Forte Event Marketing

What Forte Event Marketing does

Forte Event Marketing is a Park Ridge, Illinois-based experiential marketing and event staffing agency founded in 2010 by Buffie Amoroso. The company connects beverage alcohol brands (spirits, wine, beer) and, to a lesser extent, consumer packaged goods brands to consumers through on-site experiences including on-premise activations at bars and restaurants, off-premise product demos at retail (Total Wine & More, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits), special activations at festivals and outdoor events, tradeshows, and curated consumer experiences such as its Whiskey & Chocolate yacht charter in Destin, Florida. The company operates as a two-sided marketplace — recruiting and managing brand ambassadors while running enterprise-style sales toward brand clients via a Request For Proposal funnel.

The core offering bundles brand ambassador staffing, brand training, scheduling coordination, swag/logistics (creative planning, design, sourcing, storing, shipping), and total event management under a proprietary Client Portal that tracks training completion and event logistics. The company reports a partner network of more than 40 brands spanning major spirits producers (Brown-Forman, E. & J. Gallo, Jose Cuervo, Molson Coors, Ketel One, Herradura, Jack Daniel's), wine (Alexander Valley Vineyards, Gundlach Bundschu, Folio), craft beer (Boulevard, Deep Ellum), imports (Chatham Imports), and two of the largest U.S. alcohol distributors (RNDC and Johnson Brothers).

Forte generates revenue through professional services contracts priced via custom RFP quotes, supplemented by consumer-direct bookings for curated experiences such as the Whiskey & Chocolate yacht pairing. The firm is privately held, reports 1–10 employees, and describes its geographic reach as nationwide with operational concentrations in Florida, Georgia, Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, Colorado, and Louisiana. Current leadership is CEO Alissa Mercado with founder Buffie Amoroso retained. No external funding, M&A, or ownership change has been disclosed.

Name

Forte Event Marketing

Legal name

Forte Event Marketing

Website

https://forteeventmarketing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Forte Event Marketing is a U.S. experiential marketing and event staffing agency that recruits and manages brand ambassadors to run on-premise activations, retail product demos, tradeshows, special events, and curated experiences for beverage alcohol and CPG brand clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Experiential Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Event Staffing & Brand Ambassadors (BPAFAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Event Staffing, Ushers & Brand Ambassadors (HSACAAAF), Event Staffing & Brand Ambassadors (Hosts, Greeters, Promoters) (THAHALAA), Sponsorship Activation & Experiential Marketing (THAHAGAC)

Keywords

• Experiential marketing services
• Event staffing agency
• Brand activation services
• Beverage alcohol marketing
• Product demonstration staffing

Headquarters

HQ city

Park Ridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Experiential Marketing & Event Staffing Services: Forte Event Marketing generates revenue by providing experiential marketing services, brand ambassador staffing, event execution, and logistics support to beverage alcohol and CPG brands. Services include on-premise activations, off-premise activations, special events, tradeshows, and product demos. Pricing is likely project or contract-based.
2. Special Experience Bookings: The company offers bookable experiences such as Whiskey & Chocolate yacht charters in Destin, FL. Consumers or corporate clients can book these curated pairing experiences, generating direct revenue.
3. Swag & Merchandise Logistics: Forte provides end-to-end swag logistics including creative planning, design, sourcing, storing, and shipping of Point of Sale items and branded merchandise for client events.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Forte Event Marketing provides experiential marketing and event staffing services for beverage alcohol brands and CPG companies, including on-premise activations, off-premise product demos, tradeshows, special events, and yacht charter experiences. The company manages brand ambassador recruitment, live virtual brand training, scheduling coordination, and swag logistics, with a proprietary client portal enabling clients to track brand ambassador training status and event coordination.

Product overview

Forte Event Marketing is an experiential marketing and event staffing agency that has been in operation since 2010. The company offers a unified service platform centered on five core experience offerings: Yacht Charters (featuring curated whiskey and chocolate pairings), Special Activations (festivals and outdoor events), On-Premise Activations (bar and restaurant events), Tradeshows, and Product Demos. These core experiences are supported by a suite of add-on modules including Point of Sale/Swag services (creative planning, design, sourcing, storage, and shipping), Total Event Management, Brand Training (live virtual training with tracking via their Client Portal), Scheduling Coordination, and Fully Insured services. The company delivers results through consumer engagement, brand awareness metrics, and concrete sales improvements, operating nationwide with roots in Florida markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Yacht Charters A luxury yacht experience featuring curated whiskey and chocolate pairing experiences, offered as a two-hour sunset cruise in Destin, Florida, designed to create face-to-face brand consumer connections.
• Special Activations Special event activations including festivals and outdoor events at various venues nationwide, creating face-to-face brand consumer experiences for beverage alcohol and CPG brands.
• On-Premise Activations Event activations at bars, restaurants, and on-premise retail locations where customers consume products at the venue, executed by trained brand ambassadors.
• Tradeshows Tradeshow support and activation services at convention centers and event venues across the country for beverage alcohol and CPG brands.
• Product Demos Product demonstration services for beverage brands conducted at retail locations including Total Wine & More, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, and other off-premise stores.

Quantifiable outcome

• Brand marketing efforts deliver measurable results in consumer engagement, brand awareness, and concrete metrics to improve sales, increase expansion, and foster growth.

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

35 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• 4 Blue PalmsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner4 Blue Palms is a spirits brand featured in Forte's partnership portfolio. Forte executes off-premise brand activations and product demonstrations for 4 Blue Palms, featuring Standard Proof Whiskey at retail locations such as Total Wine & More.
• Alexander Valley VineyardsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlexander Valley Vineyards is a wine brand in Forte's partnership portfolio, likely receiving event marketing and brand activation services.
• Ammunition WhiskeyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmmunition Whiskey is a partner brand for which Forte provides experiential marketing and brand activation services.
• BallotinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBallotin is a chocolate liquor brand featured in Forte's partnership ecosystem, receiving brand activation support.
• Boulevard BrewingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoulevard Brewing is a craft beer brand in Forte's partner network, receiving experiential marketing services.
• Brown-FormancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrown-Forman is a major spirits company and one of Forte's key brand partners. Brown-Forman owns brands including Jack Daniel's, which is separately listed in Forte's partner logos.
• BushwackerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBushwacker is a coconut rum brand featured in Forte's partner portfolio, receiving brand activation services.
• CanarchyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanarchy is a craft brewing company in Forte's partner network, receiving experiential marketing support.
• Chatham ImportsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChatham Imports is an alcohol import and distribution company in Forte's partnership ecosystem.
• ChinolaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChinola is a passion fruit liqueur brand in Forte's partner portfolio.
• Coconut CartelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoconut Cartel is a coconut rum brand partnered with Forte for brand activation services.
• Deep Ellum BrewingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeep Ellum Brewing is a craft brewery in Forte's partner network.
• FireballminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFireball Cinnamon Whisky is a brand under the FDB Brands / Sazerac parent company featured in Forte's partnership portfolio.
• FoliominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFolio is a wine brand partner in Forte's ecosystem.
• GallocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerE. & J. Gallo Winery is a major wine and spirits company and a key brand partner in Forte's portfolio.
• Gundlach BundschuminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGundlach Bundschu is a winery in Forte's partnership portfolio.
• Hayden SpiritsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHayden Spirits is a whiskey brand partnered with Forte for brand activation services.
• HerraduracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHerradura is a premium tequila brand under Brown-Forman, featured prominently in Forte's partner network.
• Jack Daniel'scoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJack Daniel's is a flagship Brown-Forman whiskey brand and a key partner in Forte's experiential marketing execution.
• Johnson BrotherscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJohnson Brothers is a major alcohol beverage distributor operating across multiple U.S. states, serving as a key distribution partner for Forte's brand activation programs.
• Jose CuervocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJose Cuervo is a leading tequila brand under Becle S.A.B. de C.V. and a key brand partner in Forte's portfolio.
• Ketel One VodkacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKetel One Vodka is a premium vodka brand under Nolet Distillery, featured in Forte's partner ecosystem.
• KurvballminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKurvball is a whiskey brand partnered with Forte for brand activations.
• Marussia BeveragesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarussia Beverages is a beverages company in Forte's partner network.
• MichtersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichters is a premium American whiskey brand in Forte's partnership portfolio.
• Molson CoorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMolson Coors is a major global brewing company and a key brand partner in Forte's experiential marketing execution.
• Nolet SpiritscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNolet Spirits is the parent company of Ketel One Vodka and other premium spirits, serving as a key brand partner for Forte.
• Ogdens OwnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOgdens Own is a spirits brand partnered with Forte for brand activation services.
• O'Shaughnessy DistillingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerO'Shaughnessy Distilling is a whiskey distillery for which Forte executes off-premise brand activations at Total Wine & More locations, featuring the Keeper's Heart Whiskey brand.
• RNDC (Republic National Distributing Company)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRNDC is one of the largest alcohol beverage distributors in the United States, serving as a key distribution partner for Forte's brand activation and event marketing programs.
• Pink WhitneyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPink Whitney is a pink lemonade flavored vodka under the Barstool Sports / marked. brand portfolio, featured in Forte's partner network.
• Rum ChataminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRum Chata is a Caribbean rum cream liqueur brand partnered with Forte for experiential marketing.
• SomrusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSomrus is an Indian-inspired cream liqueur brand in Forte's partnership portfolio.
• The Beast UnleashedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Beast Unleashed is a spiked hard tea brand in Forte's partner network.
• Wolf SpiritsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWolf Spirits is a spirits brand in Forte's partnership portfolio.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sparks: Sparks is a global experiential marketing agency with deep beverage alcohol and CPG experience, offering brand activations, sampling, and event staffing comparable to Forte's core service line.
• MKG: MKG is a New York-based experiential marketing agency providing brand experiences, event staffing, and integrated campaigns that closely overlap Forte's full-stack experiential model.
• Mosaic North America: Mosaic is an in-store and experiential marketing execution firm with major CPG and beverage clients, directly comparable to Forte's off-premise activations and product demo work.
• MKTG: MKTG (part of Dentsu) is a brand activation and shopper marketing agency with strong beverage alcohol expertise, directly comparable to Forte's on-premise/off-premise activation and staffing services.
• OnPrem Solutions: OnPrem Solutions is a specialized on-premise beverage marketing agency focused on bar/restaurant activations for alcohol suppliers — a near-identical niche to Forte's on-premise activation line.
• Allied Live: Allied Live is a brand ambassador and event staffing agency that recruits, trains, and deploys field staff for live brand experiences — a direct operational peer to Forte's staffing-and-training model.

Broad incumbents

• Jack Morton Worldwide: Jack Morton is a global brand experience agency under IPG, offering experiential campaigns at much larger scale than Forte; it competes for the same enterprise brand activation RFPs Forte bids on.
• George P. Johnson Experience Marketing: George P. Johnson is a large, established experiential marketing agency serving major consumer brands, providing similar end-to-end event and brand activation services as Forte but at enterprise scale.
• Momentum Worldwide: Momentum Worldwide is an Interpublic Group experiential agency with global reach, overlapping Forte on brand experience design and event execution for CPG and beverage clients.
• GMR Marketing: GMR Marketing is a sports and experiential marketing agency that delivers brand ambassador programs and event activations for large CPG and beverage clients, partially overlapping Forte's service model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ForteEventMktg
• Facebookfacebook.com/ForteEventMktg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forte-event-marketing-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Forte Event Marketing