SPAM® Brand Meets UNDISCOVERED SF Filipino Market

SPAM® Brand Meets UNDISCOVERED SF

Designing a unique creative collaboration bridging Filipino American community and this popular tasty treat!

The Client

SPAM® is an iconic and versatile brand known for its rich history and unique role in so many cultural food traditions worldwide, especially among Asian people. SPAM® brand is a company that is very ingrained in so much of Filipino, Hawaiian, and Asian cuisines and wanted to introduce the local Filipino community to their new flavors, get feedback, and celebrate cultural diversity.

Goals & Challenges

To celebrate the beautiful community of POC vendors, creatives, and entrepreneurs that surround us and bless us with their talent in the Bay Area and create a space for their JOY.
Design a fashion-forward cocktail party & reception honoring brown & black joy and creativity, while uplifting local vendors & creatives.

Celebrating creativity and cultural fusion with a delicious twist

DJs & performances

Special live DJ scratch set by DJ Shortkut from the legendary Triple Threat DJs and DJ Lok.

Photobooth

Immersive photobooth with large wooden Brown Is Beautiful sign.

themed attire

Fashion-forward brown themed attire complete with photo opps throughout the night.

Show me the photos!

Ready to plan your next event?

LET'S TALK.

SOCAP Global Conference

The Client

SOCAP is the largest global impact-economy conference, bringing together funders, founders, social entrepreneurs, nonprofits, government, media, and changemakers from around the world to accelerate social and environmental impact. This annual conference is designed to take “impact mainstream,” convening a diverse ecosystem of investors, innovators, and community leaders to connect across sectors for collaboration, capital, and purpose.

Goals & Challenges

The goal was simple: make every attendee feel supported, seen, and inspired to take action in the impact economy. The challenge was scale — hundreds of sessions, dozens of speakers, and thousands of attendees across multiple spaces. Our approach was to anticipate needs, keep communication open, and stay flexible so that every detail, from stage transitions to attendee experience, reflected the care and intention SOCAP is known for.

Bringing the Impact Community Together

WHAT WE DID:

As production partners, we handled everything behind the scenes so the conference could run smoothly and feel effortless for attendees:

Managed operations and logistics across multiple tracks and venues
Coordinated vendors, AV, and stage support for panels, workshops, and networking spaces
Oversaw branding, signage, and environmental design to bring SOCAP’s vision to life
Provided onsite support and run-of-show management to keep programming flowing seamlessly

VENDORS:

Event Planning & Design: Make it Mariko
Client: SOCAP Global
Venue: @jewseum
Photographer: @hardwig_media

Photos by Hardwig Media

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Juma Ventures Paths To Possibility

The Client

Paths to Possibility is Juma Ventures’ signature annual fundraiser, bringing together community leaders, partners, and supporters to uplift the next generation of youth navigating employment, education, and opportunity pathways. Hosted in San Francisco, the event blended storytelling, youth-led moments, and mission-driven programming to celebrate Juma’s impact and raise critical funds for their work. This was Make it Mariko’s second year producing the event, and we continued to refine and elevate the experience with a deep understanding of Juma’s culture, community, and vision.

Goals & Challenges

The goal of Paths to Possibility was to create an event that showcased the brilliance and resilience of Juma’s youth while inspiring attendees to invest in their futures. One of the main challenges was designing a program that balanced emotional storytelling with efficient fundraising moments, all within a tight event timeline. Additionally, coordinating speakers, youth voices, and mission-driven content required careful flow and thoughtful stage management. Our long-term partnership allowed us to navigate these complexities with intention, crafting an experience that felt uplifting, authentic, and aligned with Juma’s organizational mission.

Creating Space for Youth to Dream Big

WHAT WE DID:

As returning partners for the second year, we provided full event production and operations management, building on past learnings to streamline the process and enhance guest engagement. We supported creative direction, including layout planning, program flow, and environmental design that reflected Juma’s mission and values. Our team managed vendor coordination, run of show, stage transitions, and onsite logistics to ensure a seamless experience for guests, speakers, and youth leaders. We also led branding and signage placement, ensuring consistent visual storytelling throughout the venue. With two years of partnership behind us, we were able to anticipate needs, improve efficiencies, and create an evening that felt purposeful, heartfelt, and youth-centered.

VENDORS:

Event Planning & Design: Make it Mariko
Client: @juma_ventures
Venue: @chase_center
Catering + Bar: @foxtailcatering
Photographer: @drewaltizer
Rentals: @stuarteventrentals
Band / Performers: @retrojukeboxband
Florals: @diosablooms
Valet: @propark_mobility

Photos by Drew Altizer

Ready to plan your next event?

LET'S TALK.

POC Food & Wine Festival

POC FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL

MINTED SF

The Teal Run 2025

THE TEAL RUN 2025

The Client

The Teal Run is a meaningful community event: a 5K and 10K walk/run hosted in Campbell, California that brings people together to raise awareness and funds for ovarian cancer research, early detection, and survivor support. Make It Mariko partnered with the Teal Run team to produce an event that not only inspires, but also generates impact and community connection.

Goals & Challenges

The Teal Run team came to us with a powerful mission: to grow participation, deepen engagement with survivors and families, and significantly increase fundraising for ovarian cancer research. Key challenges included:

Creating a welcoming experience for a diverse group from serious runners to families walking together.
Communicating the dual purpose of the event: both community celebration and critical fundraising.
Designing meaningful visuals, signage, and branding that honored ovarian cancer survivors while staying energetic and hopeful.
Coordinating logistics in a public park, including racecourse setup, safety, volunteer coordination, and sponsor activations.

A Community Run Rooted in Hope and Strength

WHAT WE DID:

Make it Mariko served as the lead producer for the event, providing full operations and production support. We managed all logistics from pre-planning to event day, ensuring every detail was aligned with the mission of honoring ovarian cancer survivors.

