Written By: Carlos Lacayo
Erica Maurer always had an interest in event planning. She started off dabbling in events and nightlife while in Boston, but upon moving to New York, many of her friends were opening restaurants or putting on fashion shows and needed help. “They would ask, ‘Oh, can you help me do the door? Can you help me set everything up?’ They would ask for basically anything.” She continued to help her friends when asked—and eventually she was hooked. “It was fun. I got to meet cool people and check out cool spaces. It kind of just pulled me in,” she says.
Through working for all these different people, she was introduced to her future business partner, Mario Stewart, and she began working for him while in graduate school. Together, the duo would go on to create EMRG Media.
EMRG Media
The Event Marketing Resource Group, or EMRG Media, is a full-service event planning and digital marketing agency spearheaded by Erica Maurer and Mario Stewart. EMRG Media has planned events for the likes of Nylon Magazine, Sony Music, Google and YouTube. When it comes to EMRG Media, Maurer leads on events, production, talent acquisition and sales at the company. “Some days we’re just at the office, some days we’re headed to site visits all around the city, and some days we’re actually producing events,” Maurer states.
Things for Erica and EMRG Media are gearing up to be quite busy during the holiday season. According to Maurer, many companies have already begun planning their holiday parties and have given in their budgets. “Companies are pretty excited for the holiday season this year,” Maurer says, “People started planning much earlier this year and the momentum hasn’t stopped, so it’s an exciting time.”
The Event Planner Expo
While Maurer and EMRG Media are known for their amazing events, they’re also known for their unique ability to connect people from all pillars of the hospitality, marketing and event industry. One of the ways this is accomplished is through The Event Planner Expo, a three-day immersive experience where event planners, marketers, large brands, service providers, entrepreneurs, salespeople and more gather in New York City to build relationships as well as promote their products and services. Keynote speakers at the 2023 Event Planner Expo included Gary Vaynerchuk, Marcy Blum and Todd Hartley.
“We’ve created this forum, this community, that has morphed into a three-day event bringing several thousand planners, decision-makers, leading brands and those who handle event budgets for major companies together,” Maurer explains. “It’s opened up people’s minds to more of a comradery approach as opposed to competition.” She concluded her thought by saying, “People are looking at us as industry leaders, community builders and want the opportunity to connect with great companies, while learning along the way.” Maurer is already working on the next Event Planner Expo, which will be held October 15-17, 2024.
Advice for the Future
When giving advice to those looking to enter the event planning industry, Maurer says, “You need to be willing to do everything and anything. Understanding all the pieces of the puzzle is what helps you put together an event that’s amazing. You need to have someone at the door, you need to have a DJ, you need your guest list organized, the menus picked out and so much more.” She goes on to say, “I’ve done the door. I’ve been the cashier. I’ve walked into hotels to meet concierges and even marketed our business. Many people looking to get into event planning see this beautiful thing at the end, but if you don’t understand the beginning, the end doesn’t matter.” emrgmedia.com
