We Empower Outdoor-Focused Enterprises

A consultant and choreographer of collaborative solutions, Risa Shimoda empowers outdoor-focused businesses, agencies, and organizations to connect with new audiences, or reconnect with underserved constituents. From co-creating and designing effective marketing campaigns to orchestrating professional conferences, symposiums, and major events, Risa’s passion is helping her clients grow and prosper by developing sound marketing and outreach strategies, new initiatives, meaningful events, and sustainable programs.

The Shimoda Group takes pride in helping clients establish and growing businesses and brands by:
  • Listening to their needs
  • Understanding their current sector position
  • Helping them define and secure their desired marketplace presence

THE PROBLEM:

In an age of relentless change and information overload, companies and organizations must constantly adapt and revitalize themselves to remain relevant with current customers and attract new audiences.

THE SOLUTION:

Risa helps clients connect with new fans and find and tap underutilized constituencies. Through The Shimoda Group, she has brought strong collaborative skills to small and medium sized businesses, government agencies, and organizations eager to share their love of nature and highlight the benefits of healthy, outdoor-focused lifestyles.

Key Deliverables

Project Management & Partnership Development

Risa’s top passion is facilitating programs and projects that help companies and organizations change and adapt with the times. Depending on the needs and scope of her clients she will lead a strategic branding or repositioning initiative marketing plan; facilitate message delivery through traditional and social media; and plan and produce events and conferences.

Through The Shimoda Group, she connects non-profit clients with aligned organizations, enabling them to pursue their mission with focus and find greater success than they can achieve on their own. The Shimoda Group partners with a network of skilled professionals: web designers, programmers, and marketing and PR specialists. Risa empowers clients to connect mission and messages with new audiences.

“I take responsibility for helping clients confirm or develop clarity around their organizational identity, key messages, audience, and tone, then work with specialists whose unique creative or technical skills bring the client’s vision to life,” she says.

Business/Marketing Strategy & Product Segmentation

Risa specializes in helping organizations and companies adapt to changing times and reach new audiences and customers. For instance, she was instrumental in developing the popular “Recreational” kayak category in the paddlesports industry. Previously, kayaks were designed “by enthusiasts for enthusiasts” for niche markets such as whitewater and sea kayaking that demand a high investment of time and commitment to learning skills.

At paddlesports manufacturer Perception Inc., Risa steered new product development, marketing, and sales to the Recreational kayaks aimed at beginners and designed to introduce the public to kayaking.

“It allowed us to segment product categories to market to a much broader audience – an audience that was a million times larger than either category that had been in existence before,” she says.

The Recreational class outgrew all other categories and remains the largest product category more than 20 years later.

Event/Meeting Planning & Facilitation

As a meeting planner and facilitator, Risa helps clients identify their strengths, resources, and areas of focus to plan powerful and effective symposiums, seminars, and other meetings.

While helping clients focus on what they want to achieve, she also handles all the details, including contracting with speakers, booking venues, providing food and beverages, entertainment, and registration.

Revitalize: Mission-Based Reinvention

Often, the basis for reviewing a product or organization is not because it is broken – rather, it needs to be updated to meet the changing preferences and habits of customers or constituencies. Serving twice as Executive Director of the river stewardship organization American Whitewater, Risa led the group to revitalize itself after it had dwindled to a few dozen members, and again when its membership boasted thousands nationwide.

“We were concerned that we were not connecting with young people who might fill in for or replace aging, less active members, so we chose to recruit young paddlers as ambassadors and to serve on the board of directors,” she says.

Finding and recruiting young enthusiasts offered the organization new skills, fresh perspectives, and a healthier expanded network.

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