Event Innovators

July 31, 2013
Hugh Forrest, director, South by Southwest Interactive Festival
Hugh Forrest, director, South by Southwest Interactive Festival
Photo: Courtesy of Hugh Forrest
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The XP Agency has worked on events for brands like Procter & Gamble, Netflix, Coca-Cola, and Ghirardelli.
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Rose Gold Collective handled Don Q Rum's festival build at the Country Bay Music Festival in Miami.
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'One of the most defining moments of my career was leading the creative direction for Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s HPE Discover event keynote, the first-ever corporate keynote at Sphere in Las Vegas—a landmark moment in both creativity and technology,' says Saaud.
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The co-founders of The XP Agency see every touchpoint as an opportunity to connect—long before the event begins and long after it ends.
The XP Agency has worked on events for brands like Procter & Gamble, Netflix, Coca-Cola, and Ghirardelli.
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The owner and creative director of Rose Gold Collective brings a boutique mindset to bold brand moments.
Rose Gold Collective handled Don Q Rum's festival build at the Country Bay Music Festival in Miami.
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The founder and chief creative officer of No Filter Creative blends fine art, branding, and technology to push the boundaries of immersive storytelling.
'One of the most defining moments of my career was leading the creative direction for Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s HPE Discover event keynote, the first-ever corporate keynote at Sphere in Las Vegas—a landmark moment in both creativity and technology,' says Saaud.
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The founder and CEO of Creative Riff has been chasing creative curiosity since his dorm room startup days, now leading bold activations for some of the world’s biggest IPs.
Ryan and his team produce BravoCon, an immersive brand experience where more than 27,000 'Bravoholics' celebrate their fandom through photo ops, live panels, interactive exhibits, and surprise-and-delight moments.
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The founder and president of MAS leads with inclusion, imagination, and a refusal to coast—turning events into meaningful, memorable moments.
'Every event is an opportunity to get wildly imaginative—and we take it,' says Choi.
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The head of production for Crown & Conquer is passionate about creating experiences that feel real, relevant, and rooted in culture.
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The global head of experiential marketing for Canva is turning brand experiences into global celebrations of creativity, community, and joy.
Knowles runs Canva Create, the brand's flagship event that started as a 1,500-person internal gathering in Sydney and has since evolved into the 'Coachella of creativity' with 4,500-plus in-person attendees and over 2.5 million online registrants around the world.
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The executive vice president of 15|40 Productions aims to craft experiences that merge technology, creativity, and community in groundbreaking ways.
15|40 is a creative-led marketing events agency specializing in experiences and integrated activations for global brands; the team regularly works on activations at major events like D23 (pictured).
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The senior manager of whiskey portfolio events for Heaven Hill Brands is redefining brand activations through the art of “hospitality by design.”
'One of my favorite career moments was hosting an immersive product launch dinner in our rickhouse as part of our grain-to-glass series,' says Darley Daily.
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The vice president of experiential marketing for Capital Group is reimagining events as data-driven, tech-forward experiences—with human connection at the core.
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