Encore's 'Great Place To Work' Badge: A Trophy or a True Business Strategy?

SCHILLER PARK, Ill. – June 18, 2026 – This week, event production giant Encore announced it had once again earned the Great Place To Work® certification, this time across 15 different countries. For the fifth consecutive year, the company is celebrating a culture of high trust. As a former analyst, I've seen countless companies tout these kinds of awards. The badges make for a great press release and a shiny graphic on the careers page. But my passion has always been finding the real story hiding in the data. Is this certification just a corporate trophy, or is it a reflection of a tangible, needle-moving business strategy? For a global leader in the high-pressure events industry, the answer has significant implications for its employees, customers, and the bottom line.

Decoding the 'Great Place To Work' Seal

Before we can assess the impact, it's crucial to understand what this certification actually represents. The Great Place To Work® Institute's process is data-driven, primarily relying on its anonymous Trust Index™ survey. This survey measures employee experience across dimensions like credibility, respect, fairness, pride, and camaraderie. To get certified, a company needs a score of about 65% or higher—meaning roughly seven out of ten employees report a consistently positive experience.

Critics sometimes point to this threshold as being relatively low and note that companies pay a fee for the assessment, leading to accusations of a "pay-to-play" model. However, that's an oversimplification. The real value isn't just the badge; it's the underlying data the survey provides, giving leadership a direct, unfiltered look into the state of their culture. Furthermore, this certification is merely the gateway to more prestigious honors. Encore was also named to the 2026 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® list for the second year, a far more competitive and rigorous evaluation that pits companies against the best across all industries. Earning a spot there suggests a level of commitment that goes well beyond meeting a minimum benchmark.

Inside the People-First Playbook

So, what is Encore actually doing to earn these accolades? The company's press release highlights a suite of recent initiatives that form a comprehensive human capital strategy. Take Encore University, a global learning platform with mobile access, designed for targeted training and certification. In an industry built on technical skill and client service, investing in continuous development isn't just a perk; it's a necessity for staying competitive. This is what CEO Ben Erwin means when he says they are building an "academy company," focused on attracting, developing, and retaining top talent.

Beyond professional growth, the company is addressing the holistic well-being of its team. The launch of a Mental Health First Aiders program, which trains employees to provide initial support for colleagues facing mental health or substance use challenges, is a particularly progressive step. It acknowledges the high-stress nature of the events world and builds a support structure from within. This is complemented by programs like Encore Cares for volunteerism and CenterStage, a refreshed global recognition platform. Together, these initiatives paint a picture of a company trying to build a culture where employees feel skilled, supported, and appreciated—key ingredients for retention in any industry.

Scaling Culture Across Continents

The most impressive number in Encore's announcement isn't the five consecutive years of certification, but the expansion from 6 to 15 certified countries since 2022. Building a strong, consistent culture in one country is hard enough. Scaling it across the diverse legal, social, and economic landscapes of Australia, Germany, Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates is a monumental challenge. This global success suggests a sophisticated approach that balances centralized strategy with local adaptation.

Global platforms like Encore University and the CenterStage recognition program create a common framework and a shared language of values. However, the company emphasizes that this growth is driven by "actively listening to team member feedback." This is the critical part. A high-trust culture cannot be dictated from a headquarters in Illinois; it must be co-created with teams on the ground. Achieving certification in each of these 15 countries means the local employee experience met the Institute's standards, indicating the company is successfully navigating that delicate balance between global consistency and local trust.

Connecting Culture to the Bottom Line

Ultimately, for a business, these efforts must translate into performance. As Chief Human Resources Officer Evan Swidler stated, this recognition "reinforces our ongoing commitment to fostering a strong, inclusive workplace culture." This isn't just about feeling good; it's about being better. Research consistently shows that companies with high-trust cultures outperform their peers. They attract talent more easily, enjoy lower turnover, and benefit from higher levels of innovation and productivity. For a client-facing business like Encore, where the quality of an event depends entirely on the execution by its team, an engaged and motivated workforce is its most valuable asset.

CEO Ben Erwin's statement that "our people are what make our story possible" is more than a platitude; it's a strategic reality. In a competitive B2B landscape, a certified positive workplace culture becomes a powerful differentiator that signals reliability and excellence to potential clients. While no company is perfect, and public employee review sites show that experiences can vary within any large organization, the sustained investment and expanding global recognition indicate that Encore views its people not as a cost to be managed, but as the central engine of its growth and success.