Culture is not a perk – it's an agency's biggest competitive advantage 

For Stephenson, culture has moved far beyond being a "nice-to-have". 

"It's incredibly important," she says. "This is an intense industry. What we do can be all-consuming, especially in those moments leading up to the incredible meetings and communities that we're bringing together on behalf of our clients." 

As client expectations rise and timelines tighten, agencies are being asked to deliver increasingly ambitious experiences while maintaining creativity, efficiency and commercial performance. Rather than treating wellbeing as a separate initiative, Stephenson sees it as a critical component of agency performance. 

Earlier this year, she brought INVNT's UK team together for a dedicated half-day session focused on agency values, communication and managing stress during peak periods. 

Many organisations might have postponed such a session during one of the busiest periods of the year. Stephenson took the opposite view. 

"Many people said, 'We don't have time to do this,'" she recalls. 

"I said, 'We have time to take half a day and focus on us and focus on this team, especially before we head into this storm and flurry of activity.'" 

The timing was deliberate. June and early July represent one of the busiest periods of the year for the agency, with multiple projects running simultaneously across international markets. 

"We're going to be going into high-stress zones where we need to be able to talk to one another," she says. 

"Even if we're starting the day and saying, 'I'm feeling really stressed today,' say it out loud. People know and understand that. We all have the same vernacular to understand our feelings, behaviour and the impact those feelings and behaviour have." 

The aim is not to eliminate pressure entirely, but to create an environment where teams can communicate openly and resolve challenges before they become bigger problems.

The emphasis on culture is closely linked to how INVNT has evolved since Stephenson joined the business in 2020. At the time, the UK operation consisted of just four people. Today, it forms part of a global agency network of more than 250 employees. 

Despite that growth, Stephenson says the agency has worked hard to maintain what she describes as a startup mentality. 

"We're a growing team, but we're still a very tight team that care incredibly about one another," she says. 

That culture has become even more important as INVNT embraces what Stephenson calls a "borderless" operating model. 

At the time of the interview, the agency was working on projects in Sao Paolo, Singapore, Hyderabad, Las Vegas, Lake Como and the UK. Rather than relying on a centralised team exclusively, INVNT combines strategic leadership with local specialists in each market. 

The model improves efficiency, sustainability and cultural relevance. Yet Stephenson is equally clear about the importance of maintaining human connection. 

"Being together and physically together is what we crave as humans," she says. 

"There are so many things that happen offline. And there are things that you lose when you're not together in an office." 

That is why INVNT maintains a three-day-a-week office culture and actively encourages people to step away from their desks during the working day. 

"It's important because I think many of us in this space have that personality where you could easily be going from nine until five and then realise you haven't had lunch," Stephenson says. 

"It's good mentally to take a break, go outside and take a walk." 

The conversation around culture inevitably leads to talent. 

For years, the events industry has warned of recruitment challenges and skills shortages. Stephenson believes the issue is less about a lack of talent and more about where agencies choose to look for it. 

INVNT has developed a long-standing partnership with Brixton Finishing School, helping identify and support young people who may not follow traditional career pathways into the industry. 

"We have found a number of our talent within the agency through Brixton Finishing School," she says. "We would never have found these individuals otherwise." 

More important than qualifications, she argues, is curiosity. 

"It doesn't necessarily matter to me whether it's being in the classroom and learning the technical and commercial aspects of the business," she says. 

"It's the motivation, the aspiration, the curiosity and the eagerness to learn." 

Retention, meanwhile, comes down to giving people a clear sense of progression. Stephenson is particularly proud of the number of team members who have grown with the agency since 2020. 

"We have quite a clear progression path," she says. 

"There are checklists of things that an INVNTr needs to do in order to progress to the next level." 

Too often, she argues, career conversations happen only during annual reviews rather than forming part of an ongoing dialogue. 

"It shouldn't be a surprise," she says. "Understanding what an individual wants to do should be an ongoing conversation." 

Growing challenge

As agencies grow, maintaining culture inevitably becomes more challenging. 

"It's always a lot easier when you're a smaller team and everyone feels a part of that culture," Stephenson says. "But leadership is still incredibly important." 

For her, the best agencies are those that create environments where people feel connected both to their colleagues and to the wider mission of the business. 

Ultimately, she believes culture is not separate from commercial success. It is one of the key drivers of it. 

The agencies producing the best work, retaining the strongest talent and building the most resilient businesses are often the ones investing most heavily in their people. 

And as the industry continues its fascination with technology, automation and AI, it's an important reminder that innovation may grab the headlines, but culture is what enables it. 

Claudia Stephenson will speak at The Meetings Show on Thursday 25 June at 2.40pm in the session "Return on engagement - how AI-powered immersive tech delivers measurable impact".