Hotwire, the global communications agency, today announced it has launched a pop-up office in Chicago to support current clients in the Midwest, strengthen its portfolio of consumer and tech companies and continue to attract top talent.
Hotwire has a strong and growing base of clients in the Midwest, including project44, named one of Chicago’s five hottest tech startups, inRiver and Calabrio.
Chicago is recognized as a top city for innovation brands, consumer leaders and as a tech hub. In 2018, Chicago-based companies raised $1.4 billion and the industry continues to accelerate ahead. Global companies are coming to Chicago to connect with customers, influencers and industry leaders. Current Hotwire clients including consumer company Hostelworld and B2B company inRiver recently hosted their North America conferences in Chicago.
Hotwire brings local Chicago companies of all sizes the best of both its local and global networks. Opening pop-up offices also allows Hotwire to attract top talent who want to work with global companies without needing to relocate. Hotwire currently operates pop-up offices in Minneapolis and Mexico City, with plans to continue expanding in North America.
“As more companies seek to tell their innovation stories globally, they want communications support with experience like ours,” said Heather Kernahan, president North America & Australia, Hotwire. “Our agency grew up in Silicon Valley, with the biggest tech names of today. We know what’s required to differentiate a business in tech, and as we expand, we are finding strengths in each market. Chicago has world-class talent and companies in consumer and business-to-business that are solving immense, intractable problems with disruptive technology. We need local teams with our global support to serve these companies as they become the next big thing. Starting off with a pop-up strategy allows us to be more agile and quickly launch into new markets.”
Hotwire talent in Chicago is supported by a global team with deep experience in tech and innovation-focused communications. The Chicago team is led by Sharon Kane, senior director of media strategy, Austin Weedfall, director, and Tammy Olson, account manager, and they are based in The National building in downtown Chicago.
“At project44, we are growing extremely fast, globally, and needed an agency that could match our hustle and scale with us,” said Ally Lynch, vice president of marketing at project44. “We conducted a national search and when we brought Hotwire in, we didn’t actually know that they’d opened Midwest offices. Having a team that understands both how to tell a tech story nationally, and the challenges of getting exposure when you’re not on the coasts has been incredibly helpful. Plus, it’s easier to collaborate when your team is close by.”
As part of the Hotwire Chicago office launch, Kernahan will be speaking at the upcoming PRWeek’s PRDecoded Purpose Principles conference on October 17 in Chicago about high-stakes leadership in a post-B2B world.
“We live in a high-stakes era and marketers must be prepared for anything at any time,” Kernahan said. “During the PRDecoded session, I’ll be speaking about how companies can better communicate in a high-stakes environment; what it takes to be a high-stakes leader, what our responsibilities are as communicators – and why your brand is not immune.”
To learn more about our clients, visit: https://www.hotwireglobal.com/country/usa