Page 65 - TFWA World Exhibition and Conference 2025

INSIDER

The Bluedog Group offers one-stop-shop for travel retail clients around
the world

The Bluedog Group has come a long different that its travel retail clients might Expanding geographically
way since it was founded in 1999, evolving need. A majority of its travel retail business
into a global collective of specialist Kounter offers travel retail and global is focused in Europe, but Bluedog Group
agencies offering integrated solutions for shopping development, implementation is delivering projects for its clients all over
prestigious brands. and insights. doplr focuses on live events, the world.
Group CEO Nick King tells TMI that from Olympic sponsorships, product “From a travel retail perspective,
Bluedog today is a unique one-stop-shop of launches and exhibitions to large scale B2B 40-50% of the business is in Europe, with
agencies, delivering seamless, full-service conferences. HEX delivers digital services, quite a lot in the Middle East and Asia.
support tailored to client needs, offering its including web and app development, And South America has exploded for us the
clients everything from creative design and and gamification. And in 2023 Bluedog last two to three years. In North America
implementation to media liaison and live acquired the leading Travel Retail PR we deliver activations and permanent
events. agency Essential Communications to displays,” Andrew Manchin, Kounter
“I started Bluedog Productions in meet increasing levels of client interest in Managing Director tells TMI. “We’ve
1999, so we’re now 26 years old. We’ve PR alignment. Since then, the group has broken into cruise in the last couple of
evolved year on year, expanding our also introduced Underlined, its in-house years.”
services into exhibition, live events, digital creative agency, servicing all client creative “One of our aims is to build a team
and much more. But retail was where we needs. locally, in the Americas, improve our
started,” says King. Over the past two years, Kounter customer base, and our breadth of service
Bluedog can today offer 360-degree (The Bluedog Group’s retail agency) has there,” says King.
service, he says. doubled its retail client base, and expanded To help drive growth across the
“You can come to us and say ‘I want its team to 24. group’s companies, at the beginning of the
XYZ for a retail activation or a pop-up King tells TMI that Bluedog receives a year Bluedog appointed Sarah Genest as
that needs digital integration or something lot of its business through word of mouth. Global Business Development Director.
engaging.’ We have a creative agency in And clients are loyal as the group delivers “We’re aggressively investing in
house. And now you like what we’ve done time and time again for them, always going our group on a continual basis through
with that concept, and would like to roll out above and beyond client expectations. acquisition, internal investment, and
across exhibitions for trade shows. That’s Bluedog has been working with some strategic employees like Sarah, who is a
fine, because we have an event agency in partners since it began more than 26 years fantastic addition to our team. We have
house. And now you want to shout about ago. very high hopes. We’re aggressively
it. Well, that’s fine, because we’ve got “Our first job was with World Duty targeting growth. We’ve grown year on
Essential Communications within group. Free in 1999. We did the first campaign year since the pandemic. So we are in a
So we’ve got everything in house that a that World Duty Free as a company did. very good place,” says King.
brand needs,” They gave away a car in the store. It was “We have a plan that looks two to
Under the Bluedog umbrella, the a super successful event and from then on three years ahead, and we can see further
group’s companies include doplr, Essential we have worked with World Duty Free and expansion through organic growth and
Communications, HEX, Kounter and its various guises. They are our longest acquisition.”
Underlined, each offering something standing client,” says King.

65 October 2025