Kamil Tyebally, founder of New York-based experiential agency Early Spring, knows how challenging it can be to decide where to allocate limited resources—especially when balancing the goals of media coverage and consumer engagement. In this interview, he shares how his team approaches that decision, with real-world takeaways from recent activations for Dreame and Armra that show how different objectives demand different formats, messaging, and measures of success.
What are the key factors to consider when deciding where to allocate resources for PR-focused events versus consumer-facing events?
For PR events, the priority is crafting a narrative that’s clear, media-friendly, and culturally relevant. People want events that are shareable on social, so it's important to consider how an experience can live beyond traditional media. The value for clients lies in creating moments that drive both earned media and organic social sharing. That means investing in thoughtful messaging, intimate environments where media can engage directly with brand leaders, and moments that translate well to press coverage—whether that's visual storytelling, soundbites, or data-backed insights. The ROI here is measured in headlines, interviews, social sharing, and share of voice.
For consumer events, the focus shifts to scale, interactivity, and emotional connection. Resources need to go into creating experiences people want to participate in, document, and share—whether that's through design, entertainment, or hands-on product engagement. You’re building memory and community, not just coverage.
Ultimately, the best programs are integrated, using PR events to seed credibility with media and industry, and consumer events to build grassroots cultural momentum. But understanding the different mechanics and outcomes of each is key to knowing where to invest. Increasingly, content creators play a critical role in this mix, so building experiences that resonate with them and get them onboard is essential to amplifying reach and driving organic engagement.
Take Dreame’s U.S. press launch at ModernHaus, for example. This was a PR-driven event designed to introduce Dreame to the U.S. market as a serious player in home tech. We invested heavily in spatial storytelling, choreographed product reveals, and created an environment where press and industry insiders could hear directly from leadership. Everything was built to translate into media coverage—quotes, photos, storylines that positioned Dreame not just as a product, but as a vision for the future of home innovation.
Compare that to Armra’s consumer activation at the Miami Open. This was all about volume, interaction, and community engagement. We scaled resources toward building a high-impact footprint that drew in thousands of attendees, sampling, scanning QR codes, and participating in interactive moments designed to turn curiosity into conversion. Here, we weren’t looking for headlines—we were looking for direct consumer action and word-of-mouth momentum.
Both events were successful, generating a wave of positive product reviews and strong media introductions, but for very different reasons. It comes down to knowing whether you’re trying to win headlines or hearts, and allocating resources accordingly.
When planning events with tight resources, how do you decide whether to prioritize media-focused events versus those that directly engage consumers?
It starts with understanding what the business needs most—credibility or community. For Dreame’s U.S. launch, credibility was key. We focused on an intimate, high-impact press event to spark media traction, while also engaging content creators to extend the story beyond traditional outlets and into social, ensuring the brand showed up both in headlines and feeds.
Dreame
On the other hand, if the brand already has some recognition but needs to deepen consumer adoption, direct engagement becomes the priority. With Armra at the Miami Open, it wasn’t about introducing the brand—it was about activating curiosity and turning it into a trial. That meant getting the product in front of as many people as possible in a vibrant, high-traffic setting, even if it didn’t generate traditional media headlines.
Ultimately, it’s about identifying which lever—credibility or community—will move the business forward faster and structuring the program around that.
You recently worked on an activation for Armra Colostrum at the Miami Open. What were the key objectives of the activation, and how did it align with your overall strategy?
Colostrum is still a relatively unknown category, so our strategy was to meet consumers where their health-conscious mindset was already engaged and turn curiosity into action. At the tournament, we created a high-visibility footprint that captured attention and guided people seamlessly from discovery to trial. Everything—from the design to the sampling process—was built to educate quickly, drive sampling, and gather zero-party data through QR scans.
Armra
We handed out over 15,000 samples, captured thousands of leads, and transformed passive awareness into active participation. More than just an event, it was a chance to learn, messaging, gauging reactions, and refining strategies for future activations. For us, these aren’t just one-off moments; they’re foundational steps in a long-term brand journey.
What were some of the insights and data you gathered from that event?
One of the biggest insights from the Miami Open came from our brand ambassadors. We don’t just hire people to hand out samples; we rigorously vet and train them to understand the brand, the product, and their role in shaping guest experiences and gathering feedback. Being on the ground, they observe real-time reactions, common questions, and where messaging resonates—or falls flat.
Armra
After the event, we debriefed with the team to collect these qualitative insights—things you can’t capture with QR codes alone. This helped us understand which language connected best, the value of trial-sized samples, and the need to simplify colostrum’s benefits to core ideas like immunity and gut health.
On the data side, we logged 4,800+ unique QR scans and a 37% form completion rate, proving the event’s effectiveness in driving engagement. Blending these qualitative insights with hard data gave us a full picture of what worked and what to refine next time.
What best practices have you found effective for managing influencer and press engagement at events, especially when balancing both media and consumer expectations?
Our philosophy is simple: no matter who walks through the door—press, influencers, or everyday consumers—they’re people first. We design every event with that in mind, ensuring everyone feels considered, respected, and part of something meaningful. It’s about understanding their roles while recognizing the universal need to feel seen and heard.
Dreame
At Dreame's U.S. launch at ModernHaus, the event was designed exclusively for press, influencers, and industry leaders, giving them first access to the brand's story in a curated, insider setting. In contrast, Armra’s activation at the Miami Open engaged thousands of consumers but still carved out dedicated moments for press and influencers, ensuring they had unique touchpoints amidst the crowd.
Whether it’s ten people in a private suite or ten thousand at a public event, our goal remains the same: to make everyone feel seen, heard, and genuinely included. That always starts with being human.
How do you measure the success of PR-focused events compared to consumer-facing ones, and what metrics are most important for each type?
The way we measure success depends entirely on the event’s objective, but it always starts with clarity on the desired outcome.
For PR-focused events, success is defined by the story that leaves the room:
At Dreame's U.S. launch at ModernHaus, we measured success not by foot traffic but by media reach, quality coverage, and narrative control. The goal was to establish Dreame’s story with key voices in the market.
For consumer-facing events, the focus shifts to scale and direct engagement:
At Armra’s Miami Open activation, success was measured by the number of people brought into the Armra ecosystem, both on the ground and digitally. We distributed over 15,000 samples, captured thousands of leads, and gathered real-time feedback to shape future strategies.
In both cases, it’s about building momentum, but the metrics reveal whether it’s driven by influence or interaction.