We developed the full site plan including the course layout, start/finish line, hydration stations, medical safety placements, registration flow, and sponsor activation areas. Our team coordinated with city partners, park staff, medical responders, and race-timing vendors to ensure all compliance and safety requirements were met.

We oversaw vendor load-in and load-out, managed all staging, sound needs, and power distribution, and supported the creation and placement of signage and wayfinding across the park and course. We facilitated volunteer training and deployment to ensure smooth runner check-in, route guidance, and participant support.

On event day, we led all on-site operations including runner flow, stage management for survivor moments and program announcements, and coordination of race timing. Our team ensured transitions were smooth, the course was clear, and participants had the supportive, inspirational experience the event is known for.

VENDORS:

Event Planning & Design: Make it Mariko
Photographer: @socialwavephotographer
@andreasantiago.photo
Videographer: @davideographer_
Rentals: @chairs4events @goodeventsrental
Stage Host: @laurenmartineznews
DJ: @itsdjmiggy
Florals: Florals by Suki
Balloons: @balloonaticsevents
Photo Booth: @dannysphotobooth
Face Painter: @roxiiisezz
Entertainment: @missmollybubbles
Honor Guard: San Jose Police Department

Photos by Sheldon Chang & Andrea Santiago

Ready to plan your next event?

LET'S TALK.

Joy To The City

Juma Ventures Path To Possibility

The Client

Goals & Challenges

Creating Space for Youth to Dream Big

WHAT WE DID:

As returning partners for the third year, we provided full event production and operations management, building on past learnings to streamline the process and enhance guest engagement. We supported creative direction, including layout planning, program flow, and environmental design that reflected Juma’s mission and values. Our team managed vendor coordination, run of show, stage transitions, and onsite logistics to ensure a seamless experience for guests, speakers, and youth leaders. We also led branding and signage placement, ensuring consistent visual storytelling throughout the venue. With three years of partnership behind us, we were able to anticipate needs, improve efficiencies, and create an evening that felt purposeful, heartfelt, and youth-centered.

VENDORS

Event Planning & Design: @makeitmariko
Venue: @chase_center
Catering: @foxtailcatering
Bar: @foxtailcatering
Photographer: @drewaltizerphotography
Rentals: @stuarteventrentals
A/V: @chase_center
Band/Performers: @retrojukeboxband
Florals: @diosablooms
Valet: @propark_mobility

Ready to plan your next event?

LET'S TALK.

Photos by Drew Altizer

Colorbloq Venue Launch

An Innovative and interactive venue space

The Client

The team at Colorbloq, formerly known as The Quad, hired our team to help strategize their new venue space and help launch it to the industry!

The team came from tech backgrounds, and acquired this space as a new business venture and they needed someone with extensive event experience to help craft a unique identity for the space.

Goals & Challenges

Setup Events Program & Infrastructure – Create the foundation for a successful events program complete with a full list of veteran industry vendors.
Produce Open House Launch Event – Kick things off with a bang for the community!
Hire & Train an Events Manager

Building Infrastructure For a Colorful Creative Space

Event Rental Packet

Create initial infrastructure needed to run a successful events program for the space including: Rental pricing with package options & add-ons, Detailed Venue Rules & Regulations, Sample layouts, Insurance information, Parking info, Setup / Breakdown info, Noise restrictions, and more.

CREATE TRUSTED Preferred Vendor List

Negotiate rates for in-house vendors and create easy to sell event packages, while training all vendors on the venue details.

TRAIN & HIRE EVENTS MANAGER

We created the job description for Events Manager, reviewed prospective candidates, and they actually ended up hiring our referral directly!

Show me the photos!

Ready to plan your next event?

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Dia De Los Muertos Corporate Event

Dia De Los Muertos Corporate Activation

Honoring Death and life

The Client

We were excited to work with a long standing corporate client to design this amazing annual Dia De Los Muertos activation to honor death, life, and the cycle of change in our lives and work.

Show me the photos!

Ready to plan your next event?

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Pinterest Holiday Party

Pinterest “Positive Corner” Party Activation

Re-creating the “positive corner of the internet” in real life

The Client

We’re huge fans of Pinterest, so were stoked to work with them for this holiday activation! Pinterest values creativity, innovation, and inclusivity, striving to empower individuals to discover and do what they love. Their brand is centered around fostering inspiration in every aspect of life, whether it’s home decor, fashion, recipes, or personal projects. They pride themselves on being the “positive corner of the internet” 🙂

Goals & Challenges

Create a joyful, exciting immersive holiday party design pulling inspiration from Pinterest aiming to be the “positive corner of the internet” for their employee holiday party.
Design an engaging and fun multi-week lobby activation to make it festive and energized during the holiday season.

pinterestholidayparty2023-Jimmie Gaviola-81

Event Highlights

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Lobby Design

Make it Mariko designed the concept for the lobby design with our goal of bringing natural elements into the indoor lobby to bring it to life using oversized elements with Luisa’s Creations N’More (lobby).

pinterestholidayparty2023-Jimmie Gaviola-76

Immersive, Multi-textured Elements

In partnership with Boovara Designs, we created multiple “positive corner” activations highlighting Pinterest-worthy photo opps that were also fun and interactive, like this Comfy, Cozy Corner AND a Texture-focused wall with games for people to play.

pinterestholidayparty2023-Jimmie Gaviola-54

Gamify Positivity!

Since this was an Engineering Office, we wanted to focus on interactive games and things folks could play knowing that was a pull for engineers. We designed this game wall with Boovara Designs where guests would toss a beanbag to hit the Pinterest themed images, and on the back of it would be a positive affirmation!