Savannah Berrecil | Experiential Strategy That Actually Drives Revenue

What actually makes an event strategic?In this episode of OFFICE HOURS, Savannah Berrecil, founder of GoSavvy, breaks down what experiential marketing really means — and why most brands are leaving opportunity (and ROI) on the table.Savannah shares a real-world case study of a construction company that used a holiday party to roll out a rebrand, align employees, and strengthen company culture. From there, the conversation expands into vendor negotiations, hidden hotel clauses, production budgets, and why video strategy and follow-through matter more than most teams realize.They also discuss:• What experiential marketing actually is (and what it isn’t)• Where companies lose money in contracts and venue agreements• How AI is being used to strengthen strategy — not replace it• Savannah’s journey from audio engineer to founder• Going full-time in January 2020… right before COVID• Building ROI tools to help clients scale intentionally• Three practical pieces of advice for anyone hosting eventsIf you’re a founder, CMO, or marketing leader thinking about how events should drive real growth in 2026, this episode reframes them not as moments — but as systems.Connect with Savannah Berrecil & GoSavvywww.gosavvy.bizwww.instagram.com/gosavvyusawww.linkedin.com/company/go-savvy00:00 – Introduction + What Is Experiential Marketing?03:00 – The Construction Company Rebrand Event06:45 – Vendor Negotiation & Contract Pitfalls09:45 – Video, AI & Evolving Event Strategy11:45 – From Engineer to Entrepreneur16:30 – Launching GoSavvy + Surviving COVID21:30 – Budgeting, Time & Post-Event Follow-Through