May 1, 2017

Meet Greg Jenkins of Bravo Productions in Long Beach

Local Stories

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

Greg, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Thom Neighbors and I co-founded and launched Bravo Productions in 1987, where our focus was solely designing and producing floats for the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena.

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 product launches such as Cable On Demand.

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. Prior to that, I formerly worked at a Los Angeles-based public relations firm. Prior to relocating to Southern California, I previously served in a marketing position with the Detroit Convention & Visitors Bureau. I was assigned to most of the city’s grand-scale special events such as the Jazz Festival, Thanksgiving Day Parade, now defunct post season Cherry Bowl game, etc.

I knew the type of profession I wanted to pursue as a child. I was always fascinated with 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.’ I was in heaven. That hard work and assertiveness was noticed by the Executive Director of the Super Bowl Host Committee. She recommended me for a job at the Convention Bureau, and the rest is history.

From there on, 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.

More recently, 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.

Has it been a smooth road?
There are always obstacles and challenges that come along the way — especially after so many years in the industry. For example, when America was attacked on 911, the events and meeting industry took a major hit. It was a tragedy for all Americans. In addition, meetings and conferences were cancelled due to a fear of flying, budgets were slashed and it took years for it to re-bounce.

You then had 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. Events (unless customer or client appreciation, grand opening or launch) became one thing on the chopping block. For those events that continued to move forward, the budgets were slashed which was understandable for two reasons. The first out of economic preservation and the other, perception of lavish spending on events that others might view as a non-necessity – and especially when there was a possibility of layoffs due to the economic downturn.

Lastly, with social media and technology, it’s afforded more individuals to saturate the events industry. It’s a job where one can easily start from their garage or spare bedroom. While many individuals may not be of the same caliber as our firm or offer similar services, they certainly represent an indirect competitor for industry business in the overall marketplace. In addition, you have websites such as Pinterest that tends to encourage more consumers to take on a DIY approach instead of hiring an event planning company or party planner.

We have managed to survive throughout it all! The key is taking on new and challenging projects where we can spread our wings and stretch as a company and set high standards that reflect our goals, objectives and define our firm as a preeminent source in the field of event planning.

So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Bravo Productions story. Tell us more about the business.
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, grand opening and dedication ceremonies, product launches, ground-breaking events, conferences and meetings, outdoor public events, reunions, sales incentive events, business theater, company anniversaries, fundraising events, theme events, black-tie galas, employee picnics, client and customer appreciation events, holiday parties and VIP receptions.

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.

There are many things that set us apart. We are definitely visionaries and-risk takers. We think big and the impossible to start brainstorming — and then work our way into what is actually doable within the budgetary parameters and project framework, while fulfilling the clients’ goals and objectives and maintaining the overall concept. I also tend to exercise flexibility and encourage others on our production team to provide input on the best approach to solve any given problem and to create the best experience for the guests. This allows them to take ownership of their area of responsibility. Events take a team and I’m proud of the ability to recruit and put together some of the best talent for each event. In addition, I’m proud that after 30 years in business, Thom and I still put our heart-and-soul into each project and treat each client as though they were our only one. I believe the awards and recognition are the outgrowth of those things.

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. Some proud moments also include staging the grand opening events (gala and dedication) for the Aquarium of the Pacific when it first opened; working on the 75th anniversary of the Original Farmers Market in LA, a launch of Mercedes-Benz of North America new tech facility in Southern California, staging awards program for Enterprise, Earth Day for LA County Sanitation Districts, and so many customer and client appreciation and launch events, to name a few. The diversity of clients and projects over the many years has been quite a rewarding experience.

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

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I believe technology and apps will continue to change how we conduct business and approach event projects. You already have crowd streaming, better ways to measure engagement, tremendous advancements with event management software, etc. Events can become more interactive due to technology. Silicon Valley is only going to help make bigger shifts and changes to how we work in the industry.

One thing that will not change is the need for one to conduct their due diligence. And while you can conduct a virtual site inspection of a venue by viewing their website, there’s nothing like conducting a ‘real’ and thorough walk-through of that space to determine if it’s the most appropriate one for a particular event. There are steps that a good planner cannot get around and should not take for granted because of the advancements in technology.

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