Inspiring Conversations with Greg Jenkins of Bravo Productions

Today we’d like to introduce you to Greg Jenkins.

Hi Greg , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Thom Neighbors, my business partner who passed away in 2023 and I co-founded and launched Bravo Productions in 1987. We were solely designing and producing floats for the annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. Thom’s background was in art, architecture and creative design, and mine was in marketing, event planning and public relations.

Before starting Bravo Productions, both Thom Neighbors and I worked for Festival Artists, a company that produced floats for the Rose Parade. Neighbors served as the art director and I was the public relations director. I supervised their clients’ Rose Parade publicity, promotions, special events and community relations activities..

When we launched our company we produced two floats — city of Beverly Hills and the now defunct bank, First Interstate Bank. The city of Beverly Hills won a trophy and the First Interstate Bank float was one of the longest floats in the Rose Parade and featured performers from the Joffrey Ballet, musicians from the LA Philharmonic Orchestra and LA Opera. Both floats were spectacular.

This led to producing three floats the following year, five thereafter and the rest was history.

Most of our clients represented some of the top names in corporate America. As our company grew, these clients sought us out to create their events, props for promotional displays, etc. In addition, throughout the years, we begin receiving more inquiries to create events, props and theatrical scenery for clients outside of the Rose Parade, commercial production companies and television studios. In 1994, we re-engineered our company based on market demand, and we begin solely planning and coordinating events for corporate clientele. It expanded into government agencies such as the United States Army, tourist attractions such as the grand opening events for the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach and VIP gala for Vons, to name a few.

I knew as a kid events was the type of profession I wanted to pursue. I was always fascinated with parades, fireworks displays, spectacles and the behind-the-scenes of theater and special events.

After graduating from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s in advertising and a master’s degree in organizational communications, I did an extensive amount of volunteer work to get into the event profession. My big break came when I served as a gopher on Super Bowl XVI. I basically delivered promotional items for a ‘Pub Crawl.’ It was a dream come true to work on this event.

The hard work paid off. The Executive Director of the Super Bowl Host Committee, Carol Gies, took notice. She recommended me for a job at the Metropolitan Detroit Convention & Visitors Bureau — and my career started. While not the highest paying job, it provided me with the opportunity to work on Grand Prix, International Freedom Festival, Montreux-Detroit Jazz Festival and other grand-scale special events.

After four years at the Convention Bureau, I relocated to Southern California — did a stint at a PR From, then joined Festival Artists as PR director — and as I previously mentioned — Thom and I left Festival Artists and started Bravo Productions.

I took an active role in the events industry, serving on our industry association boards, doing some pro-bono work, serving as a speaker at industry conferences and writing articles on all aspects of the special events industry.

I had the unique opportunity to chair The Special Event (TSE) Opening Night Party for 1,500 event industry attendees. This showcasing event is held in conjunction with a major industry conference and trade show, which attracts more than 5,000 attendees worldwide. I raised approximately $500,000 in sponsorship for the Opening Night Party, which was an ‘over-the-top spectacle.’ It was quite a highlight in my career.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We have always had challenges and obstacles along the way.

There was the 911 attack on America and the events and meeting industry took a major hit. It was a tragedy for all Americans. As it pertained to our industry, meetings and conferences were cancelled due to a fear of flying, budgets were slashed and it took years to recover.

There was the economic crash in 2007/2008 which resulted in the events industry taking another major hit. Corporations, businesses and associations returned to basic ‘bread & butter’ essentials. Unless the event was ‘necessary,’ all others were either eliminated or faced major budget cuts. For wedding planners, they took a hit, but consumers continued to get married, while corporations pulled back on spending. The perception of lavish spending on events that others perceived as non-essential when companies were conducting employee layoffs is something we we were sensitive to, but nevertheless affected our bottom line.

Then there was COVID, where there was a complete shutdown of our industry for two years. We saw some of our suppliers go out of business, colleagues take on jobs in other industries such as the medical profession or delivery services. It took at least one year to bounce back from the shut down.

Thom Neighbors passing away presented challenges. Not only was he an integral part of Bravo Productions, but losing your best friend was hard and is still painful, but we continue to move along.

And more recently with the tariffs and uncertainty in the market, we are starting to see some clients pull back or at least pause their plans, not knowing if they will be laying off employees, if product and supply will be available to launch and promote at any given time, and if overseas travel to the United States might be interrupted due to a shift in immigration policy.

Bravo Productions has managed to survive throughout the years and we plan to continue staging events. We may need to shift and make changes to adapt to circumstances, but often times the challenges make us all stronger.

