Agency Spotlight: emc3

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This article is brought to you in association with Macroart

Agency Spotlight, the latest addition to the Event Industry News site, profiles the top of the pyramid, the design and creativity behind brand activations, experiences, exhibition USPs and the greater live event model.

Sponsored by print specialist Macroart, these pages will profile agencies of all sizes, looking at how and why they started, with what ambition, key projects, relationships with the supply chain and a whole lot more besides.

If your agency has a fitting story to tell, get in touch: Kizzy@eventindustrynews.com 


Agency Name: emc3
Formed: 2002
Annual Events: 51-100
Staff: 11-50
Offices: 3
Mantra: Every Moment Counts
www.emc3.com

Formation:

emc3 began very naturally, out of the agency’s sheer knack for connecting the dots. They started as a concierge service, booking tables at elite members’ clubs, securing the best locations in town for an event, and getting tickets for highly sought-after shows. What they soon discovered was the industry need for a very personal, and highly efficient service that creates experiences; that brings stories to life.

They develop events and experiences that inspire conversations; create memories; transform. Unlike activation agencies that begin with concept, then implement it from the top down, the essence of what they do is based on their natural know-how in connecting people, then bringing ideas into complete fruition by curating key bespoke elements, namely venue sourcing, strategic partnerships and supplier relationships.

The mission at emc3 is to bring stories to life with powerful creativity, grounded in meticulous organisation and efficiency.

They do this by carefully curating 3 touch points: people, spaces, messaging.

The vision is to ensure “Every Moment Counts”, a commitment they have embedded into the creation of their name, emc3.

At their core, they believe that an event is a story; live, in-person and in real time.

20 + years later, they have now evolved into a full service agency, following the demands of the industry, and the experience economy at large.

Founders: Baba Epega, Alistair Graham and Daniel Curtis

Baba Epega, Alistair Graham and Daniel Curtis have been friends for over 20 years. Before opening the business with his partners, Baba was a top City Banker who wanted to leave the world of numbers to pursue a career in event management, Alistair cut his teeth in some of London’s top 5-star hotels and Daniel was a Chef renowned for his creative flair and meticulous attention to detail.

Despite being from very different backgrounds, the founders have a unifying vision: They celebrate diversity, understanding that an amalgamation of nationalities, backgrounds, experiences and cultures inspires creativity and innovation.

Key services and sectors served:

Over the years, they have foreseen the spectrum of possibilities to explore within experiential marketing, as well as the potential of events to amplify digitally.

In response to that, they have developed 4 key areas of expertise: Events, Marketing, Design and Speaker Management. Together the departments create a seamless offline and online journey.

Almost all of their events are digitally integrated, doubling as immersive online experiences, creating valuable branded content across a multitude of platforms.

For events, they tackle each and every element of the process: creation, management and production so that all the touch points within the event, flow harmoniously. From venue sourcing and staffing, to creative development, logistics, and post event evaluation, they are onboard every step of the way, ensuring full project management.

The marketing team develops a tight knit strategy to make sure all the elements of the event are powerfully communicated. This includes social media management, copywriting, and pre and post event marketing.

The design team crystallize the shape and form of all marketing assets, including web design, graphic design, 3D design, as well as print and marketing collateral.

Finally, speaker management is where they apply their curatorial skills to suggest and secure appropriate talent that drives content strategy. No stranger to discerning clients, they have worked with LinkedIn, EA, Drift, Softcat, NYU, Westfield, Bullhorn amongst others to amplify their brands through experience.

From developing a 2500-strong conference over a number of days, to planning an exclusive round table forum for executives, branding and marketing an event, the success of their projects hinge on delivering a seamless experience that delights its audience and remains true to the brand identity.

Case Study: LinkedIn

emc3 worked with LinkedIn when they were a small team of 10 having just opened their office in London in 2009, and were tasked to develop their brand through events such as small breakfast meetings. This then escalated into helping them create their very first Talent Connect, a conference which started with only 300 participants.

Over the course of the following 4 years the event has grown into a conference numbering 2,500 people. emc3 developed, designed and implemented some incredible productions including an Ice Cave, London Street Scene and Above the Clouds.

By ensuring they stick to their core beliefs, they have created relationships with true value and longevity, so much so, that when LinkedIn took their events in-house for a couple of years, they came back to emc3 having realised that their knowledge and skills were incomparable.

Having since come back to work with emc3, they have worked on the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Talent Awards Roadshow in Johannesburg, Qatar, Dubai and Istanbul. They have since also grown as a company and now offer services in marketing, design and speaker management. This means that on the MENA Talent Awards emc3 were able to design all the branding for the event as well as create a marketing video that has been shared with their customers all over the world.

A little bit more about emc3:

Through their speaker management department they have curated numerous keynote speeches including Michelle Obama, Yusuf Islam, Malala Yousafzai and His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. They have also designed marketing materials for HRH Prince Harry for his work with The Royal Foundation.

Over the years they have received numerous awards and accolades recognising their hard work and creativity. They won the highly competitive Conference Series Award for their incredible work with LinkedIn. As a result, the business grew exponentially, and they started working with leading brands across the globe, including Google, Drift, Bullhorn, NYU and EA. – please change the highlighted to ‘, and as a result, the business grew exponentially.

When asked, CEO, Alistair Graham stated that he would consider their greatest achievement to be the culture that they have developed at emc3. The events industry is renowned for high staff turnover rates and low employee engagement. The hours are long, the systems are complex and it’s an extremely high-pressure environment. Despite this, emc3’s staff turnover is less than 6%, and employee satisfaction is at its highest at 85%!

emc3 have even won numerous company culture awards over the last couple of years!

What the future holds:

There are big plans in the works. Over the next 12 months, as emc3 continues to expand their offices globally, they are developing distinct lines of business.

They continue to create unforgettable experiences, now with four departments working in unison; marketing, design, speaker management and events. Their goal is to provide optimum support in communicating their brands’ stories.

Watch this space to see what develops.


This Agency Spotlight is sponsored by Macroart

Macroart challenges the assumptions about a ‘typical print company’. With a fair bit of cool kit to turn clients’ visions into reality, Macroart’s enthusiastic, committed and talented team delivers some of the most complex print projects in live events, retail and interiors.

Adam Parry
Author: Adam Parry

Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.