As the company name states, opportunities are what ESPO is all about. That’s exactly what they provide nationally to Event Planners, Vendors, Talent, and Venues. With plans to expand globally, the sky’s the limit for this platform.
Industry professionals already know Karen Eastwood as a top-notch event planner and staffer behind TSE Staffing & Events. With 24 years of experience in the industry, she has seen it all: she’s brought her magic to everything from NBA All-Star events, Apple product launches, Microsoft Global Conferences, BET Hip-Hop Awards to Tough Mudder sporting events, along with events and meeting tours for major corporations.
The pandemic and subsequent dramatic shutdown of the events industry led Eastwood to revive a brainwave from years before.
What if there was a place where event professionals could hire staff and suppliers directly, where they could easily find local venues and arrange all the event elements in one place. Where influencers and vendors could submit their details and attract new business. ESPO is designed to gather all those connected to the industry in a one-stop marketplace so meetings, events and conferences can be organized seamlessly.
“One of the hardest things about the event industry is sourcing all your vendors, getting the right meeting planners, booking talent, hiring security, and everything involved within that event,” Eastwood explains. “If an event planner is going to a different state and city, they typically have to start from scratch sourcing all event needs locally.”
This is the problem that ESPO will solve.
Eastwood started the process twelve years ago, however running 150 corporate events per month left little time for launching a platform. The pandemic allowed her to design the service carefully to best serve the industry professionals she has worked with for so long.
Eastwood calls event planning “organized chaos” with a laugh. Coordinating hundreds of staff and suppliers for events across five time zones is no small feat. With ESPO’s streamlined user friendly process, event and meeting planners can cover all bases, whether catering, floral design, entertainment, logistics, staffing, registration, lighting or staging.
Although Event Planning is a multi-dollar industry, it lacks a fundamental resource: an exclusive platform offering every service required for events, festivals, special occasions, and, most importantly, talent. But that’s all changed with ESPO. The company provides direct access to speakers, influencers, vendors, and other talent, including the ability to communicate, hire, and pay directly.
“I want everyone on this new marketplace,” Eastwood says, “including talent and speakers, to have the freedom to negotiate their rates, get paid properly, and take the middleman out of the element.”
ESPO brings several benefits to those who work in the Event Industry. Through her previous work, Eastwood has always focused on hiring local people or vendors for each event to support the community. She knows the importance of supplemental income and believes ESPO can serve those who work in this unpredictable industry.
Many states, including California, are implementing the 1099 Gig Law – which complicates hiring for event planners and takes away a professional’s ability to work freely as an independent contractor. ESPO consolidates the process of sourcing and paying talent, to help event planners navigate these changing regulations.
Subscribing to a dedicated platform for event professionals means direct connections can be made effortlessly. Communication, sourcing vendors, recruiting staff and making direct payments can all be completed within ESPOhub.com.
When it comes to event planning, Eastwood has always been a pioneer for innovation. In the early days of her career, the entrepreneur was one of the first in her industry to use Craigslist for job postings as she took her business nationwide. This tech-powered hiring solution was highly effective: it only took three months for her operation to run coast to coast.
This same ingenuity has now been put behind this new platform. It hasn’t been easy (because the backend design of a platform as comprehensive as this is anything but simple) but the fruits of this labor will be apparent when ESPO hits beta in summer 2023.
Behind the scenes, ESPO Hub has been diligently crafted by the team at Orizon Design. An industry-leading design agency out of Montreal, Canada, Orizon’s handiwork will be seen in everything from the Hub’s striking UI to the responsiveness of the platform.
There are exciting partnerships ESPO has in place, which put more power into the hands of ESPO users. Hotel Engine – a leading solution to corporate & event hotel bookings – will be integrated, including white glove service for small or large events. Another partnership is with Eventsured, a trusted brand servicing the event industry, who will provide event policies easily accessible through ESPO Hub.
ESPO is location-based for event organizers. Creating an event long-distance will no longer be a challenge, as the job posting unlocks all required services within a 50-mile radius. The platform will be a paid-subscription model, with great offers available to those who adopt this soon-to-be industry standard early. Both event planners and talent will find fruitful opportunities, with ongoing postings of new events and jobs.
Events are all about people. Successful events can only occur with dedicated, professional teams working together. Post-Covid, we are in a new working landscape that comprises a blend of virtual and face-to-face interaction. ESPO is an environment that allows those interactions to soar.
“Once people start realizing how ESPO can make their life easier,” Eastwood says, “while also promoting local businesses, it will start to become the norm.”
To tap into ESPO Hub’s upcoming beta, piloted by Karen Eastwood, visit www.espohub.com.
