BoothEconomy · July 6, 2026
Raven PMG, a fabrication company based in New Orleans’ Bywater neighborhood, has grown from a 2009 startup to roughly 70 full-time employees and 200 annual installations — building the temporary structures that Coca-Cola, Disney, Live Nation, and Patrón Tequila inhabit at Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, the World Cup, and the Essence Festival of Culture.
Founded by James Dufrene and later joined by CEO Chris Berends and creative director Mélinda Cohen, Raven specializes in precision-engineered structures it designs, builds, flat-packs, ships, and installs on-site. Project costs run from $10,000 to more than $1 million depending on scale, and the company serves roughly 100 client brands and agencies per year. Revenue quadrupled in the three years following the pandemic as live events rebounded. Among its signature innovations is a steel structure that replaces tent-based festival activations with a build offering 360-degree visibility, air conditioning, and a roof deck.
The industry backdrop is substantial: U.S. brands spent an estimated $4.2 billion on experiential marketing activations in 2025, a 67 percent increase from pre-pandemic levels, according to industry research. Raven captures a slice of that at the fabrication layer — from the branded cup holder to the two-story structure around it. “At the end of the day, we want to build something that when someone attends an event, they want more of it,” Berends told NOLA.com.
Why it matters: Raven PMG is the B2B supply chain behind some of the most-photographed brand moments at American music festivals — the company that transforms a footprint in a field into a Coca-Cola experience or a Patrón hacienda. As experiential spending climbs past $4 billion, the fabrication shops doing the actual building are becoming critical, specialized infrastructure: multi-city-tour logistics, fast turnaround, and physical permanence for what is fundamentally a temporary commerce.
Source: This Bywater company builds fun experiences for big events — NOLA.com