Shepard, a leading trade show general services contractor and provider of event production services, announced today a major expansion of their service offerings with the acquisition of Virginia-based Aquarian, a producer of corporate events and large-scale entertainment shows.
“By adding live event production to our portfolio of services, we’ll be in the position to more completely meet the needs of our clients as they look to more fully integrate all aspects of their events into a cohesive experience for their participants,” said Carl Mitchell, president of Shepard. “Aquarian brings a full complement of services, a shared dedication to client success and satisfaction, and a personal approach to their customer relationships. We believe it’s a perfect fit for our Shepard culture and will be a tremendous value-add for our clients.”
Gene Lundgren, Aquarian’s founder and president said, “Our Aquarian team couldn’t be more excited about joining forces with Shepard. Our combined teams will design and deliver complete, turnkey experiences that will increase engagement, production value, and cost efficiencies for show organizers.” In addition to general session and entertainment production, Aquarian’s capabilities include video production, speech writing and coaching, art direction and scenic design.
Shepard’s new live production arm will operate as Aquarian, a Shepard Company. Carl Mitchell adds, “Gene will continue to lead Aquarian as its president and I’m thrilled to welcome him and his experienced team of professionals into our Shepard family.”
This strategic expansion of Shepard’s services signals an aggressive move to more fully serve the growing needs of their customers and the industry as a whole. Shepard currently supports its clients with a national footprint with offices in 13 U.S. cities. The Company has experienced significant and steady growth during the past decade and plans are in place to continue this pace to better serve its customers.
Aquarian has produced and managed large-scale events for US & Foreign Governments, major corporations, and international associations, among them Daimler, Nortel, IBM, the American Trucking Associations, CTIA -The Wireless Association, and the National Association of Broadcasters.
Shepard offers a full array of event production services for trade shows, conferences, corporate events, and exhibits. Founded in 1905, this employee-owned company is built on the foundation of customer service with a uniting interest in creating successful, innovative and ultimately impactful face-to-face experiences for organizers, exhibitors, and attendees. For more information on Shepard, please visit the company’s website at www.shepardes.com.
