the weather will be like?

  • Always have a risk management plan that includes weather and make sure all your vendors have a copy of it
  • Talk to the Police, Fire and EMTs about their recommendations. 
  • Plan ahead, where do people go, where does the talent go?

How do you push the boundaries?  

  • When I say boundaries, it doesn’t always mean bringing in something crazy that no one has seem before. Say you have events with a long history, and you have a great team of folks who have been working on that same event for a long time. Help them think outside the box. What can we stop doing and what can we do that’s new? What are some new revenue streams? 
    • Why are we doing something that creates more work and what is the ROI? 
    • How can we look at the space differently? 
    • Why does the stage always need to go in the same place?
    • Yes we do need to do active shooter training and yes we should have the contact information for all the buildings surrounding the event in case someone decides to throw a party and watch the show on the roof and we don’t go into full active shooter mode.

Instagram: Charlesevaneide

EideComCreative