Maintaining relationships is important for long-term success in just about any industry. However, in experiential marketing we really mean it when we say “It’s a Small World.” Since this is a very niche industry, you can almost be certain that you will run into the same people over and over again in some capacity down the road. 

Many of the agency employees will changeover between the various agencies to work in different roles. Field staff will very often transition to account or other internal positions on the agency side. Meanwhile, agency workers will move over to the client side of the business. While not as frequent, both client and agency personnel do switch over to the field as well. Since the industry as a whole is mostly run by small-scale agencies, new agencies spring up every year lead by the same people. Fostering the right relationships can catapult your opportunities. Conversely, burning even one bridge has a high likelihood of coming back to bite you sooner than later. 

As with any profession, certain licenses and certifications are required for different types of jobs within the experiential marketing industry.

Project Manager Certification
While generally not a requirement, the Project Management Certification is an important credential for someone seeking an account executive, program manager, or client services director positions.

Commercial Driver’s License (CDL)
The CDL license is required for anyone looking to drive commercial vehicles over a certain length and weight for mobile-marketing tours.

DOT Medical Certification
The DOT Medical Certification is required for the CDL license. Furthermore, even if the commercial vehicle can be driven without a CDL license, a DOT Medical Certification might still be required for interstate driving.

Alcohol Beverage Control Certification (TIPS)
This is a certification that is required in most states for individuals working promotional jobs involving any kind of alcohol serving or sampling.

ServSafe
Administered by the National Restaurant Association, a ServSafe Food Handler certificate is necessary for any events dealing with food or beverage service. For managerial positions, a ServSafe Manager certificate may be required.

Forklift Operator
Anyone working in production jobs would benefit from obtaining this certificate per OSHA compliance.

Here are my picks from 10+ years of full-time travel. 

Backpack
OGIO – Designed for durability, ergonomics, and organization. 
www.ogio.com/backpacks

Work Jeans & Khakis
Wrangler – Wrangler is the leading manufacturer of durable American workwear.
www.wrangler.com

Work Hat
Nike Dri-FIT – When driving or working outside, a good work hat will help keep the sun out of your eyes and protect your head against sunburn. The Nike Dri-FIT technology is lightweight, sturdy, and great at absorbing sweat. 

Work Gloves
CLC T-touch Handyman Work Gloves – These gloves offer excellent padding for hand protection, as well as flexibility for different production tasks. You can find them on Amazon, most hardware stores, or truck stops. 

Winter Gear
Flylow – Designed by avid skiers, they make everything from waterproof pants, jackets, and winter gloves designed to perform in extremely cold conditions.

Multi-Tool
Leatherman – Crafted for outdoor use, Leatherman makes many varieties of high-quality multi-tools. Leatherman offers a 25-year limited warranty.
www.leatherman.com

Road Cases
Pelican – The global leader in protective travel cases. The best choice for protecting electronic devices on the road.
www.pelican.com/

​The Run of Show document provides the event manager with a blueprint of information for each event. The more information the field team is provided, the better they can prepare themselves for a smooth set up and a successful activation. Here is a general guideline of what a typical ROS needs to include:

General Event Overview

• A brief description of the event
• Dates and times the event is open to the public
• Event location
• Venue layout (floorplan map)
• General parking information​

Vendor Information

• Names and contact information of key onsite contacts for the venue such as the event coordinator, sponsorship manager, or the union lead
• Any media dates not listed under the public hours
• Location and hours of operation of event office to pick up credentials
• Load-in/Load-out direction
• Designated parking for commercial vehicles (marshaling yard) and any specific staff parking
• Any prohibitions –Specific premiums that cannot be distributed, music decibel level, generator use, etc.
• How early before the event starts can vendors enter the venue, and how late can they stay after the event shut downs each day
• Storage and shipping/receiving information for the venue

Footprint ROS

• Exact location of footprint within the venue with any specific load-in instructions
• Names and contact information of all staff working the activation, including any expected client attendees
• Work hours for all event staff (managers, brand ambassadors, labor personnel, emcee)
• Staff uniform requirements for the event
• Any activities distinctive to the event like a stage presentation, celebrity appearances, or special prizes giveaway

