Insights

Fuel your curiosity with the latest news, trends, and thought leadership on experiential marketing.

Attendee Gift Guide

Twenty unique gift ideas to delight your attendees this holiday season.

The Secret Life of a Travel Director

The Secret Life of a Travel Director

The Secret Life of a Travel Director

A look at the event industry’s “on-demand” workforce Have you ever wished that you had a job that would pay you to travel around the world? There is a seemingly secret society of professionals who do just that. They’re called Travel Directors. If I had...

Rethink Vegas: Unique Offerings Off the Strip

Rethink Vegas: Unique Offerings Off the Strip

Rethink Vegas: Unique Offerings Off the Strip

Event professionals and meeting planners spend a lot of time in Vegas. Like, a lot of time. My team often refers to Vegas as their second home, as they spend weeks there every year. When meeting planners think of Vegas, a few clichés come to mind: heavily air-conditioned meeting spaces...

Make Your Next Event a Strawless One

Make Your Next Event a Strawless One

Make Your Next Event a Strawless One

The “strawless” movement is in full swing. Major cities such as Seattle and Malibu have banned or limited the use of plastic straws. Restaurants across the country are voluntarily removing plastic straws from their businesses as well. Why? In America...

11 Ways C2 Montreal is Unlike any B2B Conference You’ve Ever Attended

11 Ways C2 Montreal is Unlike any B2B Conference You’ve Ever Attended

11 Ways C2 Montreal is Unlike any B2B Conference You’ve Ever Attended

Last week, I attended C2 —the Commerce and Creativity Conference—in Montreal, Canada. It had Snoop Dog (talking about the legalization of cannabis) as the big draw, but that’s not why I wanted to go. I was primarily interested in seeing a new event experience...

GDPR for Event Planners – Proceed with Caution

GDPR for Event Planners – Proceed with Caution

GDPR for Event Planners – Proceed with Caution

As if your job as an event planner isn’t stressful enough, along comes the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in all its complicated glory. Over the last several months, you need to have been living on a desert island to not have noticed lots of...

What I Learned from Attending Mule Design’s “Presenting Work with Confidence” Workshop at Design Week Portland

What I Learned from Attending Mule Design’s “Presenting Work with Confidence” Workshop at Design Week Portland

What I Learned from Attending Mule Design’s “Presenting Work with Confidence” Workshop at Design Week Portland

Last week, I had the distinct pleasure (and luck) to be one of 20 wannabe extroverts in Mike Monteiro ’s Presenting Work with Confidence workshop during Portland Design Week. Yep, you read that right: 20 introverts arrived at Outlet PDX (a wonderful,...

Opus Celebrates Women in Technology: Meet Carleen

As an agency with an internal tech team that primarily serves technology clients, we value women in tech. We understand the unique obstacles women in the tech industry face, so we’re proud to highlight our female tech team members who are thriving. In the second installment of Opus Women in Tech...

Projection or LED Screens: Which is Best for Your Event?

Projection or LED Screens: Which is Best for Your Event?

Projection or LED Screens: Which is Best for Your Event?

Finding the best way to display content or visuals at your event can be a difficult process. There are a few different approaches, two of the most popular solutions being LED screens and traditional projection technology. What you might want to do as...

Pay Attention to What Inspires Your Designers

Pay Attention to What Inspires Your Designers

Pay Attention to What Inspires Your Designers

Designers don’t limit themselves to creating from nine to five. They draw inspiration from everywhere, all the time. As a creative director, it’s imperative that you know where their inspiration is coming from. In my team’s case, doing so has led to some incredible client work...

Glaciers, Shipwrecks, and Penguins: What an Incentive Trip to Patagonia Looks Like

Glaciers, Shipwrecks, and Penguins: What an Incentive Trip to Patagonia Looks Like

Glaciers, Shipwrecks, and Penguins: What an Incentive Trip to Patagonia Looks Like

Clients planning incentive trips are constantly looking for the next unique destination; I’m often asked for input on places such as Iceland, Croatia, and Cuba. So when I was asked to participate on an advisory council visit to Patagonia, I jumped at the opportunity...

Event Professionals: What Keeps You Up at Night?

In 2017, Forbes released their list of the 10 most stressful jobs in America. Event coordinators landed in the number five spot—just behind police officers. This is largely due to the amount of organizing, multi-tasking, and hurdle-jumping required to execute a flawless event...

