“It’s Not Just Glasses In Hands and
Fannies in Chairs Anymore”
J. Brinley Lewis
President, The Anne Frenette Co LLC
BLewis@afcevents.com
October13, 2008
Right from the start; let me say my interest in events as a marketing medium began about five
years ago when I met my now wife and partner, Anne Frenette. The title of this article is a quote
from one of her mentors, made nearly two decades ago when Anne was starting out in the event
business. Her observation may have been true then, but it’s even truer today. The event business
has changed dramatically—even in the past five years. It has become an accepted marketing
discipline in much of the corporate world with a larger percentage of corporate marketing
budgets being spent on events. As a result, the industry has been further divided into specialized
segments, but more about that in a minute.
When I met Anne, she was (and still is) a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) working for one
of the largest trade associations in the country and involved in planning the largest trade show in
North America. Me? I was a marketing guy who had spent a career working in the advertising
and direct marketing businesses. I had been an attendee at countless events throughout my
professional life (destination board meetings, trade shows, receptions and galas, sales events—
you name it, I was there). I knew which events I enjoyed, those that bored me, and those that
stuck with me. In time, I began to dissect some of my own event experiences—taking a closer
look at those that worked, those that failed, and why. I became a student of events as a
marketing tool—and am now one of its biggest proponents. This lead to Anne and me forming a
business partnership and starting The Anne Frenette Co. LLC, dedicated to helping organizations
develop and execute effective event marketing campaigns.
In recent years the role of an event professional has changed, needs have changed, client
demands have changed. What follows are some of the changes t