Matthew Johnson

How do Silent Disco Breakout Sessions Work?

Silent Sessions make more sense than traditional breakouts for many reasons. Find out why you’ll never go back after giving them a try. Silent Sessions are meeting spaces capable of simultaneously presenting multiple content tracks. Attendees in the session...

Opus Expands Agency Leadership with Hire of SVP, Business Solutions

PORTLAND, Ore. – June 6, 2019 –We are delighted to announce the addition of Brent Turner to the Opus Agency team. In this newly created Senior Vice President of Business Solutions role, Turner joins the Opus leadership team with a charter of pushing innovation...

Opus Adds Seasoned Events Industry Executive as Agency President

We’re excited to welcome Jeff Stelmach to the Opus family; we can’t wait to see where this new leadership takes the agency! PORTLAND, Ore. – March 12, 2019 – Following three major acquisitions in 2018, Opus continued their growth trend with the hire of industry veteran...

Event Marketer and Opus Agency Expand Multiyear Partnership

We’re thrilled to announce that our partnership with Event Marketer is expanding! The Opus team is looking forward to bringing more exciting content and impactful speakers to the stage at the EMS Executive Forum in May, as well as hosting a Strategy Lab...

Five Lessons Event Professionals Took Away from the Fyre Festival Nightmare

Fyre Festival, last year’s disastrous millennial music fest meltdown, resulted in attendees stranded on an island, millions of dollars in vendor invoices unpaid, an ever-mounting pile of lawsuits filed, and countless hilarious memes. The entire internet...

Recognizing Employees Who Embody Company Values

The Opus team spends one day every year to go all out honoring, appreciating, and celebrating the success and accomplishments of our team members—we call this crazy all-staff, all-day celebration Team Connect. While the day is aimed at celebrating the entire agency’s success...

Why We’re Thankful

I make it a point to constantly focus on being grateful, but often even more so during the holidays. A loving family, good health, and fantastic teammates are at the top of my list. Yes, you, Opus/MAS team! I’m thankful for all the diverse, spirited, and brilliant people across our agency...

What it Takes to Produce Big-Name Talent

Event production involves many moving parts that can greatly affect an event; Opus producers are able to adjust to each facet to execute flawlessly. Sometimes, the most delicate aspect of production is the onstage talent. Opus producers are no stranger to producing celebrity talent...

The Relationship Between Creativity and Technology: It’s Complicated

Creative professionals are tasked with balancing creativity with technology, this balancing act can be a difficult one. The speakers at this year’s Adobe MAX, a gathering of 14,000 multi-disciplinary designers, tackled this concept head on. The event...

Should You Host Your Next Incentive in a Previously Inaccessible Location?

I was fortunate enough to be approached by CSI International to attend a fam trip to Cuba with a group of meeting and events professionals last month. Cuba is a country that many have questions about; I’m excited to share my findings about this unique destination...

Matthew Johnson shares insights from FAM in Cuba.

How Behavioral Science Can Benefit Your Marketing Strategy

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending my second Behavioral Science & Marketing Summit at the University Club in San Francisco with roughly 150 other marketing strategists, THE leading behavioral scientists, senior market researchers, and consumer...

Opus Celebrates Women in Technology: Meet Kristen

As an agency with an internal tech team that primarily serves technology clients, we are huge fans of women in tech. We understand the unique obstacles women in the tech industry face, and we’re proud to highlight our female tech team members who are thriving...

Opus Team Finds Inspiration at the Portland Creative Conference

The Portland Creative Conference, or Cre8Con, is an exploration and celebration of the creative process across various creative industries. This annual event features presentations from leading creatives who take you inside their creative process and talk about their projects...

Opus Agency Lands Spot on Oregonian’s Top Workplaces List for 7th Consecutive Year

The team is proud to see Opus Agency on the prestigious list once again! Opus sits at the 17th spot in the top 40 midsize companies (100 to 499 employees) in Oregon and SW Washington. This year, the Oregonian wrote a full company profile celebrating our team-focused culture...

Opus Celebrates Summer with Team Offsites

Each summer, our teams spend some quality time together. We’re saying farewell to summer and reflecting on our team offsites. [rev_slider alias=”summer-offsites-2018″] Interested in playing Top Golf, boating, and doing other fun things with a great team? You’re in luc...

Opus Hires Experienced VP to Global Accounts Team

PORTLAND, Ore. – September 11, 2018 – Opus Agency is excited to announce the addition of Kate Clarvoe as Vice President on the Global Accounts team. Clarvoe, who joined Opus September 4, will provide key guidance and leadership as the agency continues...

Maestro Labors of Love: Noah Dunham

Opus values work-life balance, and celebrates the amazing and creative passion projects that our employees maintain outside of work. In this series, we’ll be highlighting Maestro side hustles. Name: Noah Dunham Title: Associate Producer Side Hustle: Tour Punisher Podcast What is Tour Punisher...