Opus Celebrates Women in Technology: Meet Genevieve

As an agency with an internal tech team that primarily serves technology clients, we are huge fans of women in tech. We understand the unique obstacles women in the tech industry face, and we’re proud to highlight our female tech team members who are thriving...

So You Want to Hire an Intern?

Internship experience is extremely important for college students, but the benefits of internships are not one-sided. Interns can be a helpful and productive addition to your team. Follow these tips to make sure you’re getting the most out of hiring an intern...

Hologram Keynotes: Cool or Creepy?

Hologram Keynotes: Cool or Creepy?

Hologram Keynotes: Cool or Creepy?

Gone are the days of ninety-minute PowerPoint keynotes. Today’s audiences are in need of diverse and exciting displays of content. One way to do this is with the help of hologram keynote speakers. My team and I are fascinated by hologram presence at events...

When Event Professionals Take Over Music City

When Event Professionals Take Over Music City

When Event Professionals Take Over Music City

The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) hosted over 4,500 event profs at the Convening Leaders conference in Nashville last week. It’s no surprise that a meeting for meeting planners offered great attendee experience. From a registration desk at the Nashville airport...

Data Privacy and Protection Law for Event Professionals

Webinar: Data Privacy and Protection Law for Event Professionals

Data Privacy and Protection Law for Event Professionals

Opus General Counsel, Jennie Peters, shared her expertise on GDPR compliance in a webinar on Data Privacy. New data protection laws will affect event professionals. Make sure you’re prepared by listening to Jennie’s webinar below. Have questions about GDPR...

Tired Feet and a Full Heart After TedWomen 2017

Gloria Vanderbilt once said: “I always believed that one woman’s success can only help another woman’s success.” At TedWomen 2017, 1,500 attendees gathered in New Orleans for three days to celebrate the success of women and to discuss building a better future...

EventTech 2017 Takeaways

As VP of Technical Services for the Opus event technology team, Event Marketer’s EventTech conference is basically Christmas. Once a year, professionals passionate about all things event tech gather to learn about and celebrate trends and developments in the industry...

Taking the Role of Attendee at the Bend Design Conference

I recently attended a two-day design conference and workshop in Bend, OR. The overarching theme of the event was “ethics in design and content.” Sessions covered everything from ethical fashion design (Angela Luna shared the thinking behind her coat-to-tent...

Four Reasons Event Pros Love Film Festivals

Four Reasons Event Pros Love Film Festivals

Four Reasons Event Pros Love Film Festivals

Tickets to film festivals around the country are becoming more coveted and sought after every year. As event professionals, we asked ourselves, “What are these film festivals doing right?” Turns out it’s a lot! We sat down with the folks from the Napa Valley Film Festival...

e-book: Key Steps to Acquiring the Right Audience for Your Event

e-book: Key Steps to Acquiring the Right Audience for Your Event

e-book: Key Steps to Acquiring the Right Audience for Your Event

One major question that faces any event marketer at the outset of the planning process: how do I fill these seats?

Event Manager: a great career if you love to travel!

Our resident Road Warriors can certainly tell you: they travel a lot, and have the airline miles and hotel loyalty points to prove it! Managing events around the globe takes a serious amount of jet-setting, so your average Event Manager is a seasoned veteran...

Road Warriors: Staying Connected as a Working Parent

Road Warriors: Staying Connected as a Working Parent

Road Warriors: Staying Connected as a Working Parent

Opus employees are experts at traveling for business. However, there is one aspect of traveling that never gets easier: being away from family.

e-Book: 12 Rules for Safe and Productive Work Travel

e-Book: 12 Rules for Safe and Productive Work Travel

e-Book: 12 Rules for Safe and Productive Work Travel

Rather than get chewed up in the grind, the event wizards at Opus have figured out the secret code to acing work on the go.

Five Ways to Be a Green Attendee

Five Ways to Be a Green Attendee

Five Ways to Be a Green Attendee

There’s never a bad time to work on reducing your carbon footprint. In honor of Earth Day, we put together a list of ways to get you started.

How to Host a Green Event

How to Host a Green Event

How to Host a Green Event

Event professionals know how many resources are used in events. In honor of Earth Day, make an effort to reduce your events’ carbon footprints.

