AI Issue 6 2018

38 Acquisition International - Issue 6 2018 All Aces Promotional Staffing is an award-winning event staffing agency specialising in conferences, experiential marketing programs, and product demos nationwide with capabilities throughout North America, the U.K., and Europe. Recently, we sat down with Owner/CEO, Lauren Raimondi as we looked to discover more about the award-winning firm. stablished in 2007, All Aces Promotional Staffing opened its doors with one goal: to help top marketing, media, advertising and PR companies execute flawless events that build bonds between customers and brands. The firm’s clients are mostly experiential, media & digital marketing agencies, advertising agencies, PR Firms, corporate event coordinators, distributors, and food and beverage companies from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies. All Aces Promotional Staffing is a certified woman- owned business with the WBE, WBENC, and WOSB certifications, and the founder is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. Going in to detail about the firm and their ongoing strategy, Lauren explains the techniques the team at All Aces Promotional Staffing to ensure they achieve their goals, as well as how they approach a new project. “Here at All Aces Promotional Staffing, we provide temporary event staffing services and logistical assistance to our clients, so creating an efficient, seamless process is key. Just as important though, is the quality of staff. We have a bottom up approach: our event staff is our ‘product’, and the more we foster the relationships with them, the more they want to work with us and the better they perform for our clients, and ultimately, the more successful the programs are (and the happier the clients are). By continually working to streamline our procedure while cultivating all relationships, we’ve had a lot of success and large growth in recent years. “Overall, we are extremely thorough and detail- oriented, and we check to make sure the client is a good fit from the start to ensure the relationship is a success. Establishing expectations upfront and outlining our game plan, have worked well in harbouring long-lasting relationships.” Helping the company achieve their goals, is the dedicated team that form the backbone of All Aces Promotional Staffing. When discussing the team, Lauren highlights how she has cultivated an atmosphere that is conducive to a productive working environment. Contact: Lauren Raimondi Company: All Aces Promotional Staffing, Inc., 79 Madison Ave, 8th Floor, New York, 10016, USA Telephone: 001 646 829 1602 Web Address: www.acespromo.com Planning for the Best and Expecting the Unexpected E 1806AI39 “Culture is the most important aspect of any company, and we work hard to foster a positive, engaging culture internally, and ultimately to our field staff. Since events and marketing programs make up the bulk of our business, the work is not 9 – 5. As such, we have remote employees, and work from home on Fridays with a flexible schedule as needed for those who are in the office. As a team, we do breathing and meditation exercises three days per week to stay focused and reduce stress, something we may open up to event staff and clients soon as well.” Bringing the interview to a close, Lauren reflects on the opportunities and challenges both herself and the firm have faced since All Aces Promotional Staffing’s inception, noting on how they have affected her role. “I started the company when I was 24 with no experience working a ‘real’ job, so it took a few years of trial and error to really figure out what a functioning company looked like, as well as putting the various components in place. Since I was solely focused on getting clients in the beginning, there was no foundation for scaling once things really started to pick up, so we were forced to change operational procedures a number of times to keep up “Additionally, we work with clients and talent, and that means keeping both sides happy in the unpredictable nature of events. The work experience for our brand ambassadors is every bit as important as our clients’ satisfaction, and large, busy events come with their share of unforeseen obstacles. Our job is to create a win/win experience where customers and brand innovators both get what they want. Also, our job is to create a win/win experience for our talent and our customer, which requires us to constantly think on our feet and come up with a plan B, C and D for every A.” Moving forward, Lauren envisions the plans that lie ahead for the company, as well as what the award recognition means for the firm. “Now that we have the award recognition and certifications to go with our solid foundation, we plan on expanding our client base into government, high-level corporations, and festivals. Also, we plan to create more relationships with event staffing firms globally, in order to expand our reach for our clients.”