MMGY and R&R Partners Join Forces to Create Global Independent Agency Powerhouse
KANSAS CITY & LAS VEGAS (Oct. 14, 2026) – MMGY and R&R partners today announced they are joining forces, bringing together two established brands to create one of the largest independent agencies in the world with more than 800 teammates and an increasingly diverse mix of expertise, clients and capabilities.
R&R will retain its brand and leadership, with existing client teams and relationships remaining in place while gaining access to MMGY’s international network, resources and specialized services. At the same time, R&R brings to MMGY more than 50 years of experience across advertising, media, public relations, government and community affairs, activations and events, crisis consulting and experience design, further diversifying MMGY’s expertise beyond its roots in travel, tourism and hospitality.
The agencies are coming together under parent company MMGY Global with a shared ambition to solve increasingly complex business and marketing challenges for clients around the world. The transaction, which closed Sept. 30, is the largest in MMGY Global’s four-decade history and represents a significant investment in R&R and the next chapter of growth for both organizations.
“The opportunity here is bigger than adding capabilities to a menu,” said Katie Briscoe, CEO of MMGY Global. “R&R and MMGY approach our businesses from different but highly complementary perspectives. We both believe that the best work starts with understanding people, culture and context, and then using that understanding to create measurable impact. Bringing those strengths together gives our clients access to a much more powerful combination of intelligence and execution.”
The combination builds on an existing relationship between the agencies. MMGY and R&R already collaborate on behalf of clients including the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Brand USA, Discover Puerto Rico and Explore St. Louis, giving the organizations firsthand experience working together across disciplines and geographies.
“R&R has spent 52 years creating real change for our partners, their customers and the communities they serve,” said Michon Martin, CEO of R&R partners. “In MMGY, we found a partner that shares our passion for the power of independence. Together, we are building a different kind of agency, armed with the big thinking and subject matter expertise needed to tackle our clients’ toughest problems as the world evolves. We’re excited, and we’re ready to build.”
Both organizations will maintain their existing client relationships and leadership teams, providing continuity while keeping the leaders who built their respective businesses at the forefront of client work and future growth.
Continuing as CEO of R&R, Martin will also join MMGY Global’s Executive Leadership Team alongside Briscoe, President Craig Compagnone, Chief Financial Officer Hugh McConnell, Chief Growth Officer Justin Farmer and Chief Human Resources Officer Oksana Kovalenko.
MMGY Global’s network of offices now includes R&R’s Las Vegas headquarters and its offices in Washington, D.C. and Mexico City, expanding a footprint that spans North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The combined organization now includes more than 800 teammates with expertise spanning integrated marketing, advertising, media, public relations, research and insights, branding, government affairs, community relations, experiential marketing and emerging technologies.
The expanded agency also creates new opportunities for clients to tap expertise across sectors. MMGY Global will continue to build on its position in travel, tourism and hospitality while R&R’s portfolio and capabilities broaden the organization’s reach into industries including aerospace and defense, healthcare, professional sports, consumer products and public affairs.
MMGY Global’s advisors for the transaction included Jones Day for legal matters, while Alvarez & Marsal served as the financial due diligence & tax advisor. R&R was represented by RSM for financial matters and Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC for legal.
Learn more about MMGY and R&R joining forces at RRxMMGY.com.
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About MMGY Global
MMGY Global is the world’s leading integrated marketing firm specializing in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. Through its portfolio of specialist agency brands and international expertise, MMGY Global serves many of the industry’s premier travel and tourism brands. Its agencies bring deep category knowledge across hospitality, culinary, outdoor lifestyle, luxury PR and more, connected by shared strategic thinking and capabilities. The company strives to create a connected, inclusive and peaceful world by promoting travel as a cultural bridge of understanding.
MMGY Global is composed of multiple brands including Grifco, Origin, Wagstaff, Lieb, Think Strawberries and MMGY, the company’s flagship integrated marketing agency. Together, they represent more than 600 travel, tourism and hospitality marketing experts worldwide. The management-led company is majority owned by investment funds managed by EagleTree Capital. For more information, visit mmgyglobal.com.
About MMGY
As MMGY Global’s flagship integrated marketing and communications agency, MMGY shapes choice and drives growth for travel, tourism, hospitality and entertainment brands. We combine proprietary traveler intelligence with more than four decades of category experience to understand what moves audiences and turn that understanding into action. With global scale and local fluency, MMGY brings together research, strategy, creative, media, PR, representation, content and technology to help brands get found, chosen and remembered.
Our client partnerships span the travel ecosystem and include Brand USA, Visit California, Pure Michigan, Visit Costa Rica, Choice Hotels, Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation and many others. For more information, visit mmgy.com.
About R&R partners
R&R partners is an independent, full-service agency with more than 50 years of experience helping clients solve complex challenges in bold, unconventional ways. Beyond