Tech in Opus HQ’s back yard

Since 2012, thought leaders and tech enthusiasts have congregated in the heart of Portland, Oregon to attend TechFestNW. This three-day event brings together innovators to discuss trends, breakthroughs and opportunity in tech in the Pacific Northwest...

Events industry networking at Opus Peer Connect

We recently hosted a networking breakfast for event marketers in the Bay Area to meet up, get to know one another, and get the low-down on the industry’s latest developments. Event professionals representing a wide array of companies, industries, and...

e-book: Event Pricing to Drive Attendance and Maximize Revenue

e-book: Event Pricing to Drive Attendance and Maximize Revenue

e-book: Event Pricing to Drive Attendance and Maximize Revenue

There’s both an art and a science to effectively pricing an event.

Snapshot: A Look at the Latest Trends in Tech Events

Snapshot: a look at the latest trends in tech events

Snapshot: A Look at the Latest Trends in Tech Events

Are you charging too much for your event–or worse yet, not enough? What about location? Are you offering your sponsors what they need? To answer these questions, you need data.

Seven Reminders When Adding Video to Your Content Strategy

Seven reminders when adding video to your content strategy

Seven Reminders When Adding Video to Your Content Strategy

Developing your own content marketing strategy is good—but it’s just a start! Factoring video into your content plan is a step in the right direction.

Road Warriors: Acing Air Travel

Road Warriors: Acing Air Travel

Road Warriors: Acing Air Travel

We’ve got dozens of event veterans on staff who hit the road all the time, so they know what it takes to make the most out of work travel.

e-book: Six Reasons You Need Event Content Strategy

e-book: Six Reasons You Need Event Content Strategy

e-book: Six Reasons You Need Event Content Strategy

In an increasingly competitive environment, brand marketers are investing more in their event content.

Road Warriors: At Home in Hotels

Road Warriors: At Home in Hotels

Road Warriors: At Home in Hotels

We’ve got dozens of event veterans on staff who hit the road all the time, so they know what it takes to make the most out of work travel.

eBook: 10 Keys to the Perfect Site Visit

eBook: 10 Keys to the Perfect Site Visit

eBook: 10 Keys to the Perfect Site Visit

Your venue may be the most important factor in the success of your event. Getting the full picture on your venue is integral to the strategic and logistical planning requirements of your program.

A Day in the Life of an Event Manager

Opus Agency’s team of event managers operates on the ground and in the moment, creating amazing experiences for our customers’ attendees. We recently managed to get one of them, Event Coordinator Madeline Golden, back in the office long enough to describe the joys...

Road Warriors: Staying Healthy Through Work Travel

Road Warriors: Staying Healthy Through Work Travel

Road Warriors: Staying Healthy Through Work Travel

As a brand events and marketing agency with a hand in hundreds of experiences around the world every year, our work tends to involve quite a bit of travel.

Opus Tech Time: the Internet of Things

Opus Tech Time: the Internet of Things

Opus Tech Time: the Internet of Things

In the spirit of our weekly grammar notes, the resident tech experts on our Event Technology team send out periodic updates on current trends in the tech world and their impact on the industry. This week, we unpack a hot industry topic: the Internet of Things...

Pokémon Go: Top Tips for Becoming the Best There Ever Was!

The entire nation is in the grip of a Pokémon craze! We too have felt the draw to far corners of the city (or the office) to catch those little critters. To help you on your path to building a formidable Pokémon army, we’ve put together a few pro tips for the other trainers out there...

Opus COO Dena Lowery presents at CEMA Summit

Opus COO Dena Lowery presents at CEMA Summit

Opus COO Dena Lowery presents at CEMA Summit

Opus Agency COO Dena Lowery presented not once but twice at this year’s Corporate Events Marketing Association ( CEMA ) Summit, an annual gathering of the leading voices and thinkers in events marketing. Fresh on the heels of a Monday breakout session—co-presenting...

Interactive: Shifting Perspectives on Experience Design

Interactive: Shifting Perspectives on Experience Design

Interactive: Shifting Perspectives on Experience Design

What is experience design? What does it have the power to do when you get it right? What can go wrong when you don’t? Earlier this year, Opus assembled a who’s who of industry experts to help define this esoteric yet essential topic. Moderated by Opus EVP of Creative Services David Lemke...

