Growth and Innovation (1950s-1980s)
In the 1950s, GPJ expanded into auto show production, and assisted in producing the first International Auto Show in New York (1956). [4] In 1961, the company introduced the now-standard spinning turntable for vehicle showcases which would later become an industry standard for many such events. This was the company's first venture outside of the Detroit area automotive events. Other notable achievements included the Chrysler "Autofare" pavilion at the 1964–65 New York World's Fair [5] and exhibit design for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 1976, Johnson's grandson Robert G. Vallee Jr. began working at the company, and two years later he was assigned as the head of production. [1]
In 1980, Vallee after being appointed account executive, was assigned to work with American Honda, one of the first foreign carmakers that the company had collaborated with. In 1985, an office was opened in Los Angeles, and with Vallee's assistance the company had assignments from clients such as Toyota and Nissan. By 1989, the work that the company had been doing in the west coast had secured as second production facility there, along with moves to seek out clients and opportunities outside the automotive industry, and experimented with developing its consulting capabilities. [1]
Expansion and Digital Pioneering (1990-2010s)
In the beginning of the 1990s GPJ expanded with new offices in Boston, Chicago and Seattle. This was also brought along with the company winning the account of Chrysler International, leading to the openings of the first European offices in Brussels, Belgium for the agency. [1] By this point GPJ's annual revenues were at $100 million or more, and the company had between 300 and 500 employees [1]
March 1996 saw GPJ's main headquarters and production operation moved to Auburn Hills, Michigan to a larger 300,000-square foot facility. [1] Many other moves followed with the administrative, sales, and design departments relocated to a new 36,000-square foot state-of-the-art paint shop and a 100,000-square foot warehouse space for storing client exhibit pieces. [1] Additionally new offices in San Jose, California were opened to cater to the emergent computer electronics industry and contracts were won with Cisco Systems, Siebel and Intel. In that same year, Robert Vallee Jr. was promoted to the title of CEO in addition to being the company's president.
At this point, GPJ's client list included 40 Fortune 500 companies with 90% of sales deriving from the auto industry. [1] Creation of high production visual displays for auto shows became a new hallmark for the company, with each custom made and incorporating technologies like simulated-motion and virtual reality.
By June 1998, IBM selected GPJ as its global exhibition management partner, entrusting the agency with more than 1,000 events annually. [1] During this period, GPJ launched GlobalLINKS, one of the industry's first web-based event management platforms. In March 1999, GPJ bought a majority stake in Raumtechnik Messebau GmbH in Stuttgart, Germany and later renamed Raumtechnik Messebau & Event Marketing GmbH. [1] Two months later the company once again bought stakes in Project Worldwide, a London-based creative communications agency. In the same year, the company also produced the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit with countless of automotive clients utilizing rotating turntables, cars, videos, graphics, and other special effects. [1]
In September 2001, GPJ acquired Designtroupe, a company from Australia. [1] This acquisition brought the company officially into the Asia-Pacific region opening offices in Sydney, Singapore, Tokyo. In the same year it acquired Conference Planners of Burlingame California, an event management company owned by CEO Chris Meyer.
A joint venture in China with Highteam Public Relations Co. Ltd. of Beijing in the fall of 2002, brought the company additional access into the developing China region. [1] With a stronger presence in the Asia-Pacific region, GPJ played key roles in global showcases such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, where it designed pavilions for Lenovo, Cisco [6] , and the Australian government.
Modernization, Digital Acceleration, and Global Reach (2010s–Present)
GPJ continued to expand globally, establish its first S. American entity opening an office in Brazil in 2014. opening an office in Dubai in 2022, extending its capabilities in the Middle East. Ahead of industry trends, GPJ was among the first experiential agencies to integrate digital into physical experiences, laying the groundwork for hybrid formats that would later become essential.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, GPJ rapidly transitioned events like Salesforce's Dreamforce To You into digital-first experiences. The agency also co-founded the Live For Life coalition, mobilizing over 80 live event companies to support public health infrastructure and PPE production. [7] GPJ also designed and manufactured hundreds of COVID-19 testing modules for use in CVS drugstore properties. Under the leadership of current Global CEO Fiona Bruder and then-CEO Chris Meyer, GPJ maintained business continuity and achieved 44% year-over-year growth by 2022, outperforming industry benchmarks.
