A Twist on Productizing Services: What it means for Verve!

There comes a time where every growing company looks to realign its structure, so as to move with the times and demand for its services. Yet, the common problem with creating structures is that you risk suffocating the creativity, agility and responsiveness that serve as the magic of a young company. So, what solutions are there to create definable systems that discourage the “handcuffing” that strict processes cause? How can you preserve your strong brand image, invigorate teams, and instil a creative sense of ownership, pride and autonomy in your divisions?

My company tackled this challenge recently. Over the past years, we have experienced a phenomenal response to our tailored services in China. We realized that with growth and expansion come the duties to preserve the soul of a company, to maintain excellence, vitality and flair. However, in order to alleviate some of the administrative burdens that come with growth, in order to eliminate some of the chaos, and in order to expand in some functional manner, we simply had to come up with a structural framework. It is inevitable. At the same time, I knew that, while we are too ambitious to stay small, I wanted to preserve what I could of the “small feeling” we had when we started out. There is also a spirit in any small company that is simply too exciting, too passionate, and too valuable to jeopardize as it grows. So, we put our heads together. Then it hit us. What better way to move forward than by creating four “productized” divisions, each with a separate purpose, each threaded together by a common DNA, each one doing its bit for the company vision. Enter the Verve Family.

Verve now brings four products: Verve Events, Verve Exhibitions, Verve Sports and Verve Talent. 

The traditional notion of productizing is about making usually intangible services more tangible, allowing for fixed packaging of services with a fixed price tag. We took this principle and added our own skew on it – by creating four divisions with separate objectives, services and responsibilities, all the while operating under the same company values. As such, rather than our company growing and expanding as one large inflexible pyramid, we have converted our divisions into smaller, separate pyramids, moving and supporting each other, whilst also operating independently. This allows for the dynamism of our offerings to flourish, increases creativity, accountability, while diversifying our capabilities. It also offers the opportunity to smooth out pricing and sales strategies based on each division’s core aims. 

Company vision and values must also play an integral role when creating structure. Verve is about fanatical attention to engagement and inspiration, preserving the thrill we are known for bringing to our events, promotions and experiential activities. We always look to find a solution for our clients, to take the initiative, to delight and surprise them by going that extra mile. We don’t look to do the same as others – we see ourselves as leaders, not followers. I have always loved the adage, “Be the flame, never the moth”. At Verve, our flame shines brightly, and with these four new products, each with its own individual personality, Verve will be the light that others will admire, look up to, and may even copy; that is the ultimate compliment.

By converting our services into products, we hope to achieve our objectives of expansion, whilst at the same time maintaining these values. This aligns with our ambition to grow and continue to build upon our excellent services – much like that extra-large pair of trousers your mother bought you when young so you “may grow into them”. It gives you a ‘North Star’ to aim for.

We believe that the events and experiential industry is all about human beings – that at our core we are hardwired the same way as we were thousands of years ago. We are a tactile species. We need to be engaged, to be moved, to be touched. With our new products, we can do just that – whilst covering more ground.

I look forward to continuing to develop our new structure, whilst ensuring that the very life, passion and verve of everything we do are maintained and nurtured!

 Let’s Make It Happen.