Event Management is one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic sectors in the world today. Event Companies are essential in today’s world, as they offer a range of benefits and services to their clients and the society at large. As events become huge in magnitude sometimes covering huge physical distances, event companies help plan, organize, and execute various types of events, such as conferences, exhibitions, festivals, concerts, weddings, etc.
They help clients save time, money, and resources by taking care of all the details and logistics of the event, from venue selection, catering, entertainment, marketing, and security, to post-event evaluation. Their professional expertise and creativity help ensure that events are successful and memorable for the attendees, sponsors, and stakeholders. They use the latest technology and tools to enhance the event experience and ensure quality and safety standards. They also contribute to the social and economic development of the communities where the events take place.
Portugal-based Gr8 Events is one such event company known to create value and impact for clients and society by delivering events that align with the client’s goals and objectives, such as raising awareness, generating revenue, promoting a brand, or celebrating a milestone.
Giving it Their All
GR8 Events. Was established in March 2021. As the CEO Francisco Serzedello puts it, “A group of 14 experienced event managers, event designers, strategists, content creators, motion graphics, and nerds, in the middle of a pandemic with a large bag of courage, knowledge, and all our hearts.”
Starting a company, one which facilitated social interaction, in the midst of a global pandemic that demanded isolation, was indeed a bravado, but one that has already started paying off. Gr8 Events strives to create lifetime memories for every event it organizes. The team lives to breathe events into life and excitement. They make sure that it is a great one for everyone, for the team, the partners, and ultimately for the clients.
GR8 Events was built on top of 3 solid pillars – Creativity, Innovation, and Technical Expertise. “These 3 pillars need to work together in harmony with balance, through empathy and constant learning to create memories that last. We do it in corporate events, brand activations, and digital events,” says Francisco.
A Long Journey
In 1996 Francisco was going through Law school when he got a chance to start making small contributions to the events and soon realized that this was exactly what he wanted. “It’ s a blessing that so early in life I found what I love to do. I loved the contact with the clients, the chance to dream and to make these dreams come to life like unique experiences,” recalls Francisco.
Soon he started working in Action Plan, a motorsport events handling agency where he was introduced to corporate events. He grew with and in the company till he got to his partnership and the director role, while the company turned the focus from the motorsport to the corporate events. He then joined the Ativism Group in Desafio Global, the Portuguese reference in events in 2007, part of a seducing communication, brand, experiences, and events group on the rise to become the leading players in most of the areas they were in.
This transition opened the door to bigger and even more astonishing events, a bigger team, and the chance to be part of a Group that counted with most of the greater names and rising stars of the industry. Francisco went through the rise and fall of this big group and continued in Desafio Global even after the collapse of Ativism.
In September 2020 it was time to look for a new challenge. After 13 years in the industry, He wanted more. He believed that an agency needs to be more, for the clients, for the team, for the business partners, for the shareholders, and for everyone. That’s when he and Rui started with Gr8 Events.
As the CEO, Francisco is responsible for steering the ship in the right direction, predicting stormy waters and opportunities. He needs to be the lighthouse in the night and the sun everyone can energize from.
He needs to help others to rise to their best, grow, and enjoy the ride.
Of High and Challenging Moments
Francisco is very proud to have created and conducted together with the clients and partners the first big event in Portugal after the pandemic, Velocity Lisbon. It was a huge task to make this come through. COVID restrictions on travel and bringing people together, the lack of supplying goods and teams, and the fear of the participants proved to be a wordy challenge. But the best part was the chance to create an innovative way of communicating and networking.
They won 2 golds and 1 Silver in the EVENTEX international awards and even more rewarding the clients considered it the best Velocity ever made.
Speaking about choppy waters and incidents that threaten to derail the events, Francisco feels that there’s a thrill about not knowing what can happen, expecting the unexpected, and solving challenges that arise during the events. “It’s our biggest fear but also an adrenaline rush. We prepare and plan everything to the tiniest detail not to be surprised but yet… Experienced teams, planning, careful preparations, and a lot of TEAM help us solve these surprises,” he shares.
Making Events Bigger and Better
While designing an event, GR8 Events’ main priority is to surpass the client’s needs, demands, and expectations. The main challenge is to go beyond what everyone expects and create memories that last, experiences that get engraved in the senses, and do it again and again. They have started an innovation department that develops most of the event solutions and personalizes them to every event. They aim to have the best solutions for their events and are really proud of them. “Innovation it’s a part of what we are, how we want to be, how we need to be. In GR8, innovation is a need, and our event managers demand it from our nerds,” says Francisco.
GR8 has been growing very fast since its start. They started 14 and are now a team of 36 people. They are already considered the best Portuguese agency twice and they are only 2 years and a half old.
“We are always trying to do it GREAT. We are planning ourselves for the Future and I promise you we can expect even more. We are Aiming high. We proudly prepare ourselves for the next year, with strategic, and sector reflections so that we can look ahead and be proactive. We never stop learning. We grow together on top of every success
and every challenge. We dare. We take risks, to do different, creatively and effectively. We keep on dreaming new dreams but always focused on the solution. In our industry and especially in Portugal we need to always be looking for new challenges, newer technologies; new opportunities,” concludes Francisco.
Quote: “Dream, think it over and do it.”
Quote: “If you are going to do it, do it GREAT.”
