evm_september-2023 - 72

SPONSORED CONTENT
Executive Roundtable
Marketers sound off on why an altered event landscape requires harmonizing
strategy, creative and technology to deliver more with less
Co-founded in 2021 by two industry vets with 50 years' worth of experience, The Ev&Ex
Agency serves as a new agency model that welcomes big ideas, but " lives and dies by
results. " In this lively roundtable, fi ve executives from the organization get candid about
business growth, why strong partnerships pave the way for cost effi ciencies, and how
the right balance of strategy, digital tools and creative vision is essential to surviving,
and thriving, in today's climate.
The
Ev&Ex
Agency
THE PANELISTS
RICK RATHE
JOHN CAPANO
Managing Partner
Managing Director
MEG GLEASON
SVP, Executive
Creative Director
EM: CAN YOU GIVE ME A FEW WORDS THAT DESCRIBE EV&EX?
JOHN CAPANO: I'd say, we're brilliant inside the box.
EM: WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?
JOHN: That's our motto, really. Our rallying cry. It's in our logo. Our
industry is beset by challenges. Tighter timelines, smaller budgets,
shorter attention spans, more chaos everywhere. That's the box we live
in. We love those big 'outside the box' ideas, but we know we have to
be brilliant inside the box. We create and execute ideas that move the
needle despite all the challenges we face as a partner to our clients. We
love big ideas, but we live and die by results.
EM: COMING OUT OF PERHAPS THE WORST 2-3 YEARS THE
INDUSTRY HAS SEEN, WHAT MADE YOU THINK NOW WAS A GOOD
TIME TO START A NEW EVENT AND EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
AGENCY?
RICK RATHE: Look around. Events are back and driving business
growth. People are clamoring to get back together. We all missed each
other and the face-to-face engagement that events and experiences
off er. Whether B2B or B2C, this macro trend is what drove the pre-covid
72
EVENT MARKETER FALL 2023
NATE SIBLOCK
SVP, Client Service
DONNA CANCEL
SVP, Head of Production
growth in the industry and it went into hyperdrive post-covid. It's still
driving business today.
Most importantly for us, we want to build something great. John and I
have 50 years' experience, and yet, we've adopted a fresh new agency
model. We still see legacy agencies not making the most out of their
business potential. We're at the beginning of new ideas at Ev&Ev, and
we're on target to achieve what we set out to do with an early roster of
fantastic clients.
EM: WHY DID YOU THINK A NEW AGENCY COULD SURVIVE AND
THRIVE? WHAT ARE YOU BRINGING TO THE INDUSTRY THAT NO ONE
ELSE IS?
RICK: Covid brought on major, long-term changes to the industry.
Clients are understaff ed, budgets are tighter, costs are up. Data-driven
strategy is king. We use modern tools like AI and machine learning
to create effi ciency and eff ective results. We have an experienced
team that is marketing focused and embrace the interplay of live and
technology. This sets us apart from some of the larger agencies that are
forced to do business as usual just because of their legacy processes.
eventmarketer.com

https://evandexagency.com/ http://www.eventmarketer.com

evm_september-2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of evm_september-2023