From College Side Hustle to National Success: Adrienne Burgos on Growing CEA Staffing Without Losing Its Soul

When Adrienne Burgos was working as a brand ambassador in college to make ends meet, she loved the energy and excitement of bringing brands to life at events. But she also saw something troubling: a disconnect between what brands expected and what they were actually getting from staffing agencies. Communication was poor, payments were late, and the people doing the frontline work were often treated as expendable rather than valuable.

At 24, Adrienne decided to do something about it. Armed with five years of industry experience, a MacBook, and an entrepreneurial spirit that had been brewing since childhood, she launched CEA Staffing in 2008. Her mission was simple but revolutionary: create an experiential staffing agency that treated brand ambassadors as valued professionals while delivering the quality and consistency that brands desperately needed.

Now, over 15 years later, CEA Staffing has become a respected nationwide agency working with major brands like Coca-Cola, Adidas, and Heineken. Based in Chicago, the company has grown from Adrienne's solo venture into a team that provides everything from brand ambassadors and trade show staff to event managers and promotional experts across the country.

But Adrienne's journey hasn't just been about scaling a business. As a proud single mother and entrepreneur who got involved with organizations like the Young Entrepreneurs Association and took courses with the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, she's had to balance the demands of growing a company with raising a family and maintaining the personal connections that set CEA apart from larger, more impersonal agencies.

In this conversation, Adrienne shares how she's navigated the challenges of scaling while protecting company culture, why she believes human connection will always trump technology in experiential marketing, and how she's preparing CEA for an AI-driven future without losing the authentic, people-first approach that built her business.

Question 1: Scaling Giants and Building Bridges

You started CEA Staffing at just 24 years old after working as a brand ambassador in college and gaining five years of industry experience. What were the biggest challenges you encountered when scaling CEA from a solo operation to a nationwide experiential staffing agency serving major clients like Coca-Cola, Adidas, and Heineken? How did those early experiences working in the field inform your decision to launch CEA, and what gaps did you identify in the experiential marketing and event staffing landscape that only someone who had worked both sides could truly address?

When I first started CEA Staffing, I had already seen the challenges brands and agencies faced when it came to finding reliable, passionate, and professional event staff. During my early years working in the field, I noticed a huge gap between what brands expected and what they were actually getting in terms of talent engagement, consistency, and accountability. There were incredible people out there, energetic, driven, and ready to represent brands, but the systems in place weren’t setting them up for success.

As CEA began to grow, one of the biggest challenges was scaling while protecting quality and culture. We were expanding nationwide, hiring hundreds of people, and supporting major clients, but I never wanted to lose the personal connection that made us different. I learned quickly that growth doesn’t just mean hiring more people; it means investing in the right people, building strong communication systems, and creating a culture of respect, opportunity, and pride.

Those experiences inspired the very foundation of CEA. I wanted to build an agency that treated brand ambassadors as valued professionals, not just gig workers, and that built bridges between brands and people. Today, our focus on training, compliance, and community sets us apart. We’ve created a platform where both brands and ambassadors can grow together, and that’s something only someone who’s lived and worked inside this industry could truly design.

Question 2: Motherhood, Leadership, and Industry Evolution

As a mother of one 10-year-old and a business owner in the demanding experiential marketing industry, you're navigating the unique challenges many working parents face in event-driven sectors. How has motherhood influenced your approach to staffing and the way you've built CEA's culture? What changes would you like to see in the experiential marketing and event staffing industries to better support working parents, and how are you advocating for these through your involvement with organizations like the Young Entrepreneurs Association and your work with the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce?

Motherhood has completely transformed how I lead and how I’ve built CEA Staffing’s culture. Being a mom has made me more compassionate, patient, and understanding, not just with my team, but with myself. It’s also made me a stronger leader. When you’re raising a child, you learn quickly that flexibility, problem-solving, and grace under pressure aren’t optional, they’re part of daily life. I carry those same lessons into my business.

I see the people who work with me and value them. I know many of them are balancing families, side passions, and personal goals just like I am. I’ve worked hard to create a culture where that’s not only respected but supported. We encourage flexibility when our teams are deciding what events to work. Choosing those that fit best with their life and schedules. We recognize that happy, balanced people perform better and bring more heart to their work.

I’d love to see the events industry evolve to truly support working parents in ways that reflect the realities of our lives. Through CEA Staffing, I’ve been advocating for this by how I run my business, by creating flexible opportunities for working parents, who want to stay connected to the workforce without sacrificing family time. Many of our brand ambassadors and team leads are parents, and I’m proud that our structure allows them to choose when and how much they work, while still feeling part of something bigger.

For me, motherhood isn’t something separate from my leadership, it’s the foundation of it. It reminds me every day why I built my business, to create opportunity, community, and flexibility for people who deserve to have both a career and a life they love.

Question 3: The Future of Creative Talent in AI Era

The experiential marketing and event staffing industries are experiencing rapid technological shifts with AI and digital tools changing how brands connect with consumers. As someone who's been deeply embedded in experiential marketing for over 15 years, how are you preparing both brands and talent for this evolution? What advice do you give to brand ambassadors and event staff who are concerned about AI's impact on their careers, and how is CEA Staffing adapting its recruitment and training strategies for this new landscape while maintaining the human connection that's at the heart of experiential marketing?

The evolution of AI and technology is transforming every creative industry, and experiential marketing is no exception. I see AI as an incredible tool, not a replacement. It’s helping us analyze engagement data faster, match talent more efficiently, and personalize campaigns in ways that were impossible before. But what it can’t replace is human connection, the energy, emotion, and authenticity that brand ambassadors bring when they’re face-to-face with consumers.

At CEA, we’re preparing for this shift by embracing AI in smart ways, using it to streamline staffing logistics, improve client reporting, and enhance training, while doubling down on the human side of what we do. Our goal is to help ambassadors use technology to their advantage by learning about the brand they work for in more creative ways, book out their schedules in more efficient ways, and streamlining communication before, during and after, events.

When ambassadors worry about AI replacing jobs, I remind them that technology can amplify their value if they stay curious, adaptable, and people focused. Human connection will always be at the heart of marketing. At CEA, we’re not just adapting, we’re shaping what the next era of experiential staffing looks like, powered by data, driven by creativity, and rooted in people.

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