As director of communications, sales, and marketing at Giffin Koerth Inc., Michael Butler produces four to six events a year. Describing his company as "the CSI of insurance claims," he is currently working on "Accidents Deconstructed," an annual event taking place in early 2009 to coincide with the Canadian Insurance Adjusters Association Conference. Butler has been with Giffin Koerth since 2003.
Invitations: "Constant Contact creates printable electronic invites that don’t show up as junk mail in inboxes, and people can bring the printed invites to the door. Members of the insurance industry often have many e-mail blockers, so it’s easy for exciting invites to get rejected and sent into junk mail. Constant Contact enables our invites to reach the right people and not get lost."
Audiovisual Production: "I find PSAV to be very reliable; they’re associated with the Sheraton Hotel chain. They coordinate our gobo lighting with projected rotating logos. They introduced us to gobos when we weren’t even aware of them a few years ago. Gobos can allow for co-sponsorship with a second logo displayed, and it gives participants a relatively cheap way of displaying their presence. Slingshot Inc. does a lot of our audiovisual lighting and some graphics. Slingshot can tap into a club's existing media, look at their system, and design a visual show on the media screens all throughout the venue."
Venue: "Steam Whistle Brewery is a microbrewery, restaurant, and bar, and has pretty amazing conference areas. We also use a bar adjacent to where the CIAA Conference takes place called the Loose Moose, which is also right around the corner from our office and is used for other events, too. Proximity is key for us—our office is downtown so it’s important to have something that we can literally walk to."
Music/Entertainment: "We use a DJ and percussionist that performs Latin and R&B music, Alvaro C and DJ KidConga. It’s three or four people—a DJ, percussionist, and some exotic wind instruments. Sometimes they’ll include a female dancer who keeps the crowd entertained."
Public Relations: "When we want to promote our philanthropic side, we turn to Natasha Koifman of NKPR. She's pretty recognizable. We’ve used them for our Women in Insurance Cancer Crusade event and the Blue Goose Fellowship."
