That's a wrap. The Starbucks national campus tour just came home, closing out today, November 4, at the University of Pittsburgh's Pitt Public Market — right here in our own backyard.

What started October 22 at Penn State turned into a two-week run across the country: ten campus stops in six states, meeting students where they already are — in dining halls, campus markets, and student unions — with Starbucks sampling and a high-energy campus activation at every stop.

The road, stop by stop

• Thursday, October 22 — Penn State, Findlay Dining Hall, State College, PA (11 AM–2 PM)
• Friday, October 23 — Duquesne University, Hogan Dining Hall, Pittsburgh, PA (11 AM–2 PM)
• Friday, October 23 — Carnegie Mellon University, Scotty's Market, Pittsburgh, PA (4–7 PM)
• Monday, October 26 — Wayne State University, Mid-Town Market, Detroit, MI (11 AM–2 PM)
• Monday, October 26 — Central Michigan University, Market at Carey Hall, Mt. Pleasant, MI (5–8 PM)
• Tuesday, October 27 — University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH (11 AM–2 PM)
• Wednesday, October 28 — University of Louisville, Louisville, KY (11 AM–2 PM)
• Thursday, October 29 — Middle Tennessee State University, outside the Student Union, Murfreesboro, TN (11 AM–2 PM local)
• Friday, October 30 — Alabama A&M University, near the pod market, Huntsville, AL (11 AM–2 PM local)
• Wednesday, November 4 — University of Pittsburgh, Pitt Public Market, Pittsburgh, PA (11 AM–2 PM)

Every campus had its own flavor. Some stops were classic lunch-rush sampling in the dining hall; others were evening activations that caught students between classes and dinner. The throughline was the same everywhere: great coffee, a welcoming setup, and a crew that genuinely loves being on campus.

Coming home to Pitt
There is something special about finishing a national tour at home. After stops in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama, the finale at Pitt Public Market felt like a homecoming — familiar streets, a Pittsburgh crowd, and the perfect place to close out the run. Thank you to everyone who stopped by.

Tours like this don't happen without great partners. Thank you to Starbucks, to the dining and hospitality teams at every campus who welcomed us in, and to the students who stopped, sampled, and spent a few minutes with us. And thank you to our road crew, who kept ten stops running smoothly across six states.

Planning a tour, product launch, or campus activation? Multi-stop tours are what we do. Reach out at pierceevents.net or 724-986-6939 and let's talk about taking your brand on the road.

Saturday was one for the books. Pierce Events ran two fall festivals on the same day — at opposite ends of central Pennsylvania — and both crews delivered.
🎃 Punkin' Chunkin' Fall Festival — Bald Eagle State Park, Howard, PAThis one's a Pennsylvania institution. Running since 2011 as a fundraiser for the Howard Volunteer Fire Company, it's exactly what it sounds like: teams build air cannons, trebuchets, and catapults and launch pumpkins hundreds of feet through the air, splashing down in Sayers Lake. Add nearly 100 craft vendors, hayrides, a pumpkin pie eating contest, live music, and a fire apparatus display — all with free admission and free parking — and you've got one of the best fall days in the state. (Don't take our word for it: it's been featured in regional "best fall festivals" roundups and Penn State's own fall fun guide.)
Colleen and Morgan ran our site from gates-open to teardown, 10 AM to 5 PM.
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🍂 Mount Carmel Fall Fest — South Oak Street, Mount Carmel, PAMeanwhile, 90+ vendors, crafts, and community fun packed downtown Mount Carmel from 10 AM to 4 PM. I ran this one solo — small-town fall festival energy at its best.
Two sites. Two crews. One day.That's what we do: show up, run the show, and make it look easy. Whether it's a downtown street festival or a full day at the state park, we've got the crew and the gear to cover it — even two at once.
Planning a fall festival, grand opening, or community event? Let's talk.
— Pierce Events | Pittsburgh, PA | 724-986-6939

Many event professionals are off track.

After years in the industry, I made a deliberate choice to step away from the event bubble. You know the one—where we all follow the same speakers, attend the same conferences, scroll the same trend reports, and chase the same flashy productions. Instead, I focused my attention where it actually matters: on the clients and guests themselves. What do they need? What are they experiencing? What do they remember months later?
What I discovered was eye-opening.

Much of what we in the events world consider "standard" or even tired is completely fresh and impactful to those outside our industry. Not every gathering needs to be a high-production conference with multiple stages, AV wizardry, and a roster of celebrity speakers. In many cases, the most effective events are the ones that feel more human—conversations over cocktails, intimate roundtables, or structured networking that actually leads to real dialogue.

The hidden cost of "efficiency"
Think about the last time you attended an event where you were funneled through a rapid check-in process—scanning 1,000 barcodes, digital tickets flashing on phones, staff glued to tablets. Operationally smooth? Yes. But what’s lost in that process?

• The eye contact
• The warm welcome
• The moment someone puts a face to a name
• The tone-setting first impression

In our relentless pursuit of efficiency and scale, we’re often sacrificing the very connection points that make events powerful in the first place.

I recently produced a corporate event for a group of management-level professionals. The production plan was tight, the talking points were crafted, and the run of show looked perfect on paper. There was just one problem: the team itself wasn’t comfortable with face-to-face interaction. They were highly proficient in Slack, email, and group chats—but actual in-person conversation felt foreign.

This gap didn’t just affect how they engaged with each other. It impacted their interactions with invited guests. It made me realize something uncomfortable: as event professionals, we may inadvertently be contributing to the erosion of genuine human connection rather than fixing it.

The "us vs. them" trap

Too often we default to putting people on stage while the audience sits in the dark—the classic speaker-audience divide. While this format has its place, it shouldn’t be the default. What if we designed more events that created meaningful, direct conversation opportunities? What if we measured success less by production value and more by the quality of relationships formed and outcomes achieved?
I’ve come to believe we sometimes plan events to impress ourselves and our peers more than the people who actually matter—the clients and attendees. That mistake can be fatal to both the event’s success and our industry’s relevance.
A better approach
Here’s what I recommend:

• Focus on the goal, not the spectacle. Stop trying to create "the best event ever." Aim to be the best solution for the specific objective at hand.
• Be selective with speakers. That motivational speaker delivering the same talk in a different city every week might look impressive on a website, but does their message actually move the needle for your audience?
• Choose venues with purpose. The most expensive location isn’t always the right one. Sometimes a thoughtful, well-suited space creates a better experience and stronger ROI.
• Rethink influencers. You don’t need to chase social media stars. Treat every attendee with respect and intention, and you’ll discover that everyone can become an influencer for your brand or event.
• Smaller can be significantly better. An intimate, well-designed gathering often creates more value than a bloated production.

Finally, be cautious about who you listen to. Many "experts" and trendsetters have agendas—sponsorships, vendor relationships, or personal brands to protect. Their advice may not serve your clients’ best interests.

The events industry has incredible potential to create meaningful human experiences in a world that’s increasingly digital and disconnected. But we’ll only fulfill that potential if we stay grounded in reality—focused on people, not production for production’s sake.
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What are your thoughts? Have you attended or produced an event recently where simplicity and connection outperformed big production value? Or have you seen the opposite—where flash got in the way of results?
I’d love to hear your experiences.
#EventPlanning #CorporateEvents #EventStrategy #Leadership #Networking