“TechSEO Boost”

User Conference, Hybrid (then Virtual)

150 in-person attendees, 10,000+virtual attendees

Catalyst Search Marketing, part of GroupM, was looking to streamline the planning process for a unique event within a niche industry. TechSEO Boost is an annual hybrid event that is a who’s-who of SEO leaders. Arrow Event Management was tapped for everything from venue management to AV coordination to sponsor oversight. And that was just during in the first year producing this popular industry event. In the second year, 2020 (that’s right, we said 2020), we worked with Catalyst to upgrade their sponsorship sales strategy, with a plan to increase revenue by 300%. And then Covid hit and Arrow Events managed venue contracts and the switch to a wholly virtual event, including platform selection and management, adjustments to a high-profile speaker line-up, and development of a virtual engagement strategy.

Registration exceeded goals by more than 50% and included participants from nearly 70 countries. In a post-event survey, 100% of attendees said they would be likely to recommend this event to a colleague.

“World of Athens”

International Road Show, Brand Activation

10,000+ attendees

The City of Athens scheduled a promotional road show to position Athens, Greece as a popular destination for leisure travelers. A 50-foot projection dome and kafenio traveled to London, Paris, Berlin, New York, and Chicago for a 4-day event in each city, featuring Greek food, music, and dancers. Each city also hosted a VIP press event within the dome. The event series was planned with only six weeks of lead time, and about seven weeks on the road, including venue research and selection, event design, food & beverage, entertainment, customs and international regulations, management of partnerships with the DMC and PR agency in each location, and management of budgets, including international currency and taxes.

Emily ate more than her fair share of loukoumades during her almost 7 weeks on the road.

Photos courtesy of agencyEA

“Founder’s Day” and “Leadership Conference”

Employee Conference, Client Conference, Special Events

700 attendees

The opportunity to watch the ringing of the bell at the New York Stock Exchange is an absolute bucket list item. Conduent helped to fulfill that dream on their first official day of business, after separating from Xerox. With a full day of activities, celebrated by their 93,000 employees internationally, they started the day by ringing the bell, and continued with a gala dinner at the NYSE that evening. Just one month later, they gathered their top 1,200 sales leaders to align their collective vision for the company. Attendees flocked to the Aria Resort in Las Vegas for a week of general session content, breakouts, special events, a mobile app, and plentiful networking opportunities. The Conduent Leadership Conference is now an annual event, and complemented by an annual client conference.

“Harpo Goes Hawaiian” and “Trip of a Lifetime”

Employee Incentive Trips, Special Events

1,600 attendees

Oprah Winfrey is known for her extreme generosity, so it was no surprise when she announced that she would take the The Oprah Winfrey Show staff and their families – 1,200 people – on a trip to Maui and then did the same a few years later, for 1,700 people, with a two-week Mediterranean cruise. Both trips included chartered flights, custom registration, unforgettable special events, elaborate excursion production, bespoke food and beverage programs, among other detail-obsessed considerations.

Emily lived and breathed event registration and excursion planning for all attendees leading up to, and onsite, in Maui. She knew every attendee by face, name, weekly agenda, and allergy! And in Europe, Emily led the charge on all food and beverage elements, even writing some of the special event menus. One of her most memorable responsibilities was planning the menu for the chartered flights, which required a tasting for airplane food!

Photo courtesy of agencyEA

“Green Cross for Safety Awards Celebration”

Virtual Fundraising Gala

1,000 attendees

The Green Cross celebration raises critical funds to support the National Safety Council mission to save lives and prevent injuries from the workplace to anyplace, while celebrating the best and the brightest in safety. In 2020, with the sudden shift to the virtual event space, The National Safety Council reached out to Arrow Events for support in making their first-ever virtual fundraising gala a success.

Arrow Events led the process of identifying and implementing a platform that supported an interactive virtual fundraising experience. Our team developed a Run of Show that featured pre-recorded segments woven together with a high energy live emcee and designed graphics to help bring the experience to life. Our clients were delighted by the experience and received comments from Board Members that they couldn’t determine whether the event was live or pre-recorded!

Community Factory Store Grand Opening

Brand Activation, Community Event

2,500+ attendees

When Nike opened their second-ever inner-city community-focused Factory Store, they spared no fanfare! With a focus on local food, entertainment, athletes, and speakers, this was a day for the Chatham community to remember. A list of high-profile community speakers were preceded by an orange carpet performance by the neighborhood Bucket Boys. Inside the store, local NBA players took photos in front of green screen set-ups throughout the store, to the great delight of kids and adults, alike. Planning and production included event aesthetic, program, and layout design, city coordination, VIP management, entertainment, food & beverage, giveaways, and transportation.

Like soccer? Ask Emily about the World Cup soccer campaign, Joga Bonito, events she managed for Nike. #joy #honor #skill #heart

“Sears Chef Challenge and Flash Mob”

Brand Activation

500 in-person and 15,000+ virtual attendees

A flash mob was designed to promote the three final events of the Sears Chef Challenge. The flash mob took over Chicago’s Navy Pier and incorporated kitchen equipment, garnered over 225,000 views on YouTube and featured 200+ dancers. During the routine, QR Codes were revealed on the blue branded tshirts of participants to drive attendance to the website.

The three final “Chef Challenge” events took place at the Kenmore Live studio in Chicago, and attracted more than 500 in-person attendees total, with an additional 15,000 remote viewers of the live stream.

Planning and production entailed choreographer management, volunteer solicitation, social media strategic outreach, and a crash course in designing a flash mob with less than a month lead time.

The three live events were open to the public, which were designed to draw the attention of passersby, including an artist spray painting a refrigerator with the Chicago skyline, live cooking demonstrations, and brand ambassadors in the surrounding blocks.

“Agency Wide Meeting and Celebration”

Hybrid Conference and Special Event

600+ attendees

Starcom, and this event in particular, has been a fun repeat client for Arrow Events. This event is a well-known, highly anticipated annual companywide celebration for more than 600 in-person employees. Our team was invited to produce the in-person and virtual general session experience, complete with established entertainers and emerging artists, custom videos, detailed costume changes, and even aerialist performances. We led the run of show, and also produced the after-party, including complicated transportation logistics, venue management, menu design, décor, entertainment, VIP and talent management. Each year, this event was an unforgettable experience for employees who attended live and virtually.

“Connections 2021”

Virtual Global User Conference

5,000+ virtual attendees

WUPJ hosted a weeklong virtual gathering for their worldwide constituents. Arrow Events managed all aspects of the planning and execution, including platform selection and implementation, management of 20 volunteer committees responsible for strategy and content development, sponsorship, special events, networking, and more.

The online experience offered options for learning and networking throughout each day, with the following highlights:

• combined on-demand, zoom breakout, live streams, networking opportunities, and more

• crossed seven time zones so global members could access engaging and insightful content at convenient times

• varied in content type from lectures and panel discussions to recreational and special programming to reflect an in-person conference day