Trade show and event services provider The Freeman Company has acquired mdg, a full-service event marketing and public relations agency. The acquisition expands the Freeman spectrum of services from pre-event marketing and onsite user experience to post-show communications based on data-informed insights. PPAI’s relationship with Freeman spans more than 50 years, and it began working with mdg in the production of its trade shows earlier this year.
“The events business is undergoing a significant transformation—one that requires a sophisticated degree of integration around the convergence of brand strategy, data and content,” says Bob Priest-Heck, president and CEO of Freeman. “Our ability to translate strategy and data into meaningful onsite experiences coupled with mdg’s expertise in translating insights into audience-building marketing campaigns, will enable us to offer organizers a seamless solution that was never before possible.”
mdg has served as a strategic partner for some of the most successful trade shows and events, helping customers market new events and reposition and rebrand more mature shows. The company has a 41-year track record of creating powerful marketing strategies for its customers. It brings together researchers and strategists, digital and interactive media experts, event and association management specialists, data analysts and a creative team to craft comprehensive campaigns aimed at increasing event and association attendance and exhibit participation.
“What we’ve seen and heard from our clients is that they are looking for fully integrated event solutions. Our acquisition of mdg continues our initiative to create the seamless experience they crave,” adds Priest-Heck. “With mdg’s ability to infuse attendee acquisition and marketing insights directly into the onsite experience, we can now leverage data from both digital marketing and live experiences to deliver more robust and integrated offerings for our clients.”
Kimberly Hardcastle-Geddes, president of mdg, says, “Over its 41-year history, mdg has continuously evolved to stay relevant in a dynamic marketing landscape, blending strategy, creativity and technology solutions to help clients achieve their organizational objectives. Joining Freeman is another giant step in that evolution and helps ensure the continued success of both the agency and, more importantly, the clients it serves. Together we will create more engaging, personalized customer journeys through an omnichannel approach to event and association marketing.”
