Events entrepreneurs keep the party going with merger
TWO events and promotions firms have merged to create an integrated agency, the collaborative brainchild of Leeds marketing entrepreneurs, Jordan Odu and Deborah DeVittoris.
Pink Gorilla Marketing, founded by entrepreneur Jordan Odu and Hairy Lemon Events, launched by prolific businesswoman Deborah DeVittoris are now working as one company.
The new firm, Pink Gorilla Hairy Lemon, covers events ranging from fashion shows, bar and restaurant launches, corporate events and promotional campaigns for regional and national brands.
Founders Mr Odu and Ms DeVittoris first collaborated on PG vouchers, initially a subsidiary of Pink Gorilla and decided it was only right to continue working together on future projects.
PG vouchers offers discounts for Leeds lifestyle brands such as Malmaison, Oracle, Roxy Lanes, and Hotel Chocolat by downloading vouchers from the website.
The two businesses have or are working with brands such as Topshop and Topman, JLL, Roxy Lanes, Slender Tox Tea, Mulberry, Michael Kors, and have recently won briefs for Leeds Cocktail Week, Grapeful, the Leeds Wine Festival Grapeful, and Benfield Motors.
Ms DeVittoris said: “Leeds is booming again, it has bounced back from the recession, so a luxury service like ours is on the rise again, especially now the merge has allowed us to offer a full service.
“We’ve definitely seen an upturn in business, with corporates spending more on entertainment and events.
“One of the major areas we have seen an upturn in bookings is promotional staff for major retail brands such as Topshop, Topman and national shopping centres.
“People spending again is a good sign for the economy, and that definitely affected how we evolved, with the development of PG vouchers we managed to stem the tide of business away from us.”
Mr Odu said: “We work with national brands as well as local, and our merger was a natural progression of our growth as more and more work comes in. We’ve collaborated on projects before and joining forces just makes sense.”
