Kathleen Ruiz to Expand Into Global Event Production – WWD

Kathleen Ruiz has had a productive consulting career since leaving Hudson’s Bay Co. and its Saks Fifth Avenue division.

Ruiz, the former senior vice president of partnerships and media for Hudson’s Bay and vice president of marketing for Saks, formed KRW Consulting in 2017, shortly after exiting the retailer.

And now, she’s forming KRW Productions, a new events division to provide clients with global event production, strategy, marketing and management.

Although the consulting firm had always produced events, by creating a separate division, the company can take on larger-scale productions in the U.S. and internationally, Ruiz said. The plan is to manage all aspects of the event, from concept and logistics to marketing and execution. “If that means helping you build your guest list, inviting influencers, garnering media buzz or developing your event advertising strategy, we are with you every step of the way,” Ruiz said. “We don’t start and stop when the event does.”

Kuiz said KRW Consulting has “produced dozens of events across multiple industries since its inception in 2017, most recently, a large-scale fashion show in Tampa featuring Sachin & Babi’s spring 2023 collection to celebrate the new Ritz Carlton Residences by The Related Group. Other events have included a series of beauty launch activations across the country, press preview events in New York, London, and a global fashion production in Riyadh celebrating Saudi designers.” There have also been smaller-scale, intimate events, such as top client dinners and exclusive trunk shows.

“Post-pandemic when things started opening up and people wanted to do more in-person events, we started seeing an increased demand for event services,” Ruiz said. “It was then we decided to expand our capabilities and offer a new division hyper-focused on this area of growth.

“By allocating additional resources and expertise to event marketing and production, we will have the ability to not only take on more types of events but also larger scale events on a global stage,” noted Ruiz.

The new division will also be adding some new faces, she said. “We are bringing on experts in event production and logistics with the goal of providing an exceptional experience for our clients and their guests.” She said she is in the process of finalizing some hires now.

KRW employs a team that includes former Saks executives Gretchen Manolakis, Cara Fratto and Steven Salton as well as Emily Crinage, formerly of MM Luxe Consulting and the chief of staff at Fernbrook Capital Management.