Event Marketer Summer 2023 - 114

EXPERIENTIAL IN COLOR
BRIONNA SIMONS >> Account Director | Think TRUE
The Bragging Rights: " As an account director, I play quarterback for my team and my client when
it comes to experiential marketing projects, " says Simons, who is responsible for the JPMorgan Chase &
Co. and Visa client accounts and project teams at Think TRUE. Her latest activations include the Back to
the Yard Chase HBCU tour, which recently won a Gold Ex Award for Best Multicultural Campaign; a 3D
hologram activation for Visa at the NFL Draft Experience; and a commercial film series spotlighting Visa's
Black and Indigenous business partners. All told, Simons has worked with more than 150 clients on 1,200plus
events.
that's got your attention:
" AI-generated
An experiential trend
architecture builds. "
What do you love about this industry?
I love how many different people are needed to bring this industry to life.
Who or what inspires you?
Every time my team gets excited about the work or treats each other like family, I'm inspired.
Describe the role of mentors in your work life.
My greatest mentors have made me feel seen, heard and valued. They are also an available source to me for
solutions, calm and/or humor on my wildest days.
How can the industry better encourage employees to bring their true selves to work?
Stop thinking it's the responsibility of the employee. Why work so hard to prepare people for the workplace but make no effort to prepare the workplace
for the people? The responsibility also belongs to the decision-making leaders who drive company culture. For example, one solution can be
quality workforce training that teaches how to relate across differences as equals.
Where do you predict the industry will be in the next five years?
IRL! And one of the trends will be the elimination of hurriedness, or a farewell to chaos. We are so distracted right now with the speed of our lives
(think: content, technology, etc.) that we will soon plateau out and crave slowing down. This will significantly impact how we design events-like
less unnecessary stimuli and more exactness in a single call to action or purpose.
PORSCHE VOICE >> Environmental Designer | Impact XM
The Bragging Rights: Beginning her career as an industrial designer, Voice quickly landed in environmental
design and has been in the field for the last seven years. In her current role, she creates branded and
message-driven environments to help clients promote products, services and solutions, from health care to
consumer electronics. Voice's colleagues say, " Her intuitive design sense and inspiring creative vision blend
into designs that receive nothing but praise from everyone on the Impact XM team, as well as our clients. "
Voice says she's thankful to be part of an experiential creative agency that is making strides toward a sustainable
future of events and hopes to continue to learn how to design with the environment in mind, as well as
help influence education and training in the industry.
What do you love about this industry?
I love that the events industry is practically limitless for creativity. Sure, budgets are always a challenge, but
I love a good puzzle. Problem solving is my thing. With each creative brief including wildly different brand
objectives, I am constantly challenged to come up with engaging and effective spatial experience solutions
to support a brand, message or initiative.
that's got your attention:
" Pop-up branded speakeasies. "
An experiential trend
How can the industry better encourage employees to bring their true selves to work?
I think the industry can improve access to mental health services. There are a lot of sprints in this industry, and while it's great to have access to time
off, I think having access to therapy or counseling with someone who understands the challenges in this industry will encourage people to be their
best selves at work.
Greatest lesson you've learned so far in your career.
It's OK to not be OK. Not every design is going to stand out or put a stamp on the world. It's OK to take the time to let that frustration turn into a
learning moment to be better the next time. When I think about my trajectory as a designer, it feels like magic that I can say I have grown and still
have the caliber for continued growth.
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