We’ve been impressed with Bravo Productions, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Bravo Productions is an award-winning, full-service event planning and production company specializing in designing and staging world-class corporate, association, government, military and non-profit functions nationwide. Bravo Productions has staged corporate and association networking receptions, company and association awards programs, grand opening and dedication ceremonies, product launches, ground-breaking events, large-scale outdoor public events, reunions, customer and client appreciation events, theme events, black-tie galas, conferences and meetings, holiday parties, VIP receptions and employee picnics,

Bravo Productions’ key services include providing consultation, budget planning, creative design, risk assessment, audio visual, lighting and technical support, sets, props, scenery and decor, event management and production, floral, logistics planning, entertainment, food and beverage/catering, equipment rentals and staging, speakers, site selection, vendor and contract negotiations, online and onsite registration, transportation services, photography, show direction and accommodations. POST-EVENT ANALYSIS: return on objective report, event effectiveness, budget accountability, and areas for improvement.

Our competitive advantage and what sets us apart from others are:

1) Longevity: Our firm has 38 years in operation and is well established. And as a Long Beach-based business, we are aware of the city and community’s initiatives, activities, local news, new developments, government, and events.

2) We are award-winning and have a creative, experienced and dedicated team.

3) We hire and partner with the best suppliers in the industry. We also represent diversity in both suppliers and the support team we work with on projects.

4) We focus on providing our clients and their audiences with value and exceptional customer service.

5) We are a competent and pre-eminent resource in the industry, sharing our experiences by speaking at industry conferences.

6) We are detailed-oriented, conduct thorough due diligence and risk management.

7) We are problem solvers and solution oriented.

8) We also exercise flexibility and prepare alternate plans for the unknowns.

9) We put our heart and soul into each project and give clients 150% percent.

10) Our approach to conducting business is to set goals with our clients, those with measurable results — and work towards achieving those goals all to serve in the best interest of each customer.

11) Lastly, our background in marketing and public relations allows us to provide clients with strategic and experiential campaigns evoking strong visuals and metrics to measure each project’s success.

Past Performance:
I’m proud of the many projects that we’ve taken on to include: staging a media event for an overseas client in Los Angeles and a VIP event in Houston for a company who specializes in renewable energy and sponsored a race car that crossed the finish line in Santa Monica after driving across the USA from Florida on one tank of NEXBTL renewable diesel. That was exciting! Working with the Army MWR on their events hosted in cities throughout the U.S. was a tremendous experience.

Other projects we are proud of include:
75th anniversary of the Original Farmers Market in Los Angeles – Event company contracted to assist with the kick-off event

Enterprise Fleet Management – Produced and staged annual regional awards program for 16 years.

Mercedes-Benz North America – Staged launch event for Mercedes-Benz North America headquarters in Long Beach, California.

Google – Served as event consultant and supplier for NAACP reception in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts – Serves for 10 years as event planning and production company for client’s annual Earth Day event, which attracts between 2,000 – 4,000 attendees.

Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District – Serves for 4 years as event consultants and production company for client’s annual WaterFest event which attracts 3,000 attendees and 50 exhibitors.

West Basin Municipal Water District – Serves for 3 years as event consultants and production company for client’s annual Water Harvest Festival, a public event which attracts 2,000 attendees and 40 exhibitors.

TYR Sports – Staged swimsuit launch as a part of international sales meeting in Orange County, California.

Aquarium of the Pacific – Served as event producers for seven grand opening events of this Southern California tourist attraction.

Bravo Productions has received numerous industry awards, including two Gala Awards by Special Events Magazine in the categories of Best Theme Décor – Budget $20,000 to $50,000 and Best Event Produced for a Corporation or Association – Budget $100,000 to $249,000.

Bravo Productions received a Silver Tier Award for Innovation by Corporate EVENT Magazine. We’ve also been honored with numerous Communicator’s Awards of Excellence, several PRism Award and Award of Excellence by the Public Relations Society of America for special event planning. Bravo Productions is the winner of four Esprit Awards and several WESTIE Awards by the International Special Events Society (now referred to International Live Events Association). I’m also a two-time award nominee for Event Planner of the Year by Event Solutions Magazine.

In 2020 and 2021, I was named as one of the top 500 event professionals in the United States by BizBash Magazine, North America’s #1 source of ideas, news, and resources for event and meeting professionals.

Lastly, sharing the many years of wisdom, both the successes and failures, with those entering the industry and the next generation of event professionals is something I’m very proud to do.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Bravo Productions value for our clients is the same as for us as a business − we are proud of the diversity in clients and projects (type, scale, scope, etc.), diversity in our team and suppliers, and diversity of ideas in planning an event. Greater perspectives offer greater learning opportunities, appreciation and understanding. Different perspectives and approaches to a client’s event makes for a much more inclusive and wonderful experience that resonates with attendees.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bravoevents-online.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BRAVO-PRODUCTIONS-311429388763/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravo-productions—usa
• Twitter: https://x.com/brvprodevents
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/brvprodevents
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bravo-productions-long-beach

Image Credits
Bravo Productions