The Special Event Company

What The Special Event Company does

The Special Event Company (TSEC) is a full-service experiential event agency founded in 1987 and headquartered in Apex, North Carolina, with a secondary production facility in Raleigh. The firm designs and delivers end-to-end live, virtual, and hybrid events for large enterprises — including Amazon, Google, Cisco, Bank of America, YouTube, BASF, Honda, and MetLife — alongside academic institutions such as Princeton, Duke, Williams College, Boston University, and Seton Hall. Over its 38-year history TSEC has produced 5,000+ events reaching 2M+ attendees across 30+ countries and has accumulated 40+ international awards.

Core service lines span corporate events, incentive and reward travel, academic campaign launches and alumni programs, eSports production and streaming, virtual and hybrid event delivery, video and animation production, and studio-based broadcast. Underlying technical capability rests on an integrated creative-and-production team housed at the firm's North Carolina facilities, including the TSEC Studios turn-key Raleigh studio for video production and live broadcast. An R&D function branded TSEC Labs is positioned as the firm's innovation arm. The agency is a subsidiary of DRPGroup, a diversified corporate parent that provides operational scale and cross-region delivery support.

TSEC's business model is project-based professional services: revenue is generated through bespoke fees for creative design, production, logistics, and technical delivery on a per-engagement basis. There are no published rate cards, no self-serve or e-commerce channels, and no pricing tiers — engagement begins with a consultative discussion via the website contact form or direct outreach (phone/email at the Apex headquarters). Go-to-market is enterprise field sales, with dedicated sales motions for corporate clients (VP/Director-level event and marketing buyers) and academic institutions (advancement, alumni relations, and marketing leaders). Pricing is highly project-specific and not publicly disclosed.

Name

The Special Event Company

Legal name

The Special Event Company

Website

https://specialeventco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Special Event Company (TSEC) is a full-service experiential event agency, founded in 1987, that designs and delivers corporate events, incentive travel, academic campaigns, virtual/hybrid events, video production, and eSports for Fortune 500 companies and leading universities across 30+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Experiential Event Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Event Planning & Production (HSACAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Event Technical Production Management & Crew (MPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Experiential event services
• Corporate event production
• Incentive travel programs
• Virtual hybrid events
• Video animation production

Headquarters

HQ city

Apex

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Experiential Events & Live Production Services: The primary revenue driver: end-to-end design, planning, and delivery of live events, corporate conferences, incentive travel programs, and eSports experiences. Revenue is project-based and derived from fees for creative, production, logistics, and technical services. The agency serves as a single point of accountability for bold creative execution and meticulous delivery.
2. Video & Animation Production: Creation of dynamic video content and animations from concept to final cut, offered both as standalone services and as integrated components of event deliverables. Revenue is project- or deliverable-based.
3. Studio & Broadcast Services: High-impact content production at the TSEC Raleigh studio, including live broadcast capabilities. Revenue is generated through studio rental and production service fees.
4. Digital & Virtual Event Services: Virtual and hybrid event platforms and production services enabling remote audience participation, engagement, and streaming. Revenue is service-based.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Special Event Company (TSEC) is a full-service experiential event agency that designs, plans, and produces live, virtual, and hybrid events for corporate and academic clients. Its offerings span corporate events, incentive and reward programs, academic campaigns and alumni events, virtual/hybrid events, video and animation production, eSports events, and studio-based broadcast content. The agency operates a turn-key production studio in Raleigh, NC, and delivers programs end-to-end from strategy and creative design through planning, execution, and post-event evaluation.

Product overview

The Special Event Company (TSEC) is a full-service experiential event agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of event services. The core offerings include Events & Experiences, Corporate Events, Virtual & Hybrid Events, Video & Animation, Studio Production, eSports, Incentive & Reward Events, and Academic Solutions. These are supported by strategic services including Event Strategy, Event Design, Event Planning, and Event Evaluation through the Strategies & Solutions division. TSEC Labs serves as the innovation arm. The company operates a turn-key production studio in Raleigh, NC and serves clients across 30+ countries. TSEC is part of the DRPGroup portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TSEC Labs: Innovation and research division focused on developing new event technologies and methodologies

