Clive joins FIRST

Two dynamic event agencies join forces to enhance capabilities, drive scale and expand talent to deliver continued value for their clients.

London, January 9th 2018 – FIRST, a leading global events and experiential agency operating from offices in London, New York, Los Angeles and Singapore, today announced the purchase of Clive, an experiential live events agency based in London and Dublin.  The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

By joining forces with Clive in the UK, eighteen months after the successful integration of the Barkley Kalpak Agency team (BKA) in the USA, FIRST has continued on its strategy to add a diversity of exceptional talent and enhance core delivery capabilities to meet the needs of their client portfolio.

“We are really excited about the Clive team joining FIRST – they totally complement our existing capabilities, particularly in the area of experiential marketing and live leading edge events” said Peter Godfrey, Chairman of FIRST.  “Clive has a unique, creative culture, a talented team, and a passion for delivering fresh, inspired experiences worldwide for its clients.  We share similar values, and are clear that our clients and our people are at the heart of our respective businesses.”

FIRST, founded as an event agency in London in 1996, specialises in the design and delivery of high-quality, live events for some of the world’s most iconic companies.  Clive helps brands to ‘Communicate: Live’, engaging internal and external audiences through creative live events and digital communication solutions.  The agency, established in London in 2010, expanding to Dublin earlier this year, works with some of the world’s biggest brands.

“We have great synergy with FIRST” said Nick Robinson, Managing Director, Clive.  “They have a complementary client base, great people, real ambition, and similar values.  This exciting joining together of our teams gives us the opportunity to become part of a global event group.  We’ll leverage local expertise and knowledge in the US and Asia, access to infrastructure and processes that we need to support our continued growth, and work with some of the industry’s strongest talent.”

The acquisition increases FIRST’s total workforce to approximately 250 employees worldwide, of which approximately 100 are based in London.

About FIRST

Founded in 1996, FIRST has grown into a leading global events agency. FIRST support best-in-class organisations across a variety of sectors to engage with their key stakeholders and audiences. FIRST capabilities include strategy, creative & design, venue sourcing, event technology, planning, production, data and analytics.  The teams design and execute world-class meetings, conferences and experiential events, and deliver complex outsourced service contracts for some of the most respected global brands.

About Clive

Clive was established in London in 2010. Its Dublin office opened in July 2017.  The Clive team is split across its Dublin and London offices, servicing leading technology, media, automotive and financial services clients on both a local and global scale.  Clive employs 43 people in roles including graphic design, content producers, event managers and account managers.

More than a brand experience agency, we help companies communicate, motivate, engage and express their brand personality.

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