Opus Tech Time: RFID versus NFC

Opus Tech Time: RFID versus NFC

Opus Tech Time: RFID versus NFC

In the spirit of our weekly grammar notes, the resident tech experts on our Event Technology team send out periodic updates on current trends in the tech world and their impact on the industry. This week, we look at the difference between RFID and NFC protocols.

Top 3 Tips: Rock-Solid Registration

Top 3 Tips: Rock-Solid Registration

Top 3 Tips: Rock-Solid Registration

An event, no matter the size, will never get off the ground without an effective registration process. Getting people interested is one thing—getting them signed up and squared away for attendance is the real trick. Read on for our top tips to turn your...

eBook: 12 Tips to Recharge Your Incentive Trips

eBook: 12 Tips to Recharge Your Incentive Trips

eBook: 12 Tips to Recharge Your Incentive Trips

Incentive programs aren’t easy! Every organization has their own set of values, culture, and system of accountability. Once they’ve been established, and you’ve built an incentive program to reflect them, the big question remains: How do you create an incredible incentive trip...

Top 3 Tips: Feeding the Masses

Top 3 Tips: Feeding the Masses

Top 3 Tips: Feeding the Masses

Whether you’re creating an intimate dining experience for a group of executives or feeding 25,000 famished developers at a user conference, the catering plan can make or break your event. A well-fed attendee is a happy attendee, so be sure to follow these...

The Magic Behind Winning Teams (And the Discipline Behind the Magic)

eBook: The Magic Behind Winning Teams (And the Discipline Behind the Magic)

The Magic Behind Winning Teams (And the Discipline Behind the Magic)

Winning team cultures don’t happen by accident, and team isn’t just a who, it’s also a how. In this comprehensive eBook, Opus Agency Chief Operating Officer Dena Lowery explains the discipline and approach required to build and sustain a thriving team dynamic within your organization...

Top 3 Tips to Swag Like a Pro

Top 3 Tips to Swag Like a Pro

Top 3 Tips to Swag Like a Pro

If you’ve been to an event, you probably came home with a branded pen. In a branded tote bag. That’s also holding a branded T-shirt. And pens, totes, and T-shirts are just the beginning of the hundreds of thousands of promotional product options for any given event or marketing initiative...

eBook: 3 Big Ideas Event Marketers Should Steal from Digital Marketing

eBook: 3 Big Ideas Event Marketers Should Steal from Digital Marketing

eBook: 3 Big Ideas Event Marketers Should Steal from Digital Marketing

Opus Agency Chief Strategy Officer outlines three specific ways event marketing professionals can borrow from digital.

Top 3 Tips for Working with Designers

Top 3 Tips for Working with Designers

Top 3 Tips for Working with Designers

If you’ve worked with a talented designer or creative team, you know the value they offer. They can bring your brand to life in ways you never imagined; create delightful digital, print, and real-world experiences for your customers and other important...

Top 3 Tips for Negotiating Venue Contracts

Top 3 Tips for Negotiating Venue Contracts

Top 3 Tips for Negotiating Venue Contracts

If you’re in charge of booking event venues, you know how much is at stake—the success or failure of your event, the potential for budget-busting overruns, and the stresses of competing in an increasingly seller-friendly market. But don’t worry—Opus is here to help...

Top 10 Principles of Event Strategy

eBook: Top 10 Principles of Event Strategy

Top 10 Principles of Event Strategy

Top 10 Principals of Event Strategy from Opus Agency Events are labor intensive, time-consuming…and remarkably effective at building your brand when done right. How can you be sure you’re maximizing your events’ effectiveness while creating a memorable experience your attendees will enjoy—and...

Top Trends Driving Event Marketers in 2015

eBook: Top Trends Driving Event Marketers in 2015

Top Trends Driving Event Marketers in 2015

Top Trends Driving Event Marketers in 2015 from Opus Agency Here’s what’s coming in 2015… The new year embodies a sense of optimism and energy. It’s the time to start fresh, move fast, and make no small plans. In that spirit, we wanted to know what’s...

3 Essentials Every Event Marketer Should Be Measuring

eBook: 3 Essentials Every Event Marketer Should Be Measuring

3 Essentials Every Event Marketer Should Be Measuring

3 Essential Metrics For Event Marketers from Opus Agency Event Marketers own some of the most immersive and powerful touchpoints in the customer experience landscape, which puts us under increasing pressure to demonstrate return on investment. But are...