Photo: Courtesy of Kendyl Wright
How she got her start: "I have been in experiential marketing since before it was called experiential," says Wright, noting that she started in PR in 2006 and her first lead project was a sponsorship activation for New York Fashion Week. "I fell in love with the challenge to make the client stand out among a sea of other sponsors and noise. I quickly became the go-to person at my agency when clients needed nontraditional PR—stunts, sponsorships, grand openings, mobile tours, expos, multicity events, etc."
One pivotal project? In 2009, Wright spearheaded a mobile tour where she bought and wrapped a minibus; drove it across the country for 10 weeks; hired all local staff and mascots; negotiated all city stops with retail, education and medical facilities; partnered with a Disney act for appearances; and more. "I had no idea what DOT or COI guidelines were, or that as a full-time tour lead on the road, I shouldn’t also be working on other clients," she remembers. "It was just me and two interns, living on this bus, figuring it out as we went."
She officially made the jump to the event world in 2010, where she worked in-house to run events and sponsorships for a national paint brand, followed by a role as director of sports marketing for a midsize agency. "I began to see behind the curtain of the operational load and financials," she says. "When I was ready to look for a new adventure, I opened LOUDER Experiences instead. That was early 2019 and I haven’t looked back."
"When [shopping center] Legacy West asked us to build a holiday installation, we almost said no. Santa and ornaments were not our thing. We told the client as much, and she responded with 'That’s why I want you.' We pitched the Ugly Sweater Hall of Fame that still lives on to this day. Four years later, LOUDER is not only responsible for some of the most instagrammed retail installations in Texas, but we are also able to track the increased foot traffic and sales around the various installation timings for our clients. To me, that is innovation."Photo: Courtesy of LOUDER Experiences
Wright is passionate about finding original ideas. "I see so many events and experiences that are rinse-and-repeat or very similar to each other, and it spurs me to reach for different ideas to not fall into the same pattern. One of our favorite things to do when we have an idea is Google it and see if it exists anywhere, not just in the experiential space. When it doesn’t, we know we’ve found a winner."
How she stays inspired: Wright loves to travel, read, and attend other events. "I take photos of the most random things everywhere I go, and I scour social media and the internet—a sign, a sticker, a piece of art, a plate, a piece of furniture. Then I try to incorporate those things into my client work," she explains. "When I’m really stumped for inspiration, that’s when I close my laptop. I will shut it down in frustration, and then at 3 a.m. nights later, wake up with an idea and follow that instinct. I chase that 'aha' moment until I find the solution and put it on paper."
Career highlights: "Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of incredible events all over the place, from Fashion Week to the Super Bowl, from CES to SXSW, from Nova Scotia to Hawaii. However, the joy I feel when I complete a LOUDER Experiences event or activation is unlike anything I ever imagined," she says. "I started with zero clients and one goal—to create cool experiences with the best people. We have activated for major brands such as Coach, Microsoft, Match, and T-mobile in our first four years. We have produced experiences all over the country while going through our earliest years in a global pandemic. In that sense, every LOUDER project is a career highlight." 
"One of our favorite things to do when we have an idea is Google it and see if it exists anywhere, not just in the experiential space. When it doesn’t, we know we’ve found a winner," says Wright.Photo: Courtesy of LOUDER Experiences
Her vision for the future of experiential: Wright notes that experiential has become an integral part of the marketing strategy. "My hope is that it will continue to grow in importance and that we will be increasingly involved from the marketing strategy perspective—not just asked to throw the parties at the end of the campaign," she says. "In addition, the shifts around how Gen Z wants to be engaged are going to make major changes to experiential in the coming years. My hope is that the experiential teams keep pace with and work alongside the digital teams to create new, incredible moments for the next generation."
This feature is sponsored by Spiro, the global brand experience agency for the new now. Spiro delivers culture-bending, out-of-this-world live brand experiences that give all your stakeholders a chance to experience your brand long after your event ends.
