The final guest lecture for the semester was given by Michael White founder and partner of ITCH and Mona Mothadi PA & Operations Manager.
ITCH is an independent experiential event marketing agency based in central London & celebrated their 10th birthday last year. Their client roster includes: Virgin Media, Google, UEFA and Virgin Atlantic. Their visit was an opportunity for Events & Leisure students to hear more about the work ITCH does along with an opportunity to learn more about placement and graduate roles on offer.
Mike gave the audience some great insight into what makes good experiential activities. In today’s market customers are more savvy than ever before and don’t want to be sold to or talked to. They want brands that listen to them, have conversations and engage. Agencies have to get more creative and push boundaries. What clients look for are good ideas they are not so concerned with above or below the line. ITCH and other agencies have to come up with great ideas that create genuine brand engagement and also return on investment (ROI). It is important that you don’t just create a cool event but also measure the success. Examples on how to do this is through looking at digital hubs, conversations and channels where audience engage. Mike also emphasized the importance of great client service and management but also innovation and development.
Mona told the audience that ITCH are very keen to get in touch with students and graduates that are interested in the business. They are happy to discuss and find a way to work together with students as well as academic staff. She described various opportunities such as placements, graduate jobs, and dissertation and research projects. Two final year BAEM students, Stacey Crouch and Holly Wood (who did placement with them last year) were available and answered questions from students. When asked what they had learned they replied that they had gained confidence to stand on their own, trust their judgement and go for it!
By: Maria Näs