Nazy Gavahi is the 37-year-old founder and creative director of event production and design company NGK Agency. She’s based in Atlanta.
What my day-to-day looks like:
No day is the same. But they usually all start with a 6 a.m. workout, a quad soy latte, time-blocking my calendar, and a 9 a.m. brainstorm with the team.
From market research and creative strategy to the—oddly satisfying—budget forecasting and production timelines, I find myself, at some point in the day, wearing all the hats at once.
My career journey:
My tenacity as a woman in entrepreneurship stems from the example set forth by my father. As the oldest of six kids and an immigrant to the U.S., he left his business and everything he knew in Iran to provide the American dream for his family. His guidance set the tone that if you follow your passion, you will find happiness through every step of the creative chaos. In turn, I learned what perseverance and grit looks like through championing yourself.
I started my journey in marketing and events while I was getting my B.A. in psychology and sociology at Georgia State University as a creative outlet to break up the mundane and long school days. Little did I know I was embarking on a new passion that would take me out of my comfort zone. I quickly fell in love with the industry and the opportunities I was stumbling upon along the way. I booked a one-way ticket to Vegas after graduation and left all I knew to continue my career in the city that never sleeps.
I landed a job with Hakkasan Group as the national nightlife and restaurant marketing manager for Wet Republic and Hakkasan Restaurant. Nothing like long days and long nights to get your feet wet! After three years, I moved back home to open up Dolce Italian, American Cut Steakhouse, Corso Coffee, and Regent Cocktail Club in Atlanta with LDV Hospitality. It was with LDV that I was able to curate programming and events that spoke to the community and culture. I knew I wanted to continue to create, but outside LDV’s four walls, so I took another leap of faith.
NGK Agency was established in 2017, specializing in event production and design. As founder and creative director, my mission is rooted in ensuring my clients reach their highest heights by cultivating authentic cultural connectivity and intentional brand messaging in a non-traditional yet organic way.
My greatest career accomplishment:
My greatest career accomplishment is having the freedom and the choice to work with clients and brands that are aligned with our core values and vision.
When you start a business, you are taught to say yes to every opportunity and that no opportunity is a bad one. As a new business owner, you are struggling to survive and learning what your bandwidth is and where your boundaries lie. Finding the courage to say no to a project can be scary, but as the saying goes, “When one door closes, another opens.” Trust the process, create the boundaries, and know your bandwidth.
After six years, I can vet out the opportunities that allow NGK to create meaningful experiences and disrupt the norm.
My leadership style:
I have a very hands-on approach to my leadership style. I roll up my sleeves and jump in where needed at any time. This stems from being a one-man show for so long (haha)!
I like to lead by example and show my team that titles mean nothing and collaboration means everything. Communication is the key. Having a team that feels heard and understood is so important to me and my business, so I encourage and champion creative sessions and brainstorming on projects as a collective group.
If I have learned one thing thus far, it is to lead with light and kindness.
Gavahi's most memorable event was the Selfie Studio (pictured) created for Brookfield Properties Retail. "Each container hosted a unique theme," she explained, adding that she "loved watching the pieces come to life on social media through user-generated content!"Photo: Courtesy of NGK Agency
What inspires me:
I find inspiration in anything that fosters my creative mind and for me, travel has always been that outlet. Culture and community create connectivity, and with an open mind and hungry eyes, we allow ourselves to continue to be inspired.
I also use social media and collaborative platforms like Pinterest to keep a pulse on upcoming trends and what others in the industry are doing.
My most memorable event:
The Selfie Studio we created for Brookfield Properties Retail has to be one of the most memorable campaigns we have done to-date, and for a few reasons…
We were tasked with curating a multi-city experiential marketing campaign featuring East and West Coast tours across eight of its properties in the U.S., designed to allow shoppers to step aside from the traditional mall environment and into 10 immersive experiences set within 8-by-8-foot containers.
Each container hosted a unique theme ranging from a retro train set, dubbed “Train to Anywhere,” to “Pipe Dreams,” which was a colorful concept that conjured the nostalgia of freedom and play at the skatepark. We loved watching the pieces come to life on social media through user-generated content!
Our approach to this campaign was to create an experience that can continue to be re-designed and uplifted year over year. In 2023, the Selfie Studio is coming back as The Decades Tour with eight new concepts embodying the essence of the eras from the 1950s to the future, kicking off in Las Vegas at the Fashion Show Mall in April 2023!
Some impressive stats I’m responsible for:
We curated a campaign for one of my clients Fifth + Broadway, located in downtown Nashville, in which we sourced and purchased Pearl, a 1965 Ford F100 that would be featured as an experiential pop-up seasonally around the property. It took a little bit of convincing on the client’s end to trust the process and understand the ROI that NGK was predicting for this concept.
Fast forward two seasons into the campaign—Pearl was organically featured in The New York Times as the cover photo for its Nashville Travel Tourism Guide. The article had a social and PR reach of more than 1.8 million impressions, confirming Pearl’s popularity among locals and tourists alike!
Gavahi recalled a campaign NGK Agency completed for Fifth + Broadway, "in which we sourced and purchased Pearl, a 1965 Ford F100 that would be featured as an experiential pop-up seasonally around the property," she explained. Pearl was later featured in The New York Times and garnered a reach of more than 1.8 million.Photo: John Hillin
The advice I would give my younger self:
One, don’t be scared to ask questions that may not be the popular opinion. Use your voice to share ideas, take feedback, and soak in all the knowledge from your leaders!
Two, welcome failure with open arms as it shapes how we problem solve and pushes us out of our comfort zone. Some of the best campaigns I have created have come from ones that have had hiccups along the way.
Three, cultivate your community. Enough said!
My ideal day OOO:
Sleep in til 8 a.m., a midday massage, a little shopping, a dinner at my fave Mexican spot where I proceed to order everything on the menu just for one (maybe two) bites, and an escape room as a nightcap!
That or a boat day in Positano. It’s a toss up!
What’s next for me:
A world takeover (LOL). In all seriousness, I am hoping to continue to expand my team and find more like-minded creatives that want to learn and grow with NGK Agency.
BizBash's 2023 40 Under 40 list is sponsored by VDA, a Massachusetts-based experiential marketing and event design agency that specializes in custom live, hybrid, and virtual experiences designed to drive business growth through client collaboration and creative thinking.
