In-House vs. Agency vs. Hybrid Marketing

So, you have a big event coming up and everything about it has to be “wow.” Who do you call on to help you bring all the elements together for it to be a sizzling success? There are three options for developing creative for a killer show: in-house team, creative agency and a hybrid of the two.

Working With Your In-House Staff

Your in-house creative shop provides a wealth of information and help when it comes to delivering brand elements, products, website content and any company- or product-related literature. They know your business, they work on your materials every day and they are committed to the success of any event for your company. However, your in-house staff may not have event marketing experience, and therefore are not necessarily equipped to handle the more high-level creative concepts associated with events.

Hiring an Outside Agency

When you engage an outside agency, you rely on them to deliver a powerful creative concept for the event and then execute the event with experiential marketing that is consistent with the original concept. An outside agency will have contacts with groups that can secure celebrities and notable keynote speakers, as well as musicians, videographers and photographers who can deliver high-caliber work. Agencies can also hire talent for interactive aspects of your show to round out the event experience. Possible drawbacks to engaging an outside agency are costs and the fact that an agency simply doesn’t know your business like your in-house team does, and the learning curve may require some time.

A Hybrid Experience

Combining the talents and expertise of your in-house staff with an outside agency will give you the best of both worlds. An outside agency can provide event strategies and offer expertise with audio/video equipment and event management. Your in-house team has strengths in product knowledge, internal executive relationships and a commitment to make the show a success. Your in-house team will also be able to supply print and digital material to complement the agency’s deliverables. You can rely on your in-house team to staff the event where appropriate.

Clearly, there are benefits to using your in-house staff and an outside agency when producing a major event. It is up to you to choose which of their strengths you want to employ so your event is as successful as possible.