As a marketing firm with expertise in experiential, events are a core aspect of our business. While the recent pandemic enabled us to be agile and hone our capability in digital event planning, live events are now making a significant comeback. Although video conferencing may be here to stay, in-person events are picking up significantly, as seen by the growth of the events market. The US events market experienced a 37% increase from 2021 to 2022, and the global industry market is expected to reach a revenue of 2.1 trillion by the year 2032. A successful event requires meticulous planning and preparation, and it requires people with special skills across disciplines. Montage’s own Senior Program Manager, Ashley Adams shares her story and tips to help create effective events.
Ashley’s Journey
Ashley Adams did not start in marketing, let alone events. With a background in communications and outreach, Ashley identified a skill in storytelling and delivering the right message. Her early career included roles at Palmetto AIDS Life Support Services and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, followed by management and customer experience at a renowned retail brand. At Montage, Ashley has found a home that enables her to tie all her skills together: customer service, program management, communications, visual expression, and engagement.
Initially serving one of Montage’s federal health clients, Ashley quickly distinguished herself through her exceptional client management skills and deep understanding of client needs. Her ability to exceed performance targets and contribute to team success earned her a reputation as a reliable and results-driven professional. By collaborating closely with her direct report and eager to expand her expertise, Ashley fully transitioned to the events side of Client Service, where she seamlessly applies her client service knowledge to new challenges. Ashley’s strong skillset in communication, problem-solving, and a client-centric approach enables her to make an immediate impact. She takes pride in creating a culture of belonging, and her self-guided yet collaborative spirit fosters strong relationships with team members, stakeholders, and clients.
As part of her event strategy, Ashley combines event planning with risk mitigation, an outcomes-based method, and experiential learning to create events that deliver on client goals and enhance attendee experiences.
Event Background
Ashley led a client project this year for the Department of the Treasury to develop a continuing professional education training symposium. In the past, the client would host training symposiums to include local and nearby staff every 2 to 3 years; this year, they decided to include all audit staff from all states. Prior to 2015, the client procured the venue and instructors and provided onsite support services for training symposiums. In recent years, an event planning service has been enlisted to procure the venue and instructors, manage the symposium budget, provide onsite support throughout the event, and provide a post-event lesson-learned report. The training symposium allows the client team to meet professional education requirements and foster new ways to work together.
Ashley’s Keys to Event Success
Risk Assessment and Mitigation
One of our proprietary planning processes for ensuring a successful event involves preparing for the worst-case scenarios. Ashley and the Montage event staff dedicate time to envision all potential pitfalls an event could encounter. From the practical to the ludicrous, the team considers potential crises from every angle- from obvious factors such as venue, attendees, activities, environmental factors, technical aspects, financial considerations, and operational logistics to the more serious ones such as an armed attack, a health crisis or catastrophic weather. Our risk assessment process involves analyzing and prioritizing these factors to develop resilient mitigation plans, including contingency measures, emergency protocols, security, and health and safety compliance procedures to enhance event safety and success while minimizing disruptions and liabilities. Through seamless coordination with stakeholders and comprehensive staff training and rehearsals, we ensure the effective execution and ongoing refinement of these protocols.
Plan the event around the desired event outcome
Being specific about what goals and objectives the event aims to achieve impacts all aspects of its execution – the theme, flow, activities, and visual merchandising. Ashley enlists internal expertise across the disciplines of event management, marketing, technology, and data analytics. This multidisciplinary approach results in comprehensive solutions tailored to the event’s unique needs. Personalization and custom event planning include tailored event strategies, themes, logos, and activities. Ashley ensures that every attendee feels valued and engaged, leading to increased satisfaction levels.
Experience the event before the event
Detailed organization and checklists are not sufficient for event preparation. Ashley and her event team conducted internal mock events to stress-test the event schedule, processes, and plans. These mock events aim to assess the plan in practice, simulate real-life scenarios, and proactively identify areas for improvement. For the Treasury client, the team engaged in multiple days of mock experiential learning with the local Montage staff. This allowed them to troubleshoot pre-event requirements, evaluate the proposed schedule and run of show, and effectively adapt to any last-minute changes or modifications before the event occurs.
Final Thoughts
After concluding a successful event, Ashley’s stewardship of the TOIG event shows that while theory is helpful in modeling and understanding attendees’ experiences, practical experience and realistic troubleshooting allow an event team to be prepared on a deeper level. Ashley’s dedication to going the extra mile embodies our mission to make meaningful connections and create work to remember.
If you want to learn about our expertise in virtual events, check out the series of virtual events we ran for the MBDA InVision Tour.
