<p><span class="p-body">As a professor of the Event Marketing Strategies course in the MS in Event Management program at NYU SPS, Richard Gant holds a wealth of knowledge on the importance of experiential marketing. As events become an increasingly integral part of a company's marketing mix, experiential marketing allows for two-way communication between a brand and its customers.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">We were delighted to sit down with Gant to learn more about what he teaches students about events and experiential marketing.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p>

<p><span class="p-body">Gant began his career in the entertainment industry as a professional musician, and one of his first jobs outside of music entertainment was working in the hospitality industry for Hilton. He had a unique perspective on this role; &quot;I also considered that entertainment as well. At least that was my approach to the job. We were there to entertain and provide an experience for our guests.&quot;</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">After some success in the hospitality arena, Gant landed a position as director of special events at the world-famous Palladium, which at the time, was the largest entertainment complex in New York City. There, he was responsible for producing some of the most memorable events anywhere in the world, including the opening announcement for Universal Orlando.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">Next, Gant worked on the brand side of things at Anheuser-Busch, immersing himself in as much knowledge as possible on consumer product sales and marketing, mainly on the Budweiser and Bud Light brands.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">In 1995, Gant made a significant career move to open his own entertainment, experiential, and media marketing agency called <a href="https://www.rlgant.com/" target="_blank" title="The RL Gant Group Inc. ">The RL Gant Group Inc</a>. In response to the ever-changing world of marketing, he shifted his focus to event marketing in order to &quot;develop, reinforce, and deepen brand relationships with our customers,&quot; as he puts it. Engaging with customers through onsite activation with specific brand messages linked to specific campaigns is a valuable opportunity that allows marketers to reach out and touch the customer in person. It's also an opportunity to provide information and receive immediate feedback while growing customer relationships.</span></p>

<p><span class="p-body">As the MS in Event Management program is in its first year, Gant has high hopes for his course, Event Marketing Strategies. The course covers proven, real-time techniques from both brand and agency perspectives, and students study how creative strategy is executed and how to integrate marketing and communications mix elements effectively and successfully.  </span></p> <p><span class="p-body">His goal is to help them understand processes and trends, customer and competitor analysis, how hospitality fits in the mix, pricing, internal and external strategies, both traditional and social media partnerships, and the rationale for creating once-in-a-lifetime brand experiences and strategies to leverage involvement. </span></p>

<p><span class="p-body">Event marketing has experienced steady growth since its inception, so there is an excellent chance that this growth will continue for years to come. This is great news for students pursuing an MS in Event Management, and Gant has some sage advice for them.</span></p>

<p><span class="p-body">Take it from Gant. This program is preparing students for an exciting and fulfilling career in experiential marketing. Start your <a href="/content/sps-nyu/explore/degrees-and-programs/ms-in-event-management.html" title="MS in Event Management">MS in Event Management</a> journey today.</span></p>