 

Premiums are the branded giveaway items that consumers receive upon participating in some aspect of the activation. There are two types of premiums used in experiential marketing: generic and brand specific.
Just about every activation will consist of giving out branded generic premiums (drawstring backpacks, key chains, chip clips, pens, sunglasses). These giveaways are fairly inexpensive to mass produce and allow for easy branding for consumers to walk away with. However, generic premiums rarely leave a memorable impression amongst consumers and are often seen as just a step above fliers.
To create a more memorable impression, brand specific premiums should also be incorporated into the activation. Examples of brand specific premiums might include carpenter pencils for a power tools brand, mouse pad for a gaming product, aprons for a cooking utensils company, or a screen cleaner for an electronics brand. These are functional items, therefore consumers are more likely to recall the brand as they use the premium long after the activation.
Another option is to use special premiums as a way to incentivize consumers for participating in different parts of the activation. For example, if you are doing a motorcycle program with multiple event stations, you can give out a branded face mask or kickstand plate to consumers that complete all of the stations. Providing some kind of a unique premium, such as a branded hat or t-shirt to current owners of the product or service, is also an excellent way for the brand to show customer appreciation. 
  

As experiential marketing is a niche industry, many of the experiential marketing jobs are not posted via traditional job sources. Here are 5 places you should look for job opportunities in the field:
1. Facebook Groups
Each market in the country has a dedicated Brand Ambassador group for agency recruiters to post all sorts of promotional jobs. Join the respective groups to see an array of daily job posts, ranging from one-off events to long-term programs.
2. Staffing Agencies Direct Mailing List 
Most of the independent national event staffing agencies have a website with a New Talent Registration section. This is where you create your staff profile to receive email notifications for future event opportunities in the cities you are able to work in.
3. Craigslist
Since experiential marketing jobs are non permanent assignments, agencies looking for event staff will use Craigslist to find temporary labor. Browse the Gigs section for your market, especially when a major event is coming up.
4. LinkedIn
In many instances LinkedIn has replaced the traditional resume. This is especially true in the experiential marketing field where job submissions frequently require a head shot as part of the application process. You can set an alert for a particular job title, such as Event Manager, to automatically receive email notifications as jobs are posted by the recruiters.
5. Indeed
While most experiential marketing jobs are not posted on traditional job searching sites, I have found Indeed to be the exception. Just like LinkedIn, you can set a keyword job alert to receive automatic notifications for specific job titles.

With the advancement in the quality of cameras in smartphones, capturing high quality event photos and videos has never been easier. There are three types of photos the event manager should take to most accurately recap the event in its entirety.

Operation Photos
The operation photos entail the back-of-the-house nuances involved with the activation. 

• Photos of the footprint placement within the event space
• Photos of anything impacting the footprint schematics - examples include:
  • natural obstacles (trees, mud, uneven terrain for set up)
  • neighboring vendors set up too close
  • proximity of footprint to the stage
  • lack of lighting for night activations
• Photos of any asset damages due to wear and tear, transport, or weather

Activation Photos/Videos
These are the photos you take during the event to cover important snapshots of the activation.

• Photos of the Brand Ambassador team in uniform smiling within the footprint

• Photos of Brand Ambassadors clearly interacting with consumers - when working camera angles, make sure to always take photos of consumer faces
  
• Photos of consumers participating in the activation stations (photo booth, prize wheel, registration, etc.)
• Photos of consumers holding premiums and winning prizes
• Photos of any celebrity or brand spokespeople appearing at the activation
• Video of emcee making announcements and introducing any VIPS during the event
• For retail events, photos of consumers purchasing the promoted product

Competitive Activity Photos
You want to visit competitive vendors and take photos of their footprint and any elements that your brand might want to incorporate for future activations.  

