2011 Agency It List

The agency landscape is moving in fast forward, right in front of our eyes. The last 24 months have felt like a roller coaster for marketers, but even more so for the hundreds of event agencies that service them. Amid changing client wants and needs, up and down budgets and a whole lotta industry changes related to the economy came an interesting result: an upgrade. Event agencies have always been the silent Navy SEALs of the marketing world, unable to crack under pressure and always able to deliver in any weather, on any day, no matter what. But the agencies have given themselves an extreme makeover, replacing the tactical with the strategic, adding online to on-site and amplifying freakin’ everything. Even the employee rosters have been upgraded.

Welcome to Event Agency 2.0. Not since the event marketing boom of 2002 (the year we launched your favorite trade magazine) has there been as large of an agency land grab. From small shops and boutiques to the largest holding company-owned agencies, the work has never been as good, the capabilities as strategically sharp—and the competition as great. Indeed, may we live in interesting times.

That’s exactly why we invented the It List, this year sponsored by leading data capture company In-Touch Insight Systems. Because at the end of the day, it’s difficult to know who’s who, what’s what and who does what. Only 100 make it, and they are literally the 100 greatest event agencies found anywhere.

Presenting the 2011 Class of Awesome, the Top 100 Agencies... our It List.

Search by Core Capability: Choose a Section: All Sections Advocacy-community building Automotive launches and personal drive experiences Automotive ride and drives B-to-B meetings Brand parties Buzz-word-of-mouth programs College sports marketing-sports property navigation marketing College-campus marketing Creative services Designing and executing multi-dimensional programs Digital development integration Digital media Event design Field marketing Global event programs Global event programs Guerrilla-street programs Health engagement Hispanic events Influencer marketing Influencer marketing Internal employee events Launch events Mall marketing Mobile Vehicle marketing Mobile marketing Multicultural events National event programs National promotion planning and strategy Nightlife marketing P.R. events Pop-up stores Press events-product launches Retail-direct selling Retailtainment events Road shows (b-to-b) Sales-acquisition Sampling Sponsorship activation Sponsorship strategy-creative-activation Sports marketing Trade shows Travel incentives Video production Virtual and Hybrid Events