McFarlane Promotions
McFarlane Promotions, now The Shift Studio, is a woman-owned, San Diego-based event production studio delivering bespoke brand experiences for luxury, automotive, corporate, and private clients. Services span strategy, planning, production, execution, and measurement across immersive brand environments, automotive showcases, intimate gatherings, and lifestyle activations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What McFarlane Promotions does
McFarlane Promotions, now operating as The Shift Studio, is a privately held, woman-owned event production and experience design firm headquartered in San Diego, California. Founded in 1995, the company delivers full-service event production — spanning strategy and consulting, event planning, production, execution and activation, and post-event measurement — organized around four experience categories: Brand Worlds, Automotive Experiences, Journeys & Gatherings, and Luxury Lifestyle Activations.
The firm serves luxury and lifestyle brands, automotive manufacturers, corporate and enterprise teams, collectors and private hosts, and leading agencies seeking production partners for high-stakes experiential work. There is no proprietary software platform, app, or API surface; the underlying capability is creative and operational — applying design, narrative, and hospitality expertise to produce immersive brand environments, vehicle launches and Concours showcases, intimate invitation-only gatherings, and curated lifestyle activations.
The business model is project-based professional services: bespoke, quote-based engagements scoped per client, with no disclosed subscription or recurring revenue stream. The go-to-market is direct enterprise sales via relationships, supported by an organic social presence on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook. The company is privately held with no disclosed investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity.
McFarlane Promotions firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- McFarlane Promotions
- Legal name
- The Shift Studio
- Website
- https://mcfarlanepromotions.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- McFarlane Promotions, now The Shift Studio, is a woman-owned, San Diego-based event production studio delivering bespoke brand experiences for luxury, automotive, corporate, and private clients. Services span strategy, planning, production, execution, and measurement across immersive brand environments, automotive showcases, intimate gatherings, and lifestyle activations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
McFarlane Promotions industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Event Production Services
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Staging, Scenic & Set Fabrication (Stages, Backdrops, Scenic Builds) (THAHAEAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Event Signage, Props & Custom Installations (HSACAOAG), Lighting Design & Lighting Equipment Rentals (THAHAEAB)
Keywords
Where McFarlane Promotions is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
McFarlane Promotions business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Event Production and Experience Services: Full-service event production and experience design for luxury and automotive brands, including strategy consulting, event planning, production, execution, activation, and measurement services. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services engagements rather than recurring subscriptions.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
McFarlane Promotions product offering
Product offeringCore offering
McFarlane Promotions (operating as The Shift Studio) is a full-service event production and experience design studio for luxury and automotive brands. It designs and produces immersive events through strategy & consulting, event planning, production, execution & activation, and measurement & continuity, organized into four experience categories: Brand Worlds, Automotive Experiences, Journeys & Gatherings, and Luxury Lifestyle Activations. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services engagements rather than subscriptions or product sales.
Product overview
The Shift Studio (formerly McFarlane Promotions) operates as a single, unified full-service event production and experience studio for luxury and automotive brands. The studio offers a comprehensive suite of services including strategy & consulting, event planning, event production, execution & activation, and measurement & continuity. Its core offerings are organized into four distinct experience categories: Brand Worlds (immersive brand environments), Automotive Experiences (vehicle launches, drives, auctions, and showcases), Journeys & Gatherings (intimate invitation-only events), and Luxury Lifestyle Activations (curated moments in art, travel, cuisine, and craftsmanship).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use McFarlane Promotions
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
McFarlane Promotions technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
McFarlane Promotions partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
McFarlane Promotions competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Villa Eugénie: Paris-based luxury and fashion event production agency that designs immersive brand experiences for premium maisons. Directly comparable to The Shift Studio's combination of strategy, design, and high-touch production for luxury clients.
- MKG: New York-based experiential marketing and creative agency serving premium and luxury brands. Comparable to The Shift Studio in offering strategy-through-execution brand experiences with a creative/design-led culture.
- Sparks: Global brand experience agency that designs and produces events, exhibits, and activations for enterprise and premium brands. Competes for the same design-led, immersive event engagements that The Shift Studio targets in the automotive and luxury verticals.
- Bureau Betak: Paris-based luxury event production house specializing in fashion and automotive brand experiences (Chanel, Dior, major auto reveals). Operates in the same luxury/automotive production niche as The Shift Studio with a comparable design-led, invite-only approach to high-end brand moments.
- Caravents: Luxury event and experience production agency serving premium brands with bespoke activations. Directly comparable service model (strategy through execution) to The Shift Studio for luxury and lifestyle clients.
- Workshop/AP: Experiential design and production studio focused on luxury, fashion, and brand storytelling activations. Comparable to The Shift Studio's narrative-driven, design-led approach to luxury brand experiences.
- Atelier Ace: Hospitality and experiential design studio behind Ace Hotel and adjacent luxury lifestyle projects. Comparable to The Shift Studio's blend of design, narrative, and hospitality for luxury lifestyle and experience-driven engagements.
Broad incumbents
- George P. Johnson Experience Marketing: Large global experiential marketing agency known for automotive launches, trade shows, and brand activations. A long-established incumbent in the automotive event space that competes for premium launch and showcase work alongside The Shift Studio.
- Jack Morton Worldwide: Large global brand experience agency (part of IPG) producing events, experiential programs, and brand activations across industries including automotive and luxury. A broader incumbent competitor that over indexes on the same design-driven experiential work as The Shift Studio but at much larger scale.
Emerging players
- Factory 360: Experiential marketing agency producing brand activations and events for premium and lifestyle clients. Operates in an adjacent tier to The Shift Studio with a similar boutique, design-led approach but broader vertical mix.
Market position
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
McFarlane Promotions social profiles
Digital presenceMcFarlane Promotions financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
McFarlane Promotions leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
McFarlane Promotions funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
McFarlane Promotions M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about McFarlane Promotions
What does McFarlane Promotions do?
McFarlane Promotions (operating as The Shift Studio) is a full-service event production and experience design studio for luxury and automotive brands. It designs and produces immersive events through strategy & consulting, event planning, production, execution & activation, and measurement & continuity, organized into four experience categories: Brand Worlds, Automotive Experiences, Journeys & Gatherings, and Luxury Lifestyle Activations. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services engagements rather than subscriptions or product sales.
Is McFarlane Promotions a public or private company?
McFarlane Promotions is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was McFarlane Promotions founded?
McFarlane Promotions was founded in 1995. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is McFarlane Promotions based?
McFarlane Promotions is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does McFarlane Promotions make money?
One revenue line is on record: event Production and Experience Services.
Who are McFarlane Promotions's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Villa Eugénie, MKG, Sparks, Bureau Betak, Caravents, Workshop/AP and Atelier Ace. Broad incumbents are George P. Johnson Experience Marketing and Jack Morton Worldwide. Factory 360 is listed as an emerging player.
Does McFarlane Promotions have an API?
No public API is recorded for McFarlane Promotions.
What industry is McFarlane Promotions in?
McFarlane Promotions's product category is Event Production Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHAEAC, Staging, Scenic & Set Fabrication (Stages, Backdrops, Scenic Builds), with a secondary code of HSACAOAG, Event Signage, Props & Custom Installations. Its NAICS code is 561920.