creating fans|
since 1985|
Like a virgin… whoo! The first Avantgarde Fashion Show, giving a stage to young designers
‘Shut up, old fags!’ A true scandal at Avantgarde Fashion Show by Gloria von Thurn and Taxis
A little era comes to an end, with Nina Hagen and Martin Schnaack
And a new one is born: 8 people unite to create Avantgarde, the agency
Creating the world’s first global guerrilla campaign: Puma contact lenses at the Olympic Games
About 20 years later, 110 people make 20 Million turnover
Avantgarde gets the Asia bug and opens doors in Shanghai
We deep dive into Dubai and open up our office in the Middle East. Inshallah!
London calling! And our office emerges
Gradually growing we reach a team of 250 experts
Boom!!! Within one year, we almost doubled to 400 people
We got a taste for summer in winter and plenty of football. Voila: Opening our office in São Paulo
The 77th ‘Avantgarde baby’ is born
The most appropriate photo of our annual ritual: Our Oktoberfest visit
Football’s coming home: Avantgarde at FIFA World Cup
30 years on from Fashion Week and we are now Germany’s biggest brand experience agency
Our first Agency of the Year Award. Thank you very much C&IT
AvaBurn: 10 days of dust at Burning Man
A new tradition. Losing at the Agency Cup annually, but being closer than ever before. Score!
Love is in the air: 123 couples have found each other at Avantgarde
33 years in business. 650 employees, 12 dogs, 8 sheep (not cloned) and 2 rabbits later
Oh yeah! Winning “Agency of the Year” again by C&IT Awards
Our individuality is uniqueness is formed by the distinctiveness of the things we experience. We distinguish ourselves through the multitude of unique, individual experiences.
What makes love strong? What keeps friends together? At the core, these are shared experiences and the emotions associated with them: unforgettable moments, adventures conquered together, shared passions… And positive experiences guarantee the bond between consumer and brand. Harnessing the power of experiences for brands has been AVANTGARDE’s core business since its founding over 35 years ago.
one interdisciplinary team of experts|
at the ready, around the globe|
An architect by trade with a master’s degree from Chicago, Sangeeta discovered her passion for live events during her first project for BMW Motorrad. In 2005 she launched Avantgarde Dubai and Abu Dhabi to build our client base in the Middle East. Currently she is literally “creating fans” by being responsible for our New Business opportunities. Exploring the world as a four-piece, Sangeeta loves scouting the world for beautiful design and yummy food.
Stuart has worked on both the agency and the client side. He started Avantgarde UK in 2008, following nine years working for ATL and BTL agencies. He has a love of action-packed adventure and has canoed the rivers of Central America, trekked across the Sahara, cycled over the Karakoram Mountains, and holds a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu.
Ricardo has worked in communications for over 20 years. He's been a copywriter, monitored events, worked with sales and merchandising, and always strived to be a fair and inspiring leader. Today Ricardo is Luiz Arruda’s partner, and together they've been leading the Avantgarde Brazil since 2011.
Jörg is a passionate and dedicated senior-executive level consultant with over 20 years of experience in Germany and the US, mostly in the automotive industry. He’s worked in brand management, motorsport communication, experiential marketing, as well as strategic HR.
Guido Emmerich began his career at Avantgarde back in 1993 and is now Managing Partner and the principal contact person for our customers. In order to make brands tangible within the framework of a sustainable brand experience and to proactively drive change from point-of-sale to point-of-experience, the qualified sports scientist always keeps up to date with the latest innovations and trends. In his free time he enjoys improving his handicap on the golf course.
Tim is a born-and-bred Berliner stationed in the Munich HQ. Over the course of the past 18 years, he worked in different sectors, such as governmental affairs, hospitality and entertainment, establishing his expertise in Sales & Marketing. After his first encounter with Avantgarde in 2007 he joined the team in 2010 as an expert in Event Marketing and expanded his skills in strategy, concept and deployment. This experience combined with his “let’s make it happen”- mentality helps him navigate in complex challenges, never losing the perspective on the big picture. Currently he leads a large team dedicated to IQOS. In his free time, he is a passionate mountain biker always on the lookout for rough unchartered terrains.
Robert is our financial genius. Originally hailing from the Black Forest, he’s worked as both an auditor and a management consultant at Ernst & Young, gaining valuable experience consulting and auditing for a variety of industries. When he isn’t fostering Avantgarde’s strategic development, this passionate sportsman can be found travelling the world with his backpack.
Bernhard is a brand strategy specialist who joined Avantgarde in 2015 after gaining experience in several big agencies in Switzerland and Germany. Originally from Germany, Bernhard is a coffee aficionado who is fascinated by contemporary art and design. He also enjoys basketball and skiing.
After just one day of studying physics in Munich, Berlin-born Martin Schnaack felt the urge to do something a little different. So he created the Avantgarde fashion show, which soon became THE innovative, nationwide platform for young designers to show their collection and create fans. The mountain-bike enthusiast is still one of the true visionaries of the Avantgarde crew, always challenging convention and embracing change.
Dr. Marc Schumacher is a successful and internationally active executive. He started his career at Hugo Boss and Breuninger and established himself as a leading management figure over the course of the years. As a marketing and retail expert, he creates forward-looking communication concepts for well-known lifestyle brands from all sectors (such as Nespresso, Mercedes-Benz, Adidas, Chanel, Moët Hennessy and many more). Through his international network and many business trips, he gains essential industry insights and knows how to discover trends at an early stage. Marc has developed a great passion for keynote speeches, and he convinces his audience with his provocative but honest rhetoric.
Karl is an entrepreneur at heart who has a proven track record in designing and building innovative technology products across multiple industries. Before joining Avantgarde Karl build up a multinational Fintech that he managed as COO. In his role as CPTO at Avantgarde Karl works on cutting edge technologies that will emerge a new experience category.
After building a career in the sports industry, Christian took on the challenge of launching Avantgarde China back in 2004. Today, he leads a team of experts across disciplines and established strong business connections in China and across the globe.
Tim has been a copywriter and creative director for some of the biggest agencies in ATL marketing. In 2011 he changed his focus to brand experiences and developed activation campaigns for brands such as Mercedes-Benz and VW. He’s won several national and international awards and is a member of the Art Directors Club Germany. He loves music, design and football.
With a background in the events and entertainment industry that spans the European, American and GCC markets, Roberto is a dynamic creative with a strategic mind and a natural leader who has been creating fans for over 20 years. His passion for music and all of forms of digital media inspires everything he does; from the projects he leads as Managing Director of the Avantgarde Middle East office to the music he creates with his children in his spare time.
together, we design powerful brand experiences|
and create stories to tell|
– Martin Schnaack