You see our logo, you see our events, you see our silly antics on social media, but what’s the story behind it all?

East of Ellie was born from an entrepreneur with a dream, and has developed into a successful boutique event agency that has had it’s doors open for over seven years for some fantastic clients.  We sat down with founder, Emily Chalk Battaglia, (or ECB as we like to call her) to get the scoop on everything going on at EOE. Check out our interview below –

Why the name “East of Ellie”?

I actually get asked this question all the time.  When I first started dreaming up EOE back in mid 2009 I had this notebook where I had started to write down things that were important to me and have molded my life. I always say that if the reason why you do something doesn’t mean something to you, the outcome isn’t as important.  The EAST is for ‘East Coast.’  I grew up in New Hampshire (as I like to call “The Shire”) and whenever someone asks me where I am from, I never say Stamford, I always say New Hampshire.  Growing up there significantly shaped my life and along with great parenting made me the person I am today. ELLIE is actually my name (Emily) and my oldest niece (Ella) names combined.  5 years later I still get called Ellie, but I secretly love it.  I always thought East of Ellie sounded like this magnificent place that everyone would want to visit.  EOE just came around on its own, obviously standing for East of Ellie.

Is there a reason for the color yellow, besides a favorite color?

The yellow is actually for my grandmother, Idell, who passed away many years ago. She was and still continues to be one of my favorite people of all time. Her favorite flower was yellow roses, and they have become mine too.  Full confession? Yellow is more than a favorite color; it’s a way of life in my world.

What’s EOE’s mission and how do you fulfill it?

If you look at EOE’s strategic plan, the mission statement reads: “To throw ridiculously awesome events that make our clients love us, and us love them. Oh and to be ridiculously happy everyday – and sh*t.”  We fulfill our mission everyday by doing exactly that.  If you spend a day in our office you will know that happiness and sarcasm reign supreme.  I have two boards dedicated in my office to the silly things we say everyday. You can often here me say “put it on the board.”  We’ve been fortunate enough to have some of the most amazing clients an agency could ask for.  And plan some pretty legendary events.  So we just keep on, keeping on.

Why Events?

It’s a special kind of crazy.  Being an event planner is one of the most stressful jobs in the country – and I live for it.  It’s probably the same thrill people get from skydiving.  I spent almost 7 years in marketing for a global hotel chain, and nothing compared to the happiness and joy I get from planning events.

Tell Us About an Event You Produced This Year?

Back in March, we planned and executed a sales conference for a huge client that was on the grandest scale of any event we have ever produced.  In 2016 we planned this conference in Nashville for a smaller group of about 75 and we we’re tasked to blow that event out of the water in 2017. The event held in Los Angeles, CA ran for the majority of 4 days for 200 guests.  This event was much more than a sales conference, it was a hollywood inspired premiere party, a Tuscan inspired lunch, a French inspired reception a block-long marketplace, a glam studio, a major team building production (literally) and so much more all held at the iconic Paramount Studios lots and theaters. The new president of the company said this was the best sales conference he’s attended in his 30 years in the industry. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience for not only our team, but all of the attendees. 

What’s next for eoe?

Historically, summer has been a bit of our slow down season where we enjoy the downtime, but this year we have two events in mid September, so we are right back into the game! We are hard at work organizing logistical details, creating impressive custom motion graphics and video, and working side by side with the event speakers to ensure their power points are, well, on POINT. We are looking forward to the Fall event season!

Want more behind the scenes fun?  Follow us on social media where you’ll see all that occurs on a daily basis at EOE! Twitter & Instagram: @EastofEllie, and like our Facebook Page.