GES Expands Strategic Client Services and Strengthens Team with Addition of New Talent

Arjun Chakravarti, GES senior vice president of analytics & insights solutions (Photo: Business Wire)

LAS VEGAS--()--GES, a global full-service provider for live events, today announced its expansion of strategic services for North American clients and prospects. Event strategy based on in-depth data analytics and market insights is critical to experiential marketing success and GES is committed to helping clients continuously add value to their events. GES’ approach to strategic services is focused on three areas:

  • Analytics & Insights: In-depth data analysis and expert knowledge on global industry trends for clients’ businesses and product/services sectors. These trends are identified through quantitative and qualitative analytics to form actionable insights resulting in informed strategic approaches for GES clients and prospects
  • Strategy: Driven by analytics & insights to increase brand engagement and to develop a strategic experiential approach to achieve clients’ desired business objectives
  • Creative: Best-in-class exhibit and event themes, engaging attendee journeys and a cohesive brand look, tone, and feel driven by strategy.

Along with new strategic services, GES is strengthening its team with the addition of Arjun Chakravarti, as senior vice president of analytics & insights solutions, Ben Olson as vice president of experiential engagement, and Ann Marie Burke as director of experiential engagement.

Before joining GES, Chakravarti was assistant professor of management and marketing at the IIT Stuart School of Business in Chicago, where his research employed tools from psychology, economics and statistics primarily toward the study of marketing strategy and managerial decision making. He also served as managing director of Level 100, a boutique innovation and analytics consulting firm that develops strategic insights and technology adoption solutions for Fortune 2000 firms. Chakravarti holds both an MBA and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in Behavioral Science, with an emphasis in Management and Marketing Research. He reports to GES North American President Jay Altizer.

“Arjun comes with a wealth of experience in combining data with actionable market insights to provide the analytics that drive strategic plans and deliver impactful experiences for clients,” said Altizer. “I look forward to working closely with Arjun as we continue to partner with our clients to develop unique, engaging and winning event strategies powered by insights that lead to long-term business success.”

“Joining GES is a special opportunity for me because I have always seen the company as a thought leader in experiential marketing. I look forward to working with my talented colleagues to develop a unique perspective on using data to shape market trends and develop strategic roadmaps for both GES and our clients,” comments Chakravarti.

Ben Olson was most recently vice president, managing director of Magnify, the creative agency at mg, where he led the marketing strategy, digital, and 2D and 3D design teams. Olson has deep agency, creative and experiential marketing experience and has collaborated with clients in a variety of key industries to create and deliver a wide range of immersive brand activations.

Ann Marie Burke joins from mg’s internal creative agency where she was director of experiential strategy, leading the strategy team in the development of integrated engagement and marketing solutions.

“We are thrilled to have Ben and Ann Marie join our talented team and further enhance our strategic marketing and engagement capabilities,” said GES Executive Vice President Vin Saia. “Ben and Ann Marie will further strengthen GES’ ability to deliver integrated attendee experiences across the pre, at and post-show spectrum, as well as enhance our ability to develop and execute thematic direction, messaging and content creation. Additionally, they will both play key roles in bringing our immersive, experiential vision to life for our current and future clients.”

By expanding its strategic service offerings, investing and strengthening teams across the company, GES continues to increase value to clients, accelerate revenue growth and propel the brand’s global footprint.

About GES

GES, a Viad Corp (NYSE: VVI) company, is a global, full-service provider for live events, producing corporate events, exhibitions, conferences, congresses, exhibits and entertainment experiences. GES provides a wide range of services, including official show services, audio visual, cutting-edge creative and design, marketing and measurement services, and event accommodations – all with an unrivaled global reach. GES partners with leading shows brands, including Pfizer, Merck, Bell, Spring Fair Birmingham, MAGIC, CONEXPO-CON/AGG and IFPE, and Canadian International Auto Show. GES’ National Servicenter® has been recognized with certification under the J.D. Power and Associates Certified Call Center Program℠ for the 10th year in a row, and for the ninth year in a row, Ad Age has named GES as one of the Nation’s Largest Experiential/Event Marketing Agency Networks. For more information visit www.ges.com.

Contacts

GES
Detra Page
702.515.5627
dpage@ges.com

Release Summary

GES Expands Strategic Client Services and Strengthens Team with Addition of New Talent

Contacts

GES
Detra Page
702.515.5627
dpage@ges.com