When you attend a conference or a large corporate event, you might assume that the registration process will be smooth, dinner will be served on time, and the speakers’ presentations will work flawlessly. But Allison Magyar, president of Dynamic Events, doesn’t take any of these details for granted.
“We provide complete meeting and event management and software, plus registration services and graphic design,” said Magyar. “We work directly with businesses to strategically create, plan and implement successful meetings, innovative events, conferences and anything in between.”
The list of meeting aspects that Dynamic Events covers is almost endless – but you can start with cost estimates and budgeting, venue selection, contract review and negotiation, food and beverage management, audio/visual, event production, transportation, vendor management, sponsors, speakers, ancillary events, document production, onsite support staff and management, and post-event analysis including return on investment statements.
Magyar cut her teeth on event planning – she started her own business right here in Clark County when she was 19, producing local car shows. That business blossomed, and she began to produce car shows nationwide. But in 2004, she made an industry shift and joined Dynamic Events, which at the time was primarily focused on producing events for Microsoft.
Explaining her reasoning for moving away from the car show industry, she said, “I wanted to get into corporate planning instead of a fad.”
Throwing her entire self into the new business, she bought out the original owner in 2006, cut the staff from 15 to three, and moved the business to her home town – Vancouver.
“It’s important to me that [employees] have the same passion that I have,” said Magyar. “They must have the same level of expectation that their career reflects who they are.”
Since then, the company has grown to about 40 employees and experienced a 268-percent growth in revenue over the last three years, from $1.2 million in 2010 to $4.5 million in 2013 – which landed the firm the 1,590th spot on the Inc. 5000 list and made them the 36th fastest growing business in Washington state.
Hiring the right people with the right skills and passion, she said, helps Dynamic Events “cultivate innovative, meaningful experiences” for clients such as Microsoft, Starbucks, ClearChannel and First Aid Only.
But while there are a number of companies who plan meetings, what sets Dynamic Events apart is that they are a one-stop shop, including building their own software platforms for meeting management. They started the software initiative in 2010.
“No one was really in the meeting management software industry,” said Magyar. “We got frustrated with repurposing apps. We just decided to build a team of incredibly smart people and build what we need.”
In 2012, the company evolution continued, as they began marketing their software solution to “allow other meeting planners to reap the same business benefits.”
Magyar credits the company’s rapid growth over the last two years to the shift from a service company to one that offers both service and technology solutions. Last year, they moved to a new, larger office space in Orchards, allowing the company to continue to expand.
Part of that expansion reflects an investment in Dynamic Event’s employees’ well-being – the office features a slide from the second story to the first story and a fully-stocked kitchen including a beer/wine fridge and plenty of fruits, veggies and proteins. The company also provides yoga and weight training on-site once a week.
“We foster an environment where employees are happy and satisfied,” said Dana Clinton, director of operations and HR at Dynamic Events. “We want them to be passionate about their work.”
Clinton added that the company is also evaluating an unlimited vacation policy and a management approach of “philosophy versus policy.”
Magyar said that her participation in Vistage (a CEO and business coaching organization) has also contributed to the firm’s success.
“Vistage has taught me to work on my business instead of in my business,” said Magyar. “It lets us think about how we can evolve the company, setting trends instead of just reacting day to day.”
In the next three to five years, said Magyar, she hopes to “grow the job economy in Vancouver,” employing 75 people and breaking the $10 million mark.
“We want to become the employer of choice – an undiscovered gem in Orchards,” Magyar said. “We offer some of the same things you can get from high tech companies downtown.”
