evm_september-2023 - 13

CLIENT CORNER
Event marketers share insights on successful
collaborations with agencies and partners
It's been a roller coaster ride for clients and partners these past three years. People have come and gone, taking with them
institutional knowledge. Marketing organizations have reorganized-some are lean, and some operate with a number of
added roles and layers. Amid all this, audiences are evolving rapidly, and the pace of business is accelerating. We asked
four marketers how they're navigating this new partnership climate.
" There are two things that I look for when I look for event partners, and that is that they have a history of thinking
outside the box and creating authentic engagements or concepts for the brand, not just reskinning something that
others may have. And second, they have the experience to show that they've been able to accomplish what they
share. A lot of times, [they have] great portfolios, but they don't necessarily translate to the team that's working
on the project at hand... Being able to actually get something over the finish line in such a complex environment
with a lot of stakeholders is a capability that sometimes gets glossed over in favor of the shiny presentations. "
-Ryan Keen, Senior Marketing Manager, Coca-Cola
" I recognize that as the brand, as the client, we don't always know what we want. It's sometimes that we don't know
what we want until we get there. And I will say that patience is such a huge factor in having to be on the agency
side, I'm sure. Problem-solving, solution-oriented people is huge for us, as well as having the creative capacity
within the agency to create moments that haven't really been created before. We're trying to think outside of the
box, so you have to have an agency and a partner that can help you bring that vision to life. "
-Elizabeth Money, SVP-Brand and Creative, BÉIS
" What's important with our partners is just being open. Not to just ideas, but open to if we decide to change based
on new information or filmmaker feedback. Having a nimble and flexible partner is almost even more important than
creativity because we can bring creativity. We have a whole creative department. And being creative as a vendor is
important. But I think on our side, because things constantly change-right now, we don't have any actors working
for a movie, so we're trying to figure out how to have premieres-it's really about being open and, 'OK, let's figure this
out; we're going to make this change,' and troubleshooting and changing it and not being annoyed with us about it. "
-Wendy Robino, SVP-Marketing Events and Regional Publicity, Warner Bros.
" There are complexities to throwing an event: What makes sense? What's the right time? What place can we find?
Thankfully, we have some amazing partners to sort of combine as a broader agency to find the right place, find the
right dates that work, sort of mixing and matching with other big events, big things going on [around the city]...
It's all about the team and having the passion to craft this out in a smart way. "
-Nikhil Shah, Brand Director, Loyal 9 Cocktails
eventmarketer.com
FALL 2023 EVENT MARKETER
13

http://www.eventmarketer.com

evm_september-2023

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