Hana April Chughtai of Minneapolis-based Hana April Inc. proudly claims the title of “wicked visionary” for her role as the leader of a creative events agency laser-focused on authentic brand connection through global gatherings and experiences. “The world of events became so muddled over time with what you need to do at an event [itself],” Chughtai explains. “It is easy to lose sight of what the goal or focus is. The most important considerations for any event are authenticity, human connection, and the experience attendees go through that will be memorable.”
But to create such unforgettable touch points, Minnetonka-raised Chughtai recognizes that the end goal is part of a meticulous process. “A perfectly planned event starts in the logistics and in the organization,” she says. “The millions of details we ensure are top notch for our clients are handled internally by our team before the event. Then the event is essentially the product; it’s the outcome of what we have already practiced, planned, and perfected in the office.”
However, what requires preplanning is not always clear at first, Chughtai says, and that is where her talented team at Hana April Inc. comes in. “A lot of times, our clientele comes to us and says, ‘I don’t know, we want to do something to showcase our brand and engage our attendees,’” she says. Her creative team then gets together to brainstorm offbeat and cutting-edge ideas to enact for the client. “When we put those creative ideas in motion, the feedback is often, ‘Wow! I really saw people resonating and interacting with the brand. I see how the activations are creating an authentic connection.’ At that point, we really feel that everything came full circle.”
Chughtai built her company to align with her core values of diversity and inclusion. She says this emphasis not only promotes a breadth of viewpoints and experiences, but it is also good for business. When executing a recent project and event for personal-care brand Dove, her team created an installation centered on the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act movement, a push for federal and state legislation that prevents discrimination based on an individual’s texture or style of hair. (Laws inspired by the movement have been enacted in 27 states.) “Being the diverse company we are, we understood what Dove was looking for,” she says. “The end result was a beautifully planned activation, and Dove felt its audience resonated with our work. Our team feels good working for causes such as the CROWN Act—it felt like an important task. We are super passionate about bringing new things to the table and showcasing the different light of our talents.”