​The event recap is a synopsis of what went on in the field at any particular activation. While each program is different, here is a list of 10 general recap questions that should be included with every event.
1. Weather
Weather conditions impact the event attendance. Poor weather conditions may also result in the footprint being shut down or the activation having to be modified.
2. Estimated # of Attendees
For large scale events, this information can usually be acquired from either the event organizer or the ticket box office. For retail or smaller grassroots events, the event manager will usually need to provide a best estimate figure.
3. Location of Footprint
Where was the placement of the footprint within the event venue? It is important to be descriptive here because certain locations of the venue can see very different foot traffic throughout the event.
4. Number of Consumer Engagements
Using a basic tally clicker is an easy way for each staff member to keep track of how many people they interacted with during the event.
5. Demographics of Attendees 
Characteristics such as race, gender, age, and income of the event attendees are important to know when discussing whether the target market for the brand was reached.
6. Number of Giveaways Distributed 
Just about every activation includes the distribution of premiums and some kind of brand literature. Recording this information is not only important for inventory management, but it also provides additional insight as to the number of consumers that were reached at the event.
7. Consumer Commentary
Any positive feedback, negative statements, or insightful consumer questions about the brand or the activation in general.
8. Competitive Activity Information
The event manager needs to report on any direct competitors of the brand activating at the event. These notes can bring valuable insight for planning future programs.
9. Condition of Assets 
Did any damages to the assets occur during the event?
10. Additional Notes
Any other relevant information in summarizing the event. Examples include client presence, staffing issues, or memorable moments.

While being out on the road the, your lodging options are between a traditional hotel room or an Airbnb residence. Here we will compare the advantages as well as the drawbacks of each option.

Advantages of Traditional Hotels

1. Business Services

• Just about any hotel property that is at least 3 stars has a business center (computer and printer) and conference rooms available for guests to reserve for meetings.

2. Receiving Shipments

• Almost every hotel will accept packages and hold them for you at a safe location as long as you are a registered guest.

3. Rooms are Guaranteed with Reservation

• It is extremely rare for a hotel to not have a room for you if you have made a proper reservation. You can also check-in at just about any hour of the day/night after 3pm. This is critical for long drives when you might be arriving to your destination late at night.

4. Free Breakfast

• Unless you book a full-service hotel, most hotels provide free breakfast as part of the rate for the stay.

5. Room Service

• Free room cleaning is a great amenity to have particularly during longer stays.

6.Reward System

• Every major hotel chain has a reward system that will allow you to accumulate points to redeem for free nights.

Disadvantages of Traditional Hotels

1 .Lack of Kitchen

• Unless it is an extended stay property like the Homewood Suites by Hilton or Residence Inn by Marriott, you won’t have the equipment to cook your own food.

2. Big Surcharges During Major Events

• A 2-star motel can run over $400 per night during large-scale events like Daytona, Super Bowl, or Kentucky Derby.

3. Rooms are Small

• Most hotel rooms simply have one or two beds and a bathroom, making them an uncomfortable option for more than two people to share.

Advantages of Airbnb

1. Space

• Many Airbnb choices are entire properties, so you can rent a multi-bedroom house for the price of a hotel room.

2. Cooking Equipment       

• Even for shared rooms options, with an Airbnb you will have access to a kitchen and maybe even additional cooking equipment like an outside grill.

3. Less Surcharging for Major Events

• Airbnb prices will certainly surcharge for major events, but almost never as much as traditional hotels.

Disadvantages of Airbnb

1. Limited Parking

• While hotels have a designated parking lot, Airbnb properties are private residencies. Therefore, parking for large tour vehicles can be very limited.  

2. Hosts can Cancel

• For a number of reasons, an Airbnb host can cancel your stay several days prior to arrival. This can then become a particularly bad situation if there is a major event in town and other options have already been booked up.

3. Limited Business Services

• Usually the Airbnb will provide Wi-Fi, but that’s it for business amenities.

4. Lack of a Rewards Program

• There are certain partners, such as Delta Airlines, that reward miles for booking directly through their portal. However, as of this writing Airbnb does not have a formal rewards system. 

5. Difficulty Checking-in

• ​Some Airbnb properties do allow self check-in by using a lockbox system. Other properties, however, require you to meet the host at a designated time in order to check-in. This can become a problem if your travel is delayed.