Interview with Maris Altsoo, head of the event marketing and creative agency Milestone and production company Radiustech.

You’ve taken abroad a service that can’t really be delivered at scale in Estonia. What is it exactly?

One of our core focuses today is experiential marketing. In practice, that means creating concepts and environments where events, marketing, and production are strategically integrated. This combination helps companies grow, gives brands greater visibility, and allows key people to build relationships with one another.

For instance, at an international trade fair or conference, we design a high-level multi-day environment where all of the client’s important partners, decision-makers, and potential customers can meet. Typically, it’s a blend of a networking event with a carefully designed exhibition or promotional space.

And the results speak for themselves. Face-to-face meetings — when a brand is represented in the best possible way — can deliver in just a few days what would normally take nearly a year to achieve. The return on investment is many times higher than individual client visits, virtual calls, or even digital campaigns. Physical presence simply creates a stronger connection and truly drives business relationships forward.

What makes you stand out?

We’re unique because we don’t just have project managers —we deliver an end-to-end solution, literally under one roof. That’s something no one else in Estonia offers. We cover everything: from marketing strategy and creative concepts all the way through to full-scale physical production.

Simply put, you can walk straight from our creative director’s office into the production workshop.

The whole team works very closely together, which significantly reduces risks. We never have a “pig in a poke” situation, because we know exactly what each part of the team is doing.

Why export?

Estonia’s market simply isn’t large enough for services on this scale. The consumer base is too small. Launching a global product in Tallinn, for example, wouldn’t have anywhere near the same impact as doing it in London or Dubai.

That’s why our focus is on international markets. The need to stand out is far greater there, and experiential marketing is one of the most powerful tools to achieve it.

What’s unique about this for Estonia, from an export perspective?

When abroad we actually use very few local partners. We prepare thoroughly and bring the entire package — people, equipment, know-how — directly from Estonia. In that sense, every project also promotes Estonia itself.

How widespread is your work already?

Last year we delivered projects in more than ten countries. This year we broke new ground in the United States. Interestingly, on our travels we haven’t yet come across other Estonian players in this space.

Your latest big project was Gamescom. What did that look like?

It’s the world’s largest event for video games and digital entertainment, with an absolutely insane scale — nearly half a million visitors. We partnered with the Saudi Arabian company Savvy and created their entire presence, from a networking event for over 300 guests to a multi-hundred-square-meter exhibition area, which was essentially like a branded home.

And the feedback?

Our area was aimed at executives, so the feedback was a big compliment — people said the business area at Gamescom had never seen such a well-designed and high-quality space before. We even made the news.

How do you prepare for projects like that?

Truthfully, you can’t fully train for this in Estonia. These projects are a different world, with challenges you’d never face here. Everything must be flawless. Even the tiniest mistake can sink the project.

Problem-solving requires sharp decision-making, because the simple solutions you’d rely on at home just don’t exist. We’ve had to, for example, take a ferry in the middle of the night to another country to negotiate the release of a truck being held at the border.

How big was your team at Gamescom?

We brought a 40-person team and six trucks from Estonia, working in Germany for over two weeks. Environments like that are always a test of teamwork, but also an incredible experience. I’m very proud of the team — it felt like we achieved the impossible. In reality, it was possible because the team was so strong.

What makes a project like this different from a regular event?

Timelines are fixed, there’s no buffer, and competition is fierce. A standard event is already a big job, but projects like these are events under a triple magnifying glass.

The visitor’s experience has to be perfect from the moment they step into the space: what they see, hear, and feel, the greeting they receive, the language used, even the scent in the air or the color of a doorframe. Every detail counts.

And what does that demand from the team?

Experience, dedication, mutual understanding, the art of working together — and a lot of resilience. You need the very best professionals in every role, from project managers to logisticians — and they also have to get along. Because every detail shows. A single missed delivery deadline, for example, can affect the entire experience.

What’s your bigger vision going forward?

Our ambition is simple but bold: to deliver world-class full service to international clients while keeping Estonia’s name firmly on the global map. If our work helps position Estonia as a country of quality and creativity, then we’ve met one of our key goals.

And the biggest lesson so far?

Calculated risks and the right team. Sometimes you need to take big risks – but with the right people and enough courage, there are no limits.

Every time we design, create, or lead a project, we go in with the mindset that it has to be better and smarter than yesterday. It’s far from easy. The preparation, both in scale and timeline, can be intense — even 24/7 at times. But the feeling of achieving something that once seemed impossible? That’s priceless.

In summary?

My hope is that when people around the world see an exceptionally well-executed event or production, they’ll say: This must be from Estonia.

And by the way, our team is growing — so if this sparked interest for any readers, feel free to reach out.

Author: Renate Liivrand

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