How to hire an experiential marketing agency in Los Angeles (and what to ask first)

Hiring an agency for a pop-up or brand activation is hard to judge from a pitch deck. A few questions tell you more than any portfolio.

Ask who actually runs it. Some agencies pitch you with senior people, then hand the work to someone else. Ask who leads the project from concept to the day of the event.

Ask what went wrong at their last big event. Every real event has a problem. A good agency has a story and can tell you how they fixed it. For xTool's U.S. launch, the building signage came back in the wrong brand green. We caught it and got the right color made before it went up.

Ask who handles the messy part. In Los Angeles, that means locations, permits, vendors and timing. Ask whether it's their own team or outsourced.

Ask to see what they actually built. xTool was our client for its U.S. brand launch, which our founder produced with her sister. Our founder also led xTool's MakerFest tour: the concept, the team, a custom-fabricated truck container, the locations, and the social and email. Ask any agency for something comparable.

Ask what you'll own. The contracts, permits and designs should be yours, not held by the agency.

Planning a launch or pop-up in LA? Talk to Fill The City.