EXP attends the Event Marketing Summit in Chicago

As leaders in experiential marketing, EXP sent four delegates to attend the Event Marketing Summit held in Chicago, Illinois, in May 2013. Michael Masson (Creative & Strategy Director), Mark Rowles (Head of Strategy), James Maclachlan (Operations Manager) and Seseki Itsweng (Account Director) joined 1000 of the world’s top marketing professionals for three days of valuable learning, training and networking.

During the jam-packed schedule of workshops, case study presentations and master class thought leadership sessions, the EXP team gained a wealth of insight to the latest innovations and benchmark trends of global best practice in event marketing and sponsorship by big brands such as HP, Toyota, Hyundai, Master Card, Lexus, Ford, Microsoft, BMW, Oracle, Audi and Coca-Cola.

“There was a big focus on digital trends, especially integrating social media and customized apps into events, activations, and campaigns,” says Seseki Itsweng, Account Director for Absa Football. Similarly Mark Rowles says “The insights as to what is happening internationally are priceless, especially as there is a large shift to incorporate the digital world in Experiential Marketing and although our digital market is expanding rapidly, it is on another level in the USA and internationally in general.”

“Our time at the summit was thought-provoking,” Itsweng continues. “It is not so much the tactics that are new, but rather the thinking behind the strategy which requires a new approach. It’s the mindset around why we do marketing that needs to change.”

“We learnt a lot about how to view sponsorship first as a brand positioning tool, and then as a platform to drive sales- not the other way around. It’s about taking those principles and applying them to our South African context,” says Itsweng.

“The approach taken by clients and agency partners is of such critical importance as well,” explains Rowles, “so other than being exposed to some of the great campaigns of the world, the conference also allowed our EXP team to learn how best to approach each challenge and project that we face on a day to day basis back home.”

“It is such a privilege to attend an event such as this as it really does expose our team to the best of the best and allow us to draw relevant comparisons to markets and possible campaigns back home. Having attended this conference gives our team greater perspective on what it is we are trying to achieve in tandem with our clients and also gives excellent insight as to how best to go about reaching these results. This reinforces our position as thought leaders in the South African market and gives us a competitive edge over many local competitors,” concludes Rowles.

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