We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Josh Dampf a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Josh, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about how you got your first non-friend, non-family client. Paint the picture for us so we can feel the same excitement you felt on that day.

I was the Special Events Coordinator at a local non-profit when I started dreaming about building my own company. I decided to write up a “fake” business plan and wanted to launch it in the next 5 years. As I started dreaming up what launching an event planning company looked like, I gained confidence and started sharing my dream with mentors, colleagues, and friends who were familiar with my work. They all encouraged me to speed up the process, and three of those people asked if I would take on events for their companies, and in a matter of a few months, after mentioning that I was starting my event design and planning company, I had enough clients to go full time. From there, word of mouth spread after each of those events, and more wanted to hire me, and I was able to take the leap and go full-time within the first few months of business. This leap seemed terrifying at first, but I decided that even if I took on these 3 events and never got another client, the learning experience would be invaluable. And it was and only inspired me to want to design more experiential events that people can’t help but talk about at work on Monday.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I grew up in a creative family with parents who always challenged us to be curious. When we went on vacations, my dad would sneak up behind the stage at a performance and point out the rigging, lighting, and backdrops. One of my favorite childhood memories was watching my dad figure out how to connect a container of dry ice to a smoke machine so it would drop the temperature and fall down stairs like a waterfall. I also remember watching my mom make color-coated spreadsheets and signage for community events, and all along the way, I was learning the essentials of how to design and build a successful event.

Today, Josh Dampf Events provides full-service event design, planning and production that transforms ordinary parties into extraordinary experiences. From large-scale corporate celebrations, conferences and fundraisers, to intimate parties, brand launches, and dinner parties our team will inject meaning into every part of your event and elevate your party through immersing guests in a multi-sensory environment.

Have you ever had to pivot?

One year after my company launched, I was designing the awards banquet for a major MLS team. It’s an annual event held on the soccer stadiums field. 72 hours before the event was set to begin, we noticed that a large storm was forming in the West and heading in our direction. In a matter of hours, we were told that we needed to redesign the event inside the stadium’s parking garage. We immediately redesigned the blueprints, lighting plan, entry tunnel, and dance party celebration. The greatest challenge was that we were moving this beautiful event into a giant concrete parking garage, and I needed to soften the space with fabric, lighting, and reflective decor.

It took quite a team to pull off, but with the leadership of Nikko Romolo, VP of Events, her stadium team, and a few sleepless nights, the space was transformed beyond recognition, and the owners, players, and fans were elated with the results.

Learning how to pivot on this scale and with such success taught me just how important your team and personal connections are in crisis. None of this could have been done without sacrifice, ingenuity, and positivity and with every challenge, I face I now think back to this moment that taught me that crisis should always be faced as a team.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Two years into my company’s journey, I decided to pitch an idea to a hotel that would help bring their rooftop pool bar revenue during the winter. I presented my proposal for Kansas City’s first pop-up igloo bar, and they latched on to the idea. I had become known for live events, but I had never been a part of a pop-up.

I was steadily building up a following on my social media accounts over the years when the igloo bar opened up, and there was an immediate burst of media throughout the city. Until this moment, I didn’t realize the potential reach a pop-up experience would have for my brand over the private events that I regularly planned. Because of this pop-up, hundreds could experience an impressive space I designed every single day for months on end, and I directly benefited from the exposure, and I look forward to the next immersive space I get the opportunity to design.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.joshdampf.com
• Instagram: @joshdampfevents
• Facebook: @joshdampfevents
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-dampf-50b9a16b/

Image Credits
@morganmillerphotography @Samstownusa @rohmanphotography