Opus says “Farewell” to the Summer Interns!

Opus was excited to welcome a crew of interns this summer! Sadly, their internships are ending. We’re reflecting on their time with us and getting excited for the next steps in their professional journeys! Here’s what our interns had to say about their Opus experiences: Bodie Crist...

Opus Celebrates Four Consecutive Years on the Inc. 5000 List!

For the fourth year in a row, Opus has been named one of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the country. The list is published yearly by Inc. Magazine. The private, independent (non-subsidiary) companies on the Inc. 5000 are chosen based on revenue growth...

Maestro Labors of Love: Valerie White

Opus values work-life balance, and celebrates the amazing and creative passion projects that our employees maintain outside of work. In this series, we’ll be highlighting Maestro side hustles. Name: Valerie White Title: Event Manager, Operations Side Hustle: Public Relations Liaison...

Opus Agency Lands Spot on the It List for Ninth Consecutive Year!

We are thrilled to announce that Opus has made Event Marketer’s It List for the ninth time in a row. The It List is a yearly editorial feature compiling the event industry’s top agencies. This honor recognizes the innovation and impeccable execution we’ve...

Opus Celebrates Women in Technology: Meet Petra

As an agency with an internal tech team that primarily serves technology clients, we are huge fans of women in tech. We understand the unique obstacles women in the tech industry face, and we’re proud to highlight our female tech team members who are thriving...

The Secret Life of a Travel Director

A look at the event industry’s “on-demand” workforce Have you ever wished that you had a job that would pay you to travel around the world? There is a seemingly secret society of professionals who do just that. They’re called Travel Directors. If I had...

Opus Acquires Level 2 Design—Our Third Strategic Acquisition this Year

(PORTLAND, OR—JULY 10, 2018) Opus Agency, a leading provider of global event experiences, today announced it is acquiring Level 2 Design, an industry leader in technical design and production. Level 2 Founder and President, Tommy Melancon will join the Opus leadership team...

Rethink Vegas: Unique Offerings Off the Strip

Event professionals and meeting planners spend a lot of time in Vegas. Like, a lot of time. My team often refers to Vegas as their second home, as they spend weeks there every year. When meeting planners think of Vegas, a few clichés come to mind: heavily air-conditioned meeting spaces...

Opus Team Donates Blood to American Red Cross

The team took some time out of their busy day to help save lives! American Red Cross stopped by the Portland office for a blood drive; Maestros were able to fill the entire donation schedule for their visit. Of the 30 employees who donated blood, 28 of them were first-time donors...

Make Your Next Event a Strawless One

The “strawless” movement is in full swing. Major cities such as Seattle and Malibu have banned or limited the use of plastic straws. Restaurants across the country are voluntarily removing plastic straws from their businesses as well. Why? In America...

11 Ways C2 Montreal is Unlike any B2B Conference You’ve Ever Attended

Last week, I attended C2 —the Commerce and Creativity Conference—in Montreal, Canada. It had Snoop Dog (talking about the legalization of cannabis) as the big draw, but that’s not why I wanted to go. I was primarily interested in seeing a new event experience...

GDPR for Event Planners – Proceed with Caution

As if your job as an event planner isn’t stressful enough, along comes the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in all its complicated glory. Over the last several months, you need to have been living on a desert island to not have noticed lots of...

AWS re:Invent Receives Ex Award for Second Consecutive Year!

Event Marketer announced the winners of the Ex Awards at the 2018 Event Marketing Summit in San Francisco. Amazon Web Services and Opus were awarded the Ex Award for Best B2B Event! The award recognizes Amazon Web Services for their amazing work on re:Invent...

We Asked Our Team for Their Best De-Stressing Tips

In 2017, CNBC released a list of the most stressful jobs in America; event planner landed at #5.How do you keep feelings of pressure at bay an event professional?

Opus Agency Makes a Big Move with the Acquisition of MAS Event + Design

BEAVERTON, Ore. — (May 10, 2018) Opus Agency, a leading provider of global event experiences, today announced it has joined with MAS Event + Design, an innovator in the area of experiential event design and implementation. The founders of MAS, Mia Choi and Sneha Bhatia...

Opus adds experienced producer in leadership role

PORTLAND, Ore. – May 3, 2018 – Opus Agency is excited to announce the addition of Wendy Rusk as Vice President of Production Operations. Rusk, who joined the team May 1, will fill an important leadership role in the agency, primarily responsible for guiding...

What I Learned from Attending Mule Design’s “Presenting Work with Confidence” Workshop at Design Week Portland

Last week, I had the distinct pleasure (and luck) to be one of 20 wannabe extroverts in Mike Monteiro ’s Presenting Work with Confidence workshop during Portland Design Week. Yep, you read that right: 20 introverts arrived at Outlet PDX (a wonderful,...