Products and services

• Events & Experiences Multi-award winning full-service experiential event offering that combines creatives, designers, producers, planners, and technicians to deliver immersive audience experiences for corporate and institutional clients.
• Corporate Events Design and delivery of global brand launches, dynamic internal conferences, and ROI-focused corporate events where attendees are fully immersed.
• Incentive & Reward Events Bespoke incentive and reward experiences including eco-friendly travel, community engagement, and tailored programs for high-achieving employees.
• Academic Solutions Solutions for universities and academic institutions spanning campaigns, alumni programs, donor opportunities, and global communications.
• Studio Fully equipped turn-key production studio in Raleigh, NC for high-impact video production and live broadcasts using state-of-the-art facilities.
• Virtual & Hybrid Events Virtual and hybrid event production combining in-room and screen-based experiences to inspire, connect, and leave a lasting impact on global audiences.
• Video & Animation Dynamic video and animation production from concept to final cut, crafting visual stories that captivate, engage, and drive results.
• eSports Award-winning gaming events and comprehensive eSports services covering design, production, and streaming.
• Strategies & Solutions End-to-end event lifecycle support covering event strategy, creative design, operational planning and logistics, and post-event evaluation and performance measurement.
• TSEC Labs Innovation and research division developing new event technologies, methodologies, and solutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2M+ inspired attendees across 5000+ events produced in 30+ countries over 38 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers48 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• DRPGroupcoreOthersTSEC is part of DRPGroup, a parent company or group structure. This affiliation provides TSEC with additional scale, resources, and operational backing. DRPGroup is referenced as the overarching organization on the website footer, indicating a corporate family relationship.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Freeman: Freeman is the world's largest brand experience company, offering end-to-end live events, expos, and digital experiences for enterprise clients across global markets. It directly competes with TSEC for Fortune 500 event mandates and is the clearest comparable in terms of full-service experiential delivery.
• GES (Global Experience Specialists): GES is an experiential and event logistics specialist producing trade shows, expos, and corporate events for enterprise clients. It overlaps with TSEC on expo design and corporate conferences and competes for the same event marketing budgets.
• Octagon: Octagon is a global sports and experiential marketing agency that produces brand experiences, sponsorship activations, and large-scale events. It overlaps with TSEC's eSports and corporate experience work and competes for similar brand-side marketing budgets.
• George P. Johnson Experience Marketing: GPJ is one of the longest-tenured full-service experience marketing agencies, specializing in brand activations, trade shows, and corporate events worldwide. Its integrated creative + production model and enterprise client base closely mirror TSEC's positioning.
• Jack Morton Worldwide: Jack Morton is a global brand experience agency (part of IPG) that designs and produces live, virtual, and hybrid experiential events for major brands. It competes head-to-head with TSEC for the same enterprise corporate event RFPs, including product launches, conferences, and incentive programs.
• MKG Events: MKG is a full-service experience-led marketing and events agency producing corporate events, conferences, and brand activations. Its horizontal expertise across corporate, cultural, and incentive events puts it in direct competition with TSEC for mid-market and enterprise engagements.
• Sparks: Sparks is a global experiential agency (part of DAS Group/Omnicom) that designs and produces brand experiences, pop-ups, and corporate events. It targets the same Fortune 500 enterprise buyers as TSEC and shares the integrated creative-production value proposition.
• EMBRACE / BCD Meetings & Events: BCD Meetings & Events is a global corporate meetings and events agency managing conferences, incentives, and corporate events for multinational clients. It overlaps meaningfully with TSEC's corporate events and incentive travel practices.

Emerging players

• Bizzabo: Bizzabo is an event experience operating system enabling enterprises to run hybrid and in-person events with built-in registration, engagement, and analytics tools. It represents both an emerging competitor to TSEC's virtual/hybrid practice and a potential technology partner for client event programs.

Broad incumbents

• Cvent: Cvent is the largest enterprise event management software platform providing registration, venue sourcing, and virtual event technology. While not a full-service experiential producer, it increasingly competes for and complements corporate event programs at the same enterprise buyers TSEC serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/tsec
• Facebookfacebook.com/wearetsec
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wearetsec
• Instagraminstagram.com/wearetsec

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Special Event Company