More and more people are becoming interested in startups and their founders. Shark Tank features entrepreneurs pitching their ideas to investors and the show regularly reels in 5 million viewers (along with 4 Emmys). HBO's Silicon Valley is another hit TV show based in the startup world.

Cody Sudmeier founded Denver-based Spur Experiences in 2014. Cody is a serial entrepreneur who previously co-founded and sold Agility Solutions, as well as founded All The Above Clothing. Cody has received several business awards, including Denver Business Journal's "40 Under 40", which recognizes the top 40 Denver professionals under the age of 40.

Consider profiling Cody Sudmeier and co-founder Jamie Regehr. The business is somewhere between "we have no idea if this will work" and "we've made it" so it is a very interesting time to profile the business.

According to Fortune, two thirds of millennials are more likely to want to work for a company that gives back (http://fortune.com/2016/08/11/millennials-philanthropy/).

According to Accessories Magazine, "90% of U.S. shoppers are likely to switch to a cause branded product, according to a Cone Communications/Ebiquity Global CSR Study."
(https://www.accessoriesmagazine.com/brands-moving-ahead-giving-back/)

Specific to the weddings - According to TheKnot, "Up 233% year to year, one in ten (10%) couples incorporated charity gifting into their wedding registry in 2017. When charity registries were available, 15% of guests reported contributing to the charity."

Spur Experiences gives back in a major way. Spur Experiences couples are able to select a charity to tie to their registry. Spur Experiences contributes 5% of the sales from the couple’s registry to the charity they have selected. The 5% actually represents one-fifth of Spur Experiences's gross margin.

The story could include interviewing Spur Experiences couples on why they selected the organization that they did. We could also interview specific non-profits. Lastly, we could profile the Spur Experiences founders to get their take on why giving back is so important.

The wedding industry is seeing a technological revolution. According to TheKnot, 2017 was the first year where the "online registry creation for couples’ primary wedding registries was more popular than setting up registries in store this year (55% versus 44%)." TheKnot also stated "96% of couples with wedding registries primarily manage them online." See the full report at:
https://xogroupinc.com/press-releases/the-knot-2017-wedding-registry-study/

Spur Experiences has thousands of couples who have created wedding registries, many of whom have recently gotten married. We could profile a few of these couples, interviewing them on why they chose Spur Experiences, and even follow along as they go on some of their experiences.

Spur Experiences can also send your reporters (plus guests) on some of our experiences. This way, your team, and the audience, can see first-hand why experiences create happiness.

While traditional retail sales are declining, experiential sales are surging. According to HSBC and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, spending (as a % of consumption) on travel, recreation, and eating out has steadily increased over the last 15 years. Meanwhile, relative spending on cars and household goods has dropped.

As an example of the larger trend, we can feature an engaged or recently married couple who registered with Spur Experiences. Weddings are perhaps the most drastic example of how traditional spending is related to household items (blenders, toasters, china, etc.). Modern couples are going minimalistic and choosing experiential gifts.