Opus Celebrates Women in Technology: Meet Carleen

As an agency with an internal tech team that primarily serves technology clients, we value women in tech. We understand the unique obstacles women in the tech industry face, so we’re proud to highlight our female tech team members who are thriving. In the second installment of Opus Women in Tech...

Projection or LED Screens: Which is Best for Your Event?

Finding the best way to display content or visuals at your event can be a difficult process. There are a few different approaches, two of the most popular solutions being LED screens and traditional projection technology. What you might want to do as...

Pay Attention to What Inspires Your Designers

Designers don’t limit themselves to creating from nine to five. They draw inspiration from everywhere, all the time. As a creative director, it’s imperative that you know where their inspiration is coming from. In my team’s case, doing so has led to some incredible client work...

CRG Events (now Opus) Wins Big at the ILEA Seattle Awards

The Seattle Team was honored at the International Live Events Association Seattle Chapter’s Emerald City Applause Awards ceremony. The award recognizes the Seattle team’s (formerly CRG Events) work on the Diner en Blanc in Seattle. Diner en Blanc is a...

Glaciers, Shipwrecks, and Penguins: What an Incentive Trip to Patagonia Looks Like

Clients planning incentive trips are constantly looking for the next unique destination; I’m often asked for input on places such as Iceland, Croatia, and Cuba. So when I was asked to participate on an advisory council visit to Patagonia, I jumped at the opportunity...

Event Professionals: What Keeps You Up at Night?

In 2017, Forbes released their list of the 10 most stressful jobs in America. Event coordinators landed in the number five spot—just behind police officers. This is largely due to the amount of organizing, multi-tasking, and hurdle-jumping required to execute a flawless event...

Opus Expands Agency with the Acquisition of CRG Events

Portland, OR — March 6, 2018 — Opus Agency, a leading provider of global event experiences, today announced it has acquired CRG Events, a highly respected Seattle-based event management agency. CRG’s long-time CEO, Leasa Mayer, will serve as Executive Vice President at Opus...

Opus Celebrates Women in Technology: Meet Genevieve

As an agency with an internal tech team that primarily serves technology clients, we are huge fans of women in tech. We understand the unique obstacles women in the tech industry face, and we’re proud to highlight our female tech team members who are thriving...

Event Marketer, Opus Forge Multi-Year Partnership to Elevate Strategy Across Industry

This first-of-its-kind initiative includes live education and exclusive research to inform and elevate the events industry’s use of strategy. NORWALK, CT, FEBRUARY 27, 2018 —Event Marketer and leading experiential marketing agency Opus announced today...

So You Want to Hire an Intern?

Internship experience is extremely important for college students, but the benefits of internships are not one-sided. Interns can be a helpful and productive addition to your team. Follow these tips to make sure you’re getting the most out of hiring an intern...

Hologram Keynotes: Cool or Creepy?

Gone are the days of ninety-minute PowerPoint keynotes. Today’s audiences are in need of diverse and exciting displays of content. One way to do this is with the help of hologram keynote speakers. My team and I are fascinated by hologram presence at events...

Give it Up for the 2017 TeamCS Award Winners!

Every year, the Opus team takes a day to celebrate everything we’ve accomplished in the last year. We call this all-day agency offsite Team Connect. During the celebration, we present awards to employees that have embodied TeamCS in the last year. Check...

Maestros Toast to a Successful 2017 at Team Connect!

Last week, the maestros celebrated the best work day of the year, Team Connect! Team Connect is a yearly all-day agency offsite where we celebrate everything we accomplished in the previous year. The team also looks to the future and discusses next year’s goals...

When Event Professionals Take Over Music City

The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) hosted over 4,500 event profs at the Convening Leaders conference in Nashville last week. It’s no surprise that a meeting for meeting planners offered great attendee experience. From a registration desk at the Nashville airport...

Maestros Wrap Up the Year with White Elephant Gift Exchange

‘Tis the season for unlimited baked goods in the Opus kitchen, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You,” and a Maestro White Elephant gift exchange! Plenty of stealing led to a heated game, but everyone in the group ended up with some awesome (and weird) gifts...

EventTech 2017 Takeaways

As VP of Technical Services for the Opus event technology team, Event Marketer’s EventTech conference is basically Christmas. Once a year, professionals passionate about all things event tech gather to learn about and celebrate trends and developments in the industry...

Tired Feet and a Full Heart After TedWomen 2017

Gloria Vanderbilt once said: “I always believed that one woman’s success can only help another woman’s success.” At TedWomen 2017, 1,500 attendees gathered in New Orleans for three days to celebrate the success of women and to discuss building a better future...

Taking the Role of Attendee at the Bend Design Conference

I recently attended a two-day design conference and workshop in Bend, OR. The overarching theme of the event was “ethics in design and content.” Sessions covered everything from ethical fashion design (Angela Luna shared the thinking behind her coat-to-tent...