The Comeback: UPDATE

As summer ticks aways, our team at Pierce Events is hard at work on events for the remainder of the year. It was a the start of this year that we returned to full operations with the goal of rebuilding and once again producing in person events.

In March of 2020, we received a government order to cease the event we doing due to Coronavirus restrictions. We were told to vacate the venue and really had no clue what the days ahead would bring. As many shifted to virtual events, we instead educated ourselves on how to continue our mission of bringing people together for milestone events. After a 2 year shutdown, we expected a high demand for in person events, but were unsure if people were ready to return. That question has been answered with a resounding YES! Once we demonstrated to clients we could plan and produce safe in person events, our business has begun rebounding beyond expectations.

We kicked off the year with an event in New York. Navigating the state and local restrictions was a challenge, but we successfully did it and currently have another event in NYC in the planning stages.

We produced an event in Johnstown, PA to demonstrate our capabilities to a client. That has led to ongoing events.

We returned to Steel City Con, hosted a sports event at Penn State, partnered with Pepsi and Frito-Lay to produce events for their brands, participated in community events and recently welcomed a record breaking crowd to one of the largest food festivals in the country. All done safely.

In the coming months our team will be a part of the global gathering for the Little League World Series, a community heritage festival and a music festival. We have events planned from Downtown Pittsburgh to major cities in several states.

We are adding staff to our team and working hard to meet the needs of every client. None of this would be possible without the clients who put their trust in us, our event team who brings the dream to life and each and every person who attends one of our events. After a dark time of uncertainty, we are proud to say we are back and deeply thankful to still be doing what we love.

We invite you to visit our website to see what we are working on and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates from events happening across the country.

Time Flies

It’s hard to believe but it was 10 years ago the first post on Eventspark appeared. So much has happened since we first began Pierce Events and this blog.

We have traveled all over the country and have been a part of some truly incredible event productions and we aren’t slowing down.

We ended the school year with a bang as we brought our DJ show to area schools. It’s become a tradition for a number of schools to have us back each year.

We were in Atlanta for the 3 day Wine & Food Festival. While there we met some great people and had a chance to visit the set of the TV show “The Walking Dead”.

In June we launched a event series in partnership with Square to equip small business owners with the tools they need to succeed and grow. We

featured some really knowledgeable and inspirational speakers and hosted a series of classes in both Atlanta and Pittsburgh. All of it was offered for free and the feedback has been great. Hopefully we will be able to bring this program to additional cities across the country next year.

Our next event takes us to Bloomington, Indiana and we have events in production in Texas, California, Wisconsin, Ohio and New Hampshire for the second half of the year.

It’s been a great summer so far and we look forward to many more great events ahead.

 

St. Patrick’s Day – Pittsburgh Style

St. Patrick’s Day is a big deal in our home city. Pittsburgh hosts one of the largest St. Patrick day parades in the world, second only to New York city.

While our team will be celebrating Irish heritage at an event outside of the county this year, here is a peak at what’s going on. Oh, and it goes way beyond a day.

The schedule for events leading up to the parade is as follows:

March 6 – Allegheny County Council Proclamation of County’s Irish Heritage at the Allegheny County Courthouse at 5:00 p.m.

March 9 – Annual St. Patrick’s Parade Button Party at Mitchell’s Pub (304 Ross Street) from 5 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

March 11 – AOH Division 9/Allegheny County Communion Br

eakfast a

t St. Paul’s Seminary (2900 Noblestown Road) with Mass celebrated by Bishop David Zubik at 10 a.m., followed by a breakfast banquet and official program.

March 13 – City Proclamation of “St. Patrick’s Week in Pittsburgh”10 a.m. – City-County Building (

Downtown) at City Council Meeting

March 16 – Crowning of 2018 Miss Smiling Irish Eyes by Allegheny County Chief Executive Rich Fitzgerald at River’s Club, Oxford Center at 12 p.m.

The activities happening on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) are as follows:

• Parade Day Mass at St. Patrick’s Church in the Strip District at 8 a.m.
• 2018 St. Patrick’s Day Parade – 10 a.m. (same parade route as 2017)
• Family-friendly Parade Fest in Market Square from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Mr. Bezos’ Neighborhood

I was talking with a few event industry folks and the subject of Amazon came up. Amazon is currently seeking a location for its second headquarters. The competition between cities to attract the billion dollar company and the jobs it would bring is pretty stiff. Pittsburgh sent a bid and has been touted as a contender.

While the economic impact would be incredible should Pittsburgh be chosen, it would also transform our city in both positive and negatives ways. You can imagine how costs, and traffic would rise, but so would home values, jobs and investment.

Mr Rodgers neighbor might have Mr. Bezos moving in and buying up the block. You can debate the pros and cons on your own, but let’s take a look at the prospect.

Some of Amazon’s top officials have ties to Pittsburgh. Their CFO Brian Olsavsky went to CMU’s Tepper School of Business and his wife is from Pittsburgh. Jeff Wilke, CEO grew up in Pittsburgh. These guys are in the position to have serious input on the decision and could be hero’s in this city if Pittsburgh is the choice.

Pittsburgh has plenty of land available for such a project, it’s highly affordable , we have already attracted some innovative companies like Google, and Uber. Pittsburgh can offer highly skilled employees through our higher education facilities and provide them and stunning beautiful and affordable place to live and raise a family.

Our biggest downside is we are not the transportation hub we used to be. However, even that is beginning to change with new direct flights being offered. We also have an award-winning airport that is not at capacity and could easily adapt to expanding needs.

One of the reasons we base our national events out of Pittsburgh is because it’s relatively easy to get to a number of major cities. Cleveland, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Buffalo, Detroit, even Chicago. We can produce an event in those cities without having to be physically based in a high cost location. With a company like Amazon coming to town, any transportation issues to or from Pittsburgh would be quickly addressed.

I can’t say for sure what will happen, but we see some very exciting things on the horizon for this city with or without Amazon.

Pittsburgh Wedding Transportation

Guest Blogger: Pittsburgh Limousine Bus

Pittsburgh weddings are beautiful events, and it takes some work to create a seamless event! There are many pieces of the puzzle, and everybody has their own strategy in putting them together. Each wedding is a completely unique ceremony, and this is why planning one takes much time and effort. When you find yourself at the beginning of the important task that is vendor research and hire, it seems like it’s hard to know who to trust! This is especially true when it comes to transportation.

There is a diverse array of charter, limousine, and party bus companies to choose from in Pittsburgh which is both a blessing and a curse. It’s pretty easy to pull up a listing of companies with great reviews across the internet, but it’s getting harder to know who to trust! There are a few points that you’ll specifically want to look out for when searching for Pennsylvania Transportation.

How does their website look?

If you’re perusing transportation companies and their website is outdated and unresponsive on mobile phones, you might want to look elsewhere. Technology is such an important part of business competency these days, and this especially goes for transportation. A great company will have a easy to use website with clear directions on how to get the information you’ll need! If a company lacks on their website, they will probably fall short of state of the art traffic tracking and customer service

Can you come view the vehicle?

Many couples overlook this step when choosing a vehicle for their Pittsburgh wedding, but visiting the office or garage to view the vehicle you’re looking to rent will certainly bring you closer to finding the best choice for your wedding. It give you the closest look into how they conduct business face to face before the big day, and it’s very helpful to see what you’re working with before it shows up.

Is the contract transparent?

The contract is the final step in securing your wedding day transportation, and arguable the most important! It’s not out of the norm for a company to sneak in some hidden charges at this stage under the guise of fuel or tip to the driver. However, this is the last thing you’re going to want to deal with right after getting married!

Pittsburgh Limousine Bus

232 Taylor Street #2

Pittsburgh, PA 15224

(412) 385-4412