Insite - by Event Architect by Event Architect

This struck me as so innate but at the same time, it seemed almost revolutionary. As consumers, we are inundated with celebrities hocking goods on TV, on the radio, in print and even in person, more often then we’d like. However, more often then not, we’re either struck by the product or by the celebrity but not by how they work together… why not? 

The majority of trends, case studies and best practices at last week’s Event Marketing Summit in Chicago focused heavily on much digital, virtual and event technology elements. As much as I am an interactive technorati at heart, the Influencer Marketing: Leveraging the Power of Influencers session I attended was as refreshing as it was relevant. 

I’m just going to dive in because this topic is deep and juicy! I’m intrigued by word of mouth, grassroots, brand ambassador-based marketing. I admire companies whose marketing strategy consists (and are completely successful) of brand ambassadors (think: lulumeon athletica). Word of mouth marketing is the most powerful communications tactic in a marketer’s toolbox. 

Buzz, buzz, buzz — I was sick of all the talk about the iPad. How it was going to change our lives? I just couldn’t see how a big iPod Touch was anything to write home about. That is until I was armed with my own personal iPad for the Event Marketing Summit last week in Chicago.

The marketing team equipped the device to be chock-full of the best of EA’s photos and videos, which fully prepared me for the following scenario... 

Last summer, we conceptualized and executed a two-week Mediterranean cruise as an incentive trip for a private client. One interesting challenge that manifested during the pre-event planning was our client’s decision to NOT hire a professional photographer. “Everyone will have their own camera,” she said. But we recognized a need to provide a safe, confidential and controlled service for guests to share their experiences and photos during the trip. The solution? Our custom-designed photo sharing website called PhotoShare ... 

Face-to-face interaction will always be the ideal platform for business communications. At EA, we believe there is no substitute for meetings. We also understand that in today’s economy, cutting costs and staying within budget are top priorities. Keeping this in mind, we developed “Meetings in a Box” — a cost-effective solution for your company to host meetings and seminars of all sizes anytime, anywhere. 

The “Meetings in a Box” concept is ideal for our corporate clients that host a large number of meetings in various locations. Event Architects take care of all the details by packing all meeting materials into a box to be shipped to a client’s event. This includes items such as: registration lists, agendas, branded lanyards and name badges, return envelopes, attendee surveys and even writing utensils. After the meeting, our client simply sends everything back to us in the return envelope provided. It‘s a simple, eco-efficient and cost-effective solution for Event Architects to support clients’ goals. 

I’m a person who gets really excited about office products.  I get goose bumps when I see a new cool pen or someone shows me their daily organizer.  I just can’t get enough of it.  The thought that this simple little object could transform me into a highly organized and efficient machine at work excites me.  A direct side effect of this highly delusional thinking is I’ve been able to sample just about every product out there.  

A year ago I was in the market for a personal task management system, which utilized the highly popular, though life altering, Getting Things Done theory as its organizational platform.  After weeks of research I finally decided to try Mac Things developed by Culture Code. The reviews were stellar...

Oh, the snow…the slush…the soggy winter boots…

I’m a Chicagoan by choice and certainly proud to be one, but it’s always around this time of year that I find myself daydreaming of warmer, sunnier times in our gorgeous city come summertime.  And what better way to daydream than to combine memories of warmth, great food and celebrities?

During August of 2009, Event Architects partnered with The Rachael Ray Show to conceptualize and produce an authentic Chicago block party that served as the backdrop of the 2009 season premiere of the show...