For students interested in careers in experiential marketing and event production, understanding how agencies pursue and win new opportunities is a vital and often overlooked part of the business. The common Request for Proposal (RFP) process can be a total mystery, but it’s the starting point for many of the industry’s biggest ideas and partnerships. There’s no better way to learn how it works than through a hands-on project.
The LEO Fellows program gives participants the chance to experience the process firsthand through a mock RFP response project designed to mirror real-world agency work. This exclusive, experiential one-year apprenticeship program, a partnership between LEO Events and the University of Tennessee Knoxville helps students develop the skills needed to effectively plan, execute, promote, and produce corporate events through hands-on learning.
Real-Time Mentorship
The Fellows program provides participants the chance to work alongside the LEO team onsite at actual client events; however, this project was designed to give them further insight into what it takes to bid on and win these opportunities.
“Through this RFP project, the Fellows have collaborated on proposal development not only with other Fellows, but also with various professionals at LEO with myriad experience in the industry,” Sr Manager of Talent and Development at LEO, Ryan Ferraris, said. “The Fellows checked in periodically with various LEO team members to receive feedback and coaching as they built their proposals and prepared to pitch.”
From Brief to Big Idea
To kick off the project, Fellows receive a simulated client brief – just like an agency would when competing for a new opportunity. The assignment challenged them to interpret the client’s goals, audience, and constraints, then transform that information into a compelling strategic response.
Working in teams, Fellows collaborated to develop:
- A creative concept that answers the client’s challenge
- Strategic messaging and storytelling
- Preliminary event or experience design
- A polished pitch presentation
The goal wasn’t just to generate ideas. It was to try to think the way agencies do, balancing creativity with strategy, logistics, and client objectives.
“At first, I thought this project would be straightforward – just building a presentation deck – but as we got deeper into the process, I realized it was much more complex,” LEO Fellow and team captain, Ella Herring said. “All in all, this opportunity allowed us to bring our creative ideas to life and think more strategically. It ended up being really eye-opening.”
Another Fellow and team captain, Josiah Rushing, echoed Herring’s thoughts. “The project helped me understand all the little nuances you can’t learn in a typical classroom setting, like communication styles and the back-and-forth of real collaboration,” Rushing said, “It felt like a real glimpse into what I’ll be doing in my career.”
Building Confidence for the Industry
In addition to the valuable hands-on experiences LEO Fellows tap into onsite, it’s our hope that the mock RFP project becomes one of the most memorable and valuable parts of the program. This project helps turn theory into practice, providing a safe space to experiment, collaborate, and present their creative ideas in a professional setting.
By the time they delivered their final pitches to LEO principals and senior executives, the Fellows walked away with a deeper understanding of this pivotal creative and strategic process that powers the experiential marketing industry. It’s our hope that they also gain confidence to carry through their next professional experiences, at school or within their new careers.
Ferraris said the response from Fellows about their experience has been overwhelmingly positive, describing the project as ‘exciting’ and ‘energizing.’ “They were happy to work on a group project that allowed each of them to make valuable contributions, and experiencing that mentorship and feedback from senior level employees and even the owners of LEO has proven very beneficial for them.”
Ultimately, for our teams, investing in the LEO Fellows program is about more than giving back – it’s a strategic effort to educate and mentor emerging talent, strengthening the industry from within through a pipeline of events-focused young professionals who have what it takes to succeed in experiential.