There’s something magical about connecting with the communities you serve. Nobody knows that truth quite like the Event Marketing Team at Leaf Home. This team spends time at events in and around their respective communities to spread the word about our products and services and to learn more about home improvement needs in their areas. To learn more about this team, we sat down with Chris Brosch, Chief Event Marketing Officer, to discuss the Event Marketing Team’s recipe for success.
Leaf Home: Thanks so much for chatting with us today, Chris! Let’s start by learning a little bit about you. How long have you been with the company?
Chris: I have been with Leaf since 2005. I was actually the first employee Matt Kaulig hired. So it’s been 16 years.
Leaf: Oh boy, that’s quite a long journey! Let’s talk about your team – when was Event Marketing born at Leaf, and how many people are on the team now?
Chris: Event Marketing actually started our business back in 2005. Until Digital Marketing just exploded in late 2015, 2016, Event Marketing brought in perhaps 75 to 80 percent of our customer base. After Digital Marketing took off, we accounted for maybe 25 or 30 percent. It’s still a very large portion of what we do at Leaf. Prior to the start of the pandemic, we had a team of 650 employees. Of course, the pandemic paused events for a little while, so we’ve been kind of resetting our trajectory this year.
Leaf: Right, the pandemic definitely changed operations for a lot of teams across the world. But now that everyone is finding a new cadence and new normalcy, events are popping up again. Which of our brands are represented at events?
Chris: Prior to the pandemic, LeafFilter and Leaf Home Safety Solutions were represented at events. As for the future, we’ve launched event marketing for Leaf Home Water Solutions earlier this year. If you walk through home shows, fairs, and other events in Florida and Ohio, you’ll also see our Leaf Home Water Solutions booth.
Leaf: That is so neat! Can we talk more about the types of shows and events our team goes to?
Chris: I like to think of Event Marketing as “opportunistic marketing.” We’ll go to any place or any event where there are people. And I call it “opportunistic marketing” because nobody is going to these events to seek us out. “Oh my gosh, we’ve been looking for LeafFilter! Thank goodness you’re here, we came just to see you!” Unfortunately, that just doesn’t happen. But we’re going to seek them out. Auto shows, home shows, you name it, and we’ll do it.
Leaf: That’s amazing. And for our Event Marketers, we cover mileage and hotel accommodation if needed, correct?
Chris: We do, yes. We have District Event Marketing Managers and Marketers that travel all over the country for us. So, we do compensate them for their travel and then they get paid a great hourly rate or salary, if they’re a manager. This team is built of people that just love interacting with the public.
Leaf: That sounds like such a fun job. I can only imagine traveling, getting to see new cities and new places, and then going to fun events where interesting people make conversation.
Chris: Yes, and it comes with a great sense of team, as well. Currently, we have 44 District Event Marketing Managers. We haven’t opened up Canada yet, and we haven’t reopened California, either. But we have so many pictures of people having fun, whether it’s interacting with the general public, or costumed characters. People do go to some events in costumes, so we’ve got pictures with Batman, pictures next to the Delorean from Back to the Future… you name it, and our team has probably seen it!
Leaf: This sounds like so much fun! To work as an Event Marketer, it seems like you need not just a good attitude, but a lot of energy, too… right?
Chris: That’s right, and you need to sustain that energy for the entirety of the event you’re at. It takes a lot of energy and passion, and you need to pass that onto prospects, too. Positive body language, smiles, and a friendly attitude go a long way.
Leaf: Are there any other traits that aspiring Event Marketers should bring to the table?
Chris: Absolutely! You need to be a great communicator that’s comfortable speaking with the public, and that great attitude is really the thing that makes our Event Marketers who they are. You don’t necessarily need experience, but we’re looking for people that have that charisma and passion. Management requires a different skillset, of course, just because you need that level of energy plus the ability to carry out managerial duties.
Leaf: Right, that makes sense. It sounds like a great time to get involved with the Event Marketing team! What does the future hold for Event Marketing, in your opinion?
Chris: We’re currently doing event marketing for Leaf Home Enhancements, as well. We’re working on standardizing that branch of the program right now, but overall, we’re just going to keep getting bigger. We’re going to keep getting more efficient, and we’re going to keep building up our team. It will be exciting even next year to see us kind of return to the level we were at before the pandemic and beyond. I mean, Event Marketing is just going to explode.
Leaf: The future is bright for sure! Event Marketing is such a fun team, and the possibilities are really endless. What’s your favorite part of working with such an awesome group of people, Chris?
Chris: Oh my gosh, it’s the personality. It’s 100 percent their personality and their desire to win. Ron Perkins, Alyssa Stover, and Tim Chesney are our LeafFilter Directors. Lee Gillespie runs LHWS as our Director, and then we have Larry Krempasky who is aiding with Leaf Home Enhancements. Our Corporate Marketing Manager, James Martinez, and Senior Event Marketing Coordinator Raven Whitt, our Regional Managers… That entire group and the Leadership Team really stepped up to relaunch this department. It was 100 percent them. We were able to go out, recruit, build out the schedules and timelines… it was all them. Interacting with that whole team of leaders is my favorite part. They’re charismatic and outgoing, and they’re so positive.
Leaf: That speaks volumes about both the culture of the Event Marketing team and Leaf… it’s a company full of outgoing individuals that have just an amazing attitude. You’ve been here for so long, Chris, that you must have seen a lot of growth as new team members came aboard. If someone had told you back in 2005 that the company would be where it is today, would you have believed it?
Chris: *laughs* No. When I joined the company in 2005, if you would have told me that we’d produce the revenues we did in 2016, I wouldn’t have believed it… let alone where we are at today. I knew that we were going places, I believed in the team, but never in a million years would I have thought we would have grown as we have. To start with just one vertical, LeafFilter, and to have expanded into water, safety solutions, and beyond… I am truly honored to be a part of that journey. It’s amazing.
Leaf: And it’s not over yet! What do you think the future holds for all things Leaf Home?
Chris: There’s ton of upside for every single employee at Leaf, and not just in Event Marketing. The sky is the limit here at Leaf. It’s entirely up to each employee on what the future holds for them, because we already know that we’re going to keep growing as an organization. We’re going to keep growing, we’re going to keep opening up new locations with each of our verticals… there’s no doubt that there is a tremendous amount of upside for every person in the organization. I love that, as a whole, people tend to work here for a very long time and have a lot of upward mobility. Upward mobility at Leaf gets me excited, and it gets my team excited.
Leaf: I love that, it has definitely been amazing to see growth for so many on such a personal level. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Chris: I just want to give a huge shout out to those directors that helped our team relaunch, and to all the new Event Marketers that have come aboard. The future is really bright, and I can’t wait to see what it holds.
There’s so much to love about life at Leaf, both on the Event Marketing team and beyond. To discover opportunities near you, visit LeafFilter.com/careers.
