RED VELVET
RED VELVET is a woman-owned, Austin-based full-service experiential activations and events agency serving enterprise and mid-market brands across spirits, technology, healthcare, automotive, and retail through POD-based account, creative, and production teams.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What RED VELVET does
RED VELVET (legal entity: Red Velvet Events, Inc.) is a privately held, woman-owned, full-service experiential activations and events agency headquartered at 7121 N Lamar Boulevard in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2003 and led by CEO and Chief Event Strategist Cindy Y. Lo, the firm delivers strategy, creative concepting, and full-scale production for brand activations, experiential marketing campaigns, and live events. It operates a POD delivery model composed of dedicated Account Managers, Producers, and Creative personnel who manage client engagements from ideation through reconciliation, with additional leadership in Strategy & Growth (VP Hayden Lockaby) and Business Development (Head Sara Dellinger).
The agency serves enterprise and mid-market clients across at least 11 verticals — spirits (Tito's, Patrón, Still Austin Whiskey, Tequila Ocho, Widow Jane), technology (SailPoint, SAP, Dell, Atlassian), healthcare (Texas Children's Hospital), automotive (Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, McLaren), airline (Delta Air Lines), retail/homeware (Kendra Scott x H-E-B, Fable), restaurant/hospitality (BJ's Restaurant, Four Seasons), education (Texas A&M), media (Austin PBS), and government/destination marketing (Visit Austin). Notable scale outcomes include AfroTech 2024 (54,000+ attendees, 200+ brand activations, 1.8B+ impressions), a 10+ year recurring partnership with the Real Estate Council of Austin that doubled funds raised over the engagement, and a 20-year operating tenure earning a third consecutive placement on Event Marketer Magazine's TOP 100 IT List (2023). WBENC-certified and GDPR-compliant, the firm maintains a 145-person headcount and is registered as Red Velvet Events, Inc. in Texas.
Commercially, RED VELVET operates a B2B professional services model with project-based, quote-driven pricing on enterprise engagements. Revenue is generated through agency fees for strategy, creative, and production services. Distribution is consultative direct enterprise sales through dedicated account teams, supported by an organic digital presence (website portfolio, blog/insights content, Instagram @redvelvetevents). A sister-company relationship with Strong Events (acquired by the CEO in 2023) extends fabrication and specialty rentals capabilities, though no equity funding, venture capital, or private equity backing is disclosed.
RED VELVET firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- RED VELVET
- Legal name
- Red Velvet Events, Inc.
- Website
- https://weareredvelvet.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- RED VELVET is a woman-owned, Austin-based full-service experiential activations and events agency serving enterprise and mid-market brands across spirits, technology, healthcare, automotive, and retail through POD-based account, creative, and production teams.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
RED VELVET industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Experiential Marketing and Event Production Services
- NAICS
- Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Experiential Logistics & Tour Management (Roadshows) (MPAAAGAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sponsorship Activation & Experiential Marketing (THAHAGAC), Touring & Event Logistics (Trucking, Freight, Backline, Crew) (MPAGAAAH)
Keywords
Where RED VELVET is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
RED VELVET business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Experiential Marketing Services: RED VELVET generates revenue through professional services fees for experiential marketing campaigns, brand activations, and events. As a full-service agency, they provide strategy, creative concepting, and production services to enterprise clients across various industries including spirits, technology, healthcare, automotive, and retail.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
RED VELVET product offering
Product offeringCore offering
RED VELVET is a full-service experiential activations and events agency that partners with enterprise brands to design, concept, and produce brand activations, experiential marketing campaigns, corporate conferences, incentive trips, and live events. The agency delivers work through a POD structure pairing Account Management, Creative Services, and Production Services from project design through day-of execution and reconciliation. Services are sold on a project-based, quote-driven basis primarily to enterprise brand marketers.
Product overview
RED VELVET is a full-service experiential activations and events agency (not a software platform). The company operates through dedicated account, creative, and production teams accomplished in strategy and creative concepting. From project design to marketing to full-scale production, RED VELVET partners with brands to ensure business goals are met through experiential marketing campaigns, live events, and brand activations. The company utilizes a collaborative POD structure model combining Account Management, Production Services, and Creative Services throughout the project lifecycle from ideation through execution and reconciliation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Experiential Marketing Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 1.8B+ impressions for AfroTech 2024 with 54,000+ attendees and 200+ brand activations
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use RED VELVET
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
RED VELVET technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
RED VELVET partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Ion ArtsminorIon Arts founded in 1986 with reputation for constructing landmarks around Austin. Built Jacky the Jackalope statue in spring 2018 - the tallest jackalope statue in the world. Collaborated with RED VELVET CEO Cindy to construct the 18ft 2in avant-garde art installation outside RED VELVET's Austin HQ.
- Strong EventscoreStrong Events was purchased in 2023 by RED VELVET CEO Cindy Lo, making it a sister company. Collaborates with RED VELVET on Jacky's outfit activations, designing custom items like Olympic medals and football-themed activations. Extends RED VELVET's fabrication and specialty rentals capabilities.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
RED VELVET competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- GMR Marketing: Experiential agency specializing in sports, entertainment, and lifestyle marketing partnerships. Overlapping client categories (spirits, automotive, beverage) with RED VELVET's mid-market and enterprise segments.
- Sparks: Global experiential marketing agency now part of Freeman. Comparable in providing strategy, design, and production for experiential campaigns for major consumer and enterprise brands, directly competing for similar RFPs as RED VELVET.
- MKG: Independent full-service experiential marketing and creative agency. Both firms operate POD-style teams delivering brand activations, event production, and creative strategy for enterprise clients across spirits, tech, and lifestyle categories.
- Apple Rock: Experiential marketing and brand activation agency. Closely comparable in providing turnkey activations, exhibit fabrication, and event production for enterprise brands, overlapping with RED VELVET's fabrication and event capabilities.
- The Taylor Group: Boutique experiential marketing and events agency offering brand activations and production services for enterprise clients. Comparable scale and service model to RED VELVET's POD-based delivery.
- Levy Events: Event production and experiential agency specializing in large-scale brand experiences. Direct peer on festival-scale projects similar to RED VELVET's SXSW and AfroTech production work.
- Mosaic: Experiential marketing agency serving enterprise brands with field marketing, events, and brand activations. Comparable service offerings and client roster (spirits, tech, CPG) to RED VELVET.
- George P. Johnson Experience Marketing: Long-standing experiential agency specializing in brand experiences, conferences, and live events for technology and enterprise clients. Directly comparable on large-format programs like SailPoint's Navigate conference that RED VELVET has produced.
Broad incumbents
- Jack Morton Worldwide: Global brand experience agency (IPG) serving the world's largest brands. Broader geographic and capability footprint than RED VELVET but competes for the same enterprise experiential RFPs across spirits, automotive, and tech.
- 160over90: Full-service marketing agency (within Endeavor) offering brand experiences, content, and partnerships. Larger portfolio breadth but competes for experiential mandates similar to RED VELVET's spirits and tech engagements.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
RED VELVET social profiles
Digital presenceRED VELVET compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
RED VELVET financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
RED VELVET leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
RED VELVET funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
RED VELVET 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 RED VELVET
What does RED VELVET do?
RED VELVET is a full-service experiential activations and events agency that partners with enterprise brands to design, concept, and produce brand activations, experiential marketing campaigns, corporate conferences, incentive trips, and live events. The agency delivers work through a POD structure pairing Account Management, Creative Services, and Production Services from project design through day-of execution and reconciliation. Services are sold on a project-based, quote-driven basis primarily to enterprise brand marketers.
Is RED VELVET a public or private company?
RED VELVET is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was RED VELVET founded?
RED VELVET was founded in 2003. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is RED VELVET based?
RED VELVET is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does RED VELVET make money?
One revenue line is on record: experiential Marketing Services.
Who are RED VELVET's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are GMR Marketing, Sparks, MKG, Apple Rock, The Taylor Group, Levy Events, Mosaic and George P. Johnson Experience Marketing. Broad incumbents are Jack Morton Worldwide and 160over90.
Does RED VELVET have an API?
No public API is recorded for RED VELVET.
What industry is RED VELVET in?
RED VELVET's product category is Experiential Marketing and Event Production Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAGAK, Experiential Logistics & Tour Management (Roadshows), with a secondary code of THAHAGAC, Sponsorship Activation & Experiential Marketing. Its NAICS code is 5418 and its SIC code is 7311.