| Sparks: Competitive Edge |
| Manufacturing | |
| Friday, 30 November 2007 | |
 David Sudjian explains how this event marketing and custom retail company combines collaboration with innovation to stay ahead of the competition.  David Sudjian, President On the event marketing side, much of the company’s success stems from its consultative, collaborative approach to client projects. First, the account team works with the client to develop a strategic creative brief, a road map for the entire project, which not only details a client’s brand, culture, and products, but also its processes, timelines, and expectations for the project at hand. In addition to the strategic creative brief, the account team creates an experience map that lays out in detail the client’s desired points of contact and what the target audience will experience before, during, and after an event. “Most of our competitors talk tactically with a prospect about structure, architecture, and colors, but in our estimation, those are all secondary to what the project is really about,” said Sudjian, adding that the construction itself is typically viewed as a commodity nowadays. “The mapping process is a welcome change to our clients, particularly when working with our type of company.” On the custom retail side, Sudjian explained that although Sparks designs and in some cases manufactures the custom store fixtures, subcontractors often handle the fabrication and installation. Sparks has a large network of partners to support the retail side of the business in every medium: metal, wood, and composite. In the past several years, Sparks has made tremendous strides in outsourcing its custom retail functions. For many years, it purchased the majority of its materials domestically but has recently begun importing from China. In fact, the company opened an operation in Shanghai a year ago, which has proven to be a strong advantage. “You are not going through a third party when you manufacture in China—you have your boots on the ground and can manage that process in real time.” Sudjian also mentioned that the two sides of the business fit together like hand and glove. “It is important to create brand consistency between what customers see at an event or trade show and what they see at retail. Having these two businesses allows us to offer brand consistency.” When asked what it is about Sparks that brings back event marketing and custom retail clients time and time again, Sudjian referenced an experienced design team with the breadth and depth of knowledge needed to compete in today’s business environment. In addition, with 250 clients (most of which are Fortune 1000 companies), Sparks is just as vigilant about pulling clients in through the front door as it is about preventing them from slipping out the back door. Sudjian also highlighted the company’s position as a thought leader. Although Sparks has customers in a wide range of industries, the majority of its event marketing business is done in the healthcare and technology arenas. The company recently launched Event-RX.com and Tech-EM.com, event-focused Web sites that aggregate and post relevant industry news, analyses, case studies, and surveys on a weekly basis. When Sudjian first took the helm as president of Sparks, he wanted to create a more team- oriented culture. After several mergers, including a 2004 merger with Showtime, of which Sudjian served as president and CEO, the company had fallen into silos. “The key to running a successful business is to never stop working on culture. You continually need to tweak it.” But no matter what cultural hurdles the Sparks-Showtime merger created, it resulted in a company with a broader footprint and greater capabilities. According to Sudjian, Sparks viewed Showtime as an entrepreneurial, service-oriented, mid-sized company, and Showtime admired Sparks’ breadth and depth in the industry. He explained that after 9/11, the industry consolidated, meaning life for the mid-sized company became difficult. “Mid-sized companies needed to have the same offerings as the large players, or they weren’t even going to get a seat at the table. The merger was a great solution for Showtime and a smart growth strategy for Sparks,” he said. Today, Sparks operates under Code Ten, a management philosophy that clearly defines how employees should conduct themselves in order to provide superior customer service. According to Sudjian, Code Ten doesn’t consist of a plaque on the wall that collects dust—it is an interactive, engaging program. In fact, the company holds multiple Code Ten events each year and has a Code Ten committee that continues to search for ways to keep employees engaged. But employee engagement doesn’t end there. This year, the company is turning its focus toward education with the launch of Sparks University, which is organized and operated by Sparks’ employees. “Our employees will take ownership of the university, and a select group will act as the university deans, coming up with the majority of the course curricula,” said Sudjian, adding that courses don’t just focus on job-related skills. Issues such as nutrition and smoking cessation will be addressed. When it comes to finding people to join the Sparks team, Sudjian never rests. In fact, he equates it to recruiting for an all-star sports team. “The team is full, but because you never know when an opportunity will present itself, you never stop recruiting. “Our culture here is entrepreneurial, relationship-driven, and passionate. It is also based on integrity. It is important that we never confuse principles with profit. At the end of the day, all we have left is our reputation, and no dollar amount is worth that exchange.” |
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American Executive is a RedCoat Publishing publication.
American Executive is a RedCoat Publishing publication.
