Client Questions & Answers
What is your company’s area of expertise? What do you specialize in?
We specialize in Corporate Events such as Conferences, Summits, Brand Launches, Activations, Company Retreats, Awards & Galas, Company Anniversaries, Holiday Parties and Grand Openings. In addition to large corporate events, we also specialize in large community events.
What type of marketing do you do?
We focus on experiential marketing. That means that we help you reach your Marketing Goals through events and experiences that can bring the brand to life. Connecting you to your target audience creates brand awareness and brings a more meaningful impact on your brand overall.
Who are some of your clients?
We have the pleasure of working with Fortune500 corporations such as Google, TikTok, YouTube, and Toyota. We also love working with smaller brands that want to CHANGE LIVES FOR THE BETTER through events and experiences; for us every project is invaluable and unique.
What is the primary industry you work with?
We have clients from across the industry but specialize in Technology, Banking/Finance, and Associations.
Is your company a certified minority-owned/woman-owned business?
Actually, we are certified in both. Innovate Marketing Group is proud to be a certified minority, woman-owned event management agency.
How do we make our event an immersive experience?
We really set out to create experiences. This is accomplished by designing the experience with your audience in mind above all. The better you know them and the demographic that you’re trying to serve, the better you can curate the experience to match and surpass their expectations while hitting your KPI for the event. In recent years, projection mapping has been very popular and provides another level of immersive experience.
How do you charge for your service?
We charge a fee depending on the Scope of Work. Typically Clients who come to us want turnkey solutions which are full service. That is also our preferred approach to ensure the event experience is well thought out from beginning to end. Typically, there is a minimum agency fee depending on the project, and for bigger projects, it’s based on a percentage of the overall project. At the end of the day, we focus on value pricing. We are here to provide value. That is why we have many long-standing clients who have been with us for a long time. It is a true partnership.
How do you set the pricing?
We set VALUE over everything else. We bring the best team and an incomparable network to bring you the best experience while planning so you can focus on sharing, enjoying, and making the most of your event. We do all the work, you take all the credit. We also have a fantastic network of vendors so that we can curate a special experience for our clients. We’re looking to make a transformative impact rather than just transactional.
How long does it take for you to come up with a proposal?
Depending on the project’s specifications, it has taken anywhere from three business days to two weeks. It depends on what the project entails. Some projects are pretty standard, so the proposal doesn’t take as long. Some others require more customization and more extensive scope of work which will require more time.
Because of the pandemic, there is a staff shortage with many vendors and venues. It does take a little bit longer compared to usual. We kindly ask for your patience. Most of the time, we ask if there is a deadline we should be aware of, and we generally can meet the deadline. We recommend planning ahead, so you are not rushing at the last minute for your event.
How can we work together if we don’t have a big budget?
There are two options:
1) We have a Consulting Rate that we can provide to clients with a more limited budget, as well as teams that have the staff capacity to execute, so we are brought on as consultants. ! This is typically based on an hourly rate that is bundled.
2) Adjust your scope of work. Perhaps initially, you would like us to provide the turnkey experience so you and your team can be hands-off completely, but due to budget, review some elements that you can handle internally while we focus on the main areas such as venue management, vendor management, event design, run of the show, day of execution.
What is the process once we sign the contract?
Once we sign the contract and receive the retainer payment, a project manager is assigned to the event. Next step, the project manager will schedule a Kickoff meeting to get to know the people behind the brand that’s working on the project. Then from there, a status meeting is also set up in terms of the upcoming months for working together, and once we get closer to the month of the event, then we will transition to a bi-weekly meeting. And this is all part of our signature IMPACT Process. It has worked well in taking care of our clients with a more systematic approach.
How many people are there on your team?
We currently have 15 team members and a network of contractors and event assistants! Our agency continues to grow, so this number will continue to rise.
Is your team diverse?
Yes, we are! 60% Of our core members are people of color, 85% of our team identify as women, and 50% of our preferred vendors are minority or women-owned businesses. We always found that a diverse group brings a lot of value to the company and the client because of the different ideas based on the different cultural backgrounds.
Is there a process in place for planning the events?
Yes! We call it our signature IMPACT Process.
IMPACT Process
I= Innovate
M= Mission
P= Planning
A= Attendee Experience
C= Communication
T= Turnkey
Once a project has been active, we start with the kickoff meeting, and from there, a monthly status meeting is put in place. And once you get closer to the event, it becomes a bi-weekly status meeting to ensure consistent communication to be on top of the project.
We take the time to understand the intricacies of the brand and how we can best serve that client. We utilize all those elements and implement them into their events strategically.
What is the difference between virtual and hybrid?
Virtual Events are 100% online and can be live streamed in real-time, prerecorded, or a mix of those! Hybrid events are live events that have a virtual component. You could integrate those elements, and for hybrid events, we have another episode so that you can check that out. LINK.
But you can really integrate it. You can simply live-stream the event, or you could take it to another level, and essentially, you’re building two different experiences, one for the in-person audience and one for the virtual audience, and for both of those, generally, you will have a host because that proves just really round up the experience as well as integrating ways for them to communicate with each other too.
Do you have a good network of vendors & partners?
We have been in the industry for over 17+ years, so we have a comprehensive and selective, top-of-the-line Preferred Vendor list we update to keep up with trends and technology. This is to make sure you have the best of the best working for you. Together we always try to push the limits, be more creative with the event, and help make our clients shine.
Can you share details of your vendors?
We always make sure to provide WOW service for our clients. Most companies that hire us to manage and execute their events, they prefer to have a turnkey experience. They like just having one point of contact. They trust we have vetted the vendors and selected the ones that are the best fit for the respective event. They typically are not asking for details because they have bigger elements to focus on. One question that we do get is if some of our vendors are diverse since more businesses want to support diverse and small businesses. In fact, 50% of our preferred vendors are minority or women-owned businesses.
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Thank you for joining us. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at LINK.
