We have been producing corporate events since 2011.
Meridian started as a two-person operation out of a Chicago loft and grew into a national production company. What has not changed is who runs your event: one senior producer, start to finish.
A production company built by people who used to run the events themselves.
Our founder spent eight years on the client side, running internal events for a mid-size financial firm with a small team and a fixed budget. The agencies she hired were either too expensive, too slow, or disappeared after the contract was signed. Meridian was built to fix that.
We started with corporate offsites and holiday parties for companies in the Chicago area. By 2016 we were producing multi-day conferences. By 2020 we had added virtual and hybrid production. Today we run programs in 38 U.S. markets with a core team of producers, designers and logistics specialists.
We are still deliberately mid-sized. That means you get senior people on your event, not a junior coordinator learning on your budget.
"We do not sell creativity for its own sake. We sell the confidence that Friday's event will happen exactly as planned, and that someone competent is standing in the room when it does."Elena Marsh, Founder & Managing Director
Four commitments we make on every project.
These are not aspirational values on a wall. They are the operational rules that decide how we staff, quote and run an event.
One producer, start to finish
The person who takes your first call is the person standing in the room on event day. No handoffs, no account managers relaying messages.
Budgets that survive finance
Every quote is line-itemed, with vendor costs, our fee and contingency shown separately. We do not hide margin inside a venue charge.
Vendors we would use ourselves
Our preferred network is small and vetted. If a vendor underperforms twice, they leave the list. That applies to caterers, AV crews and venues alike.
On-site, not on-call
We do not manage events by phone. For anything over 100 guests, a Meridian producer is physically on site from load-in to load-out.
How the company grew.
Founded in Chicago
Two people, one shared desk in a West Loop loft, and a first client that needed a 180-person holiday party delivered in six weeks.
First 1,000-attendee conference
A three-day customer summit for a manufacturing client, with four breakout tracks and a live-streamed general session. It set the template for our conference practice.
Opened second office in Austin
Added a production team in Texas to serve clients across the South and Southwest without flying crews in from Chicago every time.
Launched virtual and hybrid production
Built a dedicated streaming and remote-speaker capability in under six months. It became a permanent service line, not a pandemic stopgap.
Expanded to 38 U.S. markets
Established vetted local vendor networks in every market we regularly serve, so travel costs stay predictable for clients producing outside our home cities.
Approaching our 1,500th event
Now a team of 42 full-time producers, designers and logistics specialists, with a calendar that is typically booked six to nine months out.
The people who will actually run your event.
Every engagement is led by one of these producers. You will meet them on the first call and work with them through load-out.
Elena Marsh
Founder & Managing DirectorFourteen years in event production, previously on the client side in financial services. Leads strategy and pricing on every enterprise account.
Daniel Okafor
Director of ProductionRuns the conference and summit practice. Has produced 60+ multi-day programs, including three with more than 3,000 attendees.
Sofia Lindgren
Head of Client ServicesOwns the first 45 minutes of every engagement. Responsible for scoping, venue shortlists and keeping quotes honest.
Marcus Reed
Senior Producer, Launches & Brand EventsSpecializes in hard-date launches and press events. Background in agency production and broadcast logistics.
Nadia Bennett
Creative DirectorLeads design, decor, staging and the visual identity of every program. Previously in set design for live television.
Thomas Huang
Director of LogisticsHandles transportation, staffing, load-in schedules and risk planning. The reason our run-of-shows rarely slip.
Markets we produce in regularly.
These are the cities where we have vetted vendor networks and can typically avoid flying a full crew in. We still travel for larger programs anywhere in the continental United States.
Awards and industry listings.
Top 50 Event Agencies
Listed for the third consecutive year by Event Marketer, based on client satisfaction and program volume.
Best Corporate Event Producer
Midwest Events Awards, for a 680-guest year-end celebration produced in a converted warehouse venue.
Best Hybrid Production
Experience Design Awards, for a two-day customer summit with live-streamed general sessions and remote speakers.
Tell us what you are planning.
A 45-minute call is usually enough to know whether we are the right fit, and what the program will realistically cost.