FIRST
FIRST is a global brand experience agency with 850+ employees across 16 cities, delivering event planning, production, content, and digital technology services to Fortune 500 enterprise clients in financial services, technology, and media via full-service engagements and embedded talent teams.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What FIRST does
FIRST is a global brand experience agency founded in 1996 and headquartered in New York, providing end-to-end event delivery, creative development, and technical production services to enterprise clients. As of December 2025, the firm operates with 850+ specialist employees across 16 cities in 9 countries on 4 continents (North America, EMEA, APAC), delivering through both full-service agency engagements and a proprietary Embedded Campus Model that places specialist talent directly into client teams. Service offerings span Experience Design, Event Planning, Event Production, Content Strategy, Video Production, Data & Insights, Digital Technology, Global Venue Sourcing, and Management & Delivery, with capabilities covering in-person, hybrid, and virtual event formats. The firm retains acquired sub-brands Clive Agency and Barkley Kalpak Agency (BKA), and operates a dedicated sustainability and social impact practice called 'Paramount.'
FIRST serves a diversified base of Fortune 500 enterprise clients across primary verticals of Financial Services (Carlyle, SWIFT/Sibos, Goldman Sachs, Prudential), Technology (Indeed, Shopify, Slack, Google), and Media & Entertainment (Netflix, Univision, AOL, Verizon Media, The New York Times), with secondary exposure to Healthcare, Consumer Electronics/Automotive, Retail, and Non-profit. Revenue is generated through custom, quote-based enterprise B2B professional services contracts, typically structured as multi-year engagements, with no public pricing or self-serve channels. The firm holds GDPR and CCPA compliance certifications, has been repeatedly recognized on industry analyst rankings (Eventex Top 150, Event Marketer Top 100 It List, Chief Marketer Top Agency of the Year 2025 and 2026), and is led by Global CEO Maureen Ryan Fable. In December 2025, FIRST was acquired by Encore, a global leader in event production and technology, joining the broader Encore family of companies while continuing to operate under the FIRST brand.
FIRST firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- FIRST
- Legal name
- First Protocol Group Limited
- Website
- https://firstagency.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- FIRST is a global brand experience agency with 850+ employees across 16 cities, delivering event planning, production, content, and digital technology services to Fortune 500 enterprise clients in financial services, technology, and media via full-service engagements and embedded talent teams.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
FIRST industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Experiential Marketing & Event Production Services
- NAICS
- Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising Agencies (54181)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Brand Activations & Experiential Campaign Design (MPAAAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Product Launches & Brand Activations (Experiential Marketing) (MPAGAHAD), Activation/Experiential Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAO), Festival & Live Entertainment Brand Partnerships (MPAAAGAF), Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)
Keywords
Where FIRST is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices6 records
Markets served
FIRST business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Event and Brand Experience Services: Professional services revenue generated through planning, designing, and delivering brand experiences for enterprise clients. Services include event planning, event production, experiential marketing, content strategy, video production, and experience design.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Enterprise professional services - custom project-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
FIRST product offering
Product offeringCore offering
FIRST is a global brand experience agency that plans, designs, and delivers events and experiential marketing programs for enterprise clients across financial services, technology, media, healthcare, and consumer brands. The firm operates either as a full-service agency partner or by embedding specialist talent directly into client teams, providing content, creative, digital technology, management and delivery, and data and insights services across in-person, hybrid, and virtual formats.
Product overview
FIRST is a global brand experience agency providing professional services as a full-service partner or through embedding specialist talent into client teams. The company offers an integrated suite of services including Experience Design, Event Planning, Event Production, Content Strategy, Video Production, Data & Insights, Digital Technology, Global Venue Sourcing, and Management & Delivery. FIRST operates across 16 cities in 9 countries with 850+ team members. The agency was acquired by Encore in December 2025 and maintains specialized offerings through its acquired brand Clive Agency. Services are delivered through both on-site production teams and virtual/hybrid event platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Clive Agency: Experiential events agency acquired by FIRST in 2021
- Barkley Kalpak Agency (BKA)
- Paramount
Products and services
- Experience Design
Quantifiable outcome
- Sibos 2019 attracted record 11,000 delegates with 600+ speakers, 300+ exhibitors
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use FIRST
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
FIRST technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
FIRST partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
FIRST competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- INVNT: Live brand experience agency acquired by Nth Degree. Comparable to FIRST as a specialist in live event production and brand storytelling for global enterprise clients, with similar award recognition and a comparable target customer base.
- MKG: Experiential and creative agency part of the Stagwell network. Comparable to FIRST on experiential marketing, event production, and brand storytelling for enterprise clients in technology and consumer sectors.
- Freeman: Large global event production and brand experience company. Comparable to FIRST on full-service event production, AV, staging, and integrated experience delivery for enterprise clients, with a comparable global operating footprint.
- BCD Meetings & Events: Global meetings, events, and experiential agency. Comparable to FIRST in delivering large-scale conferences, incentive programs, and corporate events for enterprise clients across financial services, technology, and healthcare verticals.
- Jack Morton Worldwide: One of the largest global brand experience agencies, part of the IPG network. Directly comparable to FIRST on global event production, experiential marketing, and integrated brand experiences for enterprise clients across multiple verticals.
- George P. Johnson Experience Marketing: Privately held experiential marketing agency specializing in brand activations and large-scale events. Directly comparable to FIRST in serving technology and enterprise clients with event strategy, design, and production services.
- Opus Agency: Independent brand experience and event agency serving enterprise technology clients (Microsoft, Amazon). Directly comparable to FIRST on full-service experiential, event production, and embedded team offerings for tech-forward enterprises.
- 160over90: Global brand experience agency acquired by Publicis in 2023. Closely comparable to FIRST as a full-service experiential and creative agency serving enterprise clients like Nike and Google; operates in the same product category with similar hybrid event and activation capabilities.
- Sparks: Experiential marketing agency serving global brands with event design and production. Directly comparable to FIRST in delivering brand activations, conferences, and live experiences for enterprise clients.
Broad incumbents
- Encore Global: Encore acquired FIRST in December 2025 and is the broader parent. Comparable as a global event production and technology provider with overlapping service offerings (event production, AV, staging), but Encore operates as a wider portfolio while FIRST sits within it as the brand-experience specialist arm.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
FIRST social profiles
Digital presenceFIRST compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
FIRST financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
FIRST leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
FIRST subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries16 records
FIRST funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
FIRST M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about FIRST
What does FIRST do?
FIRST is a global brand experience agency that plans, designs, and delivers events and experiential marketing programs for enterprise clients across financial services, technology, media, healthcare, and consumer brands. The firm operates either as a full-service agency partner or by embedding specialist talent directly into client teams, providing content, creative, digital technology, management and delivery, and data and insights services across in-person, hybrid, and virtual formats.
Is FIRST a public or private company?
FIRST is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was FIRST founded?
FIRST was founded in 1996. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is FIRST based?
FIRST is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does FIRST make money?
One revenue line is on record: event and Brand Experience Services.
Who are FIRST's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are INVNT, MKG, Freeman, BCD Meetings & Events, Jack Morton Worldwide, George P. Johnson Experience Marketing, Opus Agency, 160over90 and Sparks. Encore Global is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does FIRST have an API?
No public API is recorded for FIRST.
What industry is FIRST in?
FIRST's product category is Experiential Marketing & Event Production Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAGAA, Brand Activations & Experiential Campaign Design, with a secondary code of MPAGAHAD, Product Launches & Brand Activations (Experiential Marketing). Its NAICS code is 541810 and its SIC code is 7311.