We’re not exactly sure how else to start this piece about Toronto-based A/V production house, EpiQVision, except to say that President/Owner, Jordan Benson, is a genuinely good dude. We’re proud that all of our customers are good people (they are, after all, in the business of creating memorable experiences that make our lives better), but Jordan is as authentic and down-to-earth as they come.
EpiQVision is a little different from most of the company’s we’ve profiled, in that they partner with hotels, conference centers and event spaces to provide venue management and staging services. As explained by Jordan, “We help our clients achieve their financial goals by helping them monetize their venue to its fullest.” This business model requires some unique capabilities to deliver at scale like variable commission schedules, discount structures, being able to white label services and manage inventory across venues.
Given 14 different inventory locations, it’s no surprise that Jordan calls out pull sheets and transfer orders as his favorite Flex features given the resource efficiencies they create. “We set up each property as a location inside of Flex. We track all of our inventory in real time. We always know where our assets are.” He added with a laugh, “Our unreturned asset reports are especially crucial.”
Obviously, Covid crushed the conference business. Which brings us to one of those reasons we think Jordan is so cool. When we asked him about his favorite events, he said, “Coming out of Covid, we were fortunate enough to participate in some events where our clients were thanking their employees for their work and efforts.” We all know it was especially difficult being in the service industry during Covid. Any other favorites? Jordan continued, “We do a lot of charitable work for organizations like Journalists for Human Rights. We’re especially fond of participating in those.”
Jordan went on to discuss how Covid created opportunities for EpiQVision to tap into the “hidden talents” of its staff. In particular they were able to launch a few integrations leveraging the Flex API’s. The first powers a TV sized dashboard in their warehouse showing all the jobs that are awaiting prep, in progress and that have already shipped. Need to see what’s net or change a priority? This makes it easier for the whole team to stay on top of.
They were also able to build custom Hubspot integrations into Flex to better manage the sales pipeline and velocity. It sounded so unique, we set a follow-up interview to learn more. There are times when the customer is the teacher (and we love when they are). “This is one of the things we love most about Flex,” said Jordan. “Your willingness to listen to the client is pretty great.”
Covid also provided an opportunity for Jordan to develop and launch, JUNōO, a virtual event platform. “We were able to assist our venue partners by
creating 3D locations and virtual worlds. In 2021, one of our clients hosted a small on-site gala, and we simultaneously produced a complete virtual gala.” He added, “That was super cool.”
The Toronto International Film Festival (which is happening as we write this draft) is the second largest film festival in the world and, as you might expect, EPiQVision is deeply involved. What excites you about an event like TIFF? Jordan’s answer added to our appreciation for his energy, “It’s great for all production companies in Canada. We get to collaborate with great partners from the U.S. and Europe who bring new ideas and push outside our comfort zones.”
EPiQVision has some big plans moving forward. “Two of our major partners have expanded into Florida and we’re looking at some key opportunities in that space. Plus, with our local venue management relationships, we’re exploring additional opportunities throughout the United States.”
Stay tuned. We’re all for nice guys finishing first.
Flex is proud to have worked with EpiQVision, and support its “service first” mentality since 2014.
