SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – The Company We Keep, Australia’s leading independent large-scale marketing events specialist and creators of brand experiences, has expanded into Southeast Asia (SEA) with the launch of its new Singapore office.
The new office launches with foundation clients Salesforce, Amazon Web Services, and Docusign. The Singapore base ensures The CWK is better able to service the whole Asia Pacific (APAC) region with a local team of producers supported by the wider advanced capabilities of the 50 plus person Australian team.
Servicing client events in Manila, Jakarta, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, and beyond, the new office will be run by Victor Darmawan. With 16 years of experience working in agencies across Singapore and Indonesia, Victor will initially be supported by two producers and coordinators locally, with other project aspects such as digital, creative, and design being serviced from Australia.
Nigel Ruffell, CEO, The CWK said: “Local knowledge is imperative for what we do for our clients. We have always partnered with trusted local preferred suppliers and contractors in these regions, and they have always guided and advised us on local nuances and differences. Having an office in Singapore solidifies this, giving us a community hub and a competitive edge in the area. We are incredibly fortunate to have already built so much expertise in the region via our Australian team, and see the Singapore office as an evolution of this.”
Victor Darmawan said: “I’m so excited to be part of the launch team for The CWK – Singapore. The business already has a globally recognised list of clients, being able to now provide on-the-ground local event support, while leveraging the skill set and expertise of the existing Australian team members, means we can expand those partnerships, and in time, further build our international portfolio,” said Mr Darmawan.
The expansion of The CWK into SEA is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to growth in 2023. Since its establishment in 2019, the company has grown to 50 employees and spans two continents, with expansion into the US slated as the next step for the burgeoning business.
In 2022, The CWK curated over 100 in-person and virtual projects for its clients, including Salesforce, TikTok, Amazon Web Services, WalkMe, Docusign, PWC, NearMap, Virgin Voyages, and Deloitte.
“This year is going to be incredibly important for our growth, but we also need to ensure we continue to provide a return on investment for our clients,” Mr Ruffell said.
“We need to be looking at how we can focus on efficiency and effectiveness whilst remaining innovative and providing world-class service. We’ll have to ensure we have a laser focus on every dollar of our client’s marketing budget and where it gets spent. Expanding into local markets is the evolution of our strategy to better support our local and regional clients,” concludes Ruffell.
This ability to produce world-class, game-changing live, virtual, and hybrid experiences has led to the company being awarded:
- Winner: 2021 Best Virtual Brand Event – Australian Event Awards
- Winner: 2020 Best Congress of Conference – Australian Event Awards
- Winner: 2020 Young Achiever of the Year – Australian Event Awards
- Winner: 2019 Most Creative Innovation in Event Experience – Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia
