This Month we get to know GR8 Events:
What was your motivation to join ICCA?
At GR8 Events, we believe in the power of meaningful experiences — the kind that move people, shift perspectives, and leave a lasting emotional imprint. Joining ICCA is a natural step in our journey. It connects us to a global community of leaders in the events and congress industry, where we can learn, collaborate, and contribute. We’re excited to bring our emotion-led, experience-first philosophy to the international stage and grow alongside partners who, like us, believe events should have real impact. If you can feel it, it works.
Tell us your story. How did your organisation get started?
GR8 Events was founded in Lisbon in 2021 with one ambition: to rethink what events can be when they’re built around creativity, strategy, and emotional relevance. We started as a creative-first agency, focused on experiential storytelling and brand activation. As our projects and clients grew, so did our structure — expanding into full-service production, innovation, content, and eventually destination management. Today, we deliver impactful, multi-layered experiences for global brands and organizations. At our core, we are driven by one simple idea: to create experiences that people don’t just attend, but truly feel.
What sets your organisation apart?
We don’t just organize events — we design emotional experiences. GR8 combines strategic creativity, storytelling, and technical excellence through an integrated structure that includes a Creative Hub, Content Studio, Innovation Lab, and full DMC capabilities. This means we handle everything from concept and communication to production, logistics, and local operations. As a trusted partner in Portugal, we offer international clients a seamless blend of bold ideas and operational precision. What makes us different is our emotional design approach — every detail is intentional, every experience is designed to connect. That’s what turns an event into something unforgettable.
What is your favourite success story from your organisation?
A recent highlight was the organization of ANOC General Assembly 2024, hosted in Cascais, Portugal. With over 850 delegates from 195 National Olympic Committees and international federations, it was one of ANOC’s largest gatherings to date. GR8 was responsible for full event delivery — from logistics to content flow, venue design, guest experience, and operations — in close collaboration with ANOC, the Portuguese Olympic Committee, and local authorities.
The results: €2.47M in direct economic impact, €5.6M in media value, 4,500+ overnight stays, and high delegate satisfaction (8.2/10). But beyond numbers, it was a moment where strategy, design, and execution came together to tell a story people could feel. That’s the GR8 way.
Can you name a challenge your organisation is currently facing?
Like many in our industry, one of our key challenges is attracting and retaining multidisciplinary talent who align with our values and our emotional design philosophy. We look for people who think beyond logistics and formats — creatives, producers, and strategists who understand that real impact comes from designing with purpose and feeling.
Another ongoing challenge is balancing scalability with individuality. As we take on more international, multi-layered projects, we’re committed to maintaining the emotional intelligence, storytelling quality, and attention to detail that define our work.
We’re actively addressing this through smarter internal systems and creative workflows — including exploring AI-assisted tools to optimise processes like content generation, agenda personalisation, and real-time attendee feedback. The goal is to free up more space for human creativity while keeping our delivery sharp and scalable.
Ultimately, we see challenges as creative catalysts — they push us to innovate, adapt, and continuously raise the bar for what experiences can feel like.
What can we expect to see from your organisation in the future?
At GR8 Events, the future is about depth, emotion, and evolution. We will continue to push the boundaries of experience design, focusing on emotionally-driven narratives that resonate with audiences on a deeper level. You can expect to see us leading the way in hybrid, sustainable, and human-first experiences — where every touchpoint is intentional and meaningful.
We’re also expanding our presence on the international stage as a trusted creative and DMC partner in Portugal, offering bold ideas alongside seamless operations. Internally, we’re investing in tech-driven workflows and new methodologies that allow our creativity to scale globally without losing its soul.
More than just producing events, we aim to be a strategic partner to brands and institutions who want to connect through experiences that people don’t just attend, but truly feel.