B-to-B Events

YOU'VE PROCURED THOUSANDS  of samples trained brand ambassadors and are ready to hit the ground running. But even the most interesting and well thought-out sampling campaign can fall flat if your brand is hit with hefty fines from local municipalities and ushered out of the city limits before the fun even begins.

IN THE WORLD OF outdoor event setups tents may be the established superstar but domes are the up and coming indie starlet. What makes them so attractive? They’ve got range able to play a variety of roles in all kinds of programs. They offer a design aesthetic and a flexible layout that tents and mobile vehicles often can’t. And although set up can be a challenge—especially with larger domes that can weigh upwards of a ton—the benefits usually outweigh the downsides.

In the not so distant past women draped themselves on new cars like shiny hood ornaments and worked behind the scenes to help their bosses take credit for the perfect corporate event. But thanks to a few decades of cultural transformation the roles that were once the only choices for women in the event marketing industry have become relics of the past. From booth babes to the boardroom and from event planners to global event strategists—women today have become a formidable force in experiential marketing. Yes indeed they’ve come a long way baby.

Who she is: With 32 years on the job at HP 19 of them in trade shows and events Brungardt is an exception in a world where people usually jump from one company to another as they climb the corporate ladder. She strategizes with counterparts in corporate and other business units to set the framework for the company’s approach to events assessing cost effectiveness and the best ways to communicate messages while meeting corporate and brand objectives.

Who she is: Fontaine is the driving force behind Ford’s mission to get more people into its cars a key strategy as the company launches new vehicles including the 2009 Flex. Grassroots programs multicultural marketing the Ex Award-winning Warriors in Pink breast cancer initiative and placement in key TV programs from “American Idol” to Lifetime’s new series “Army Wives” are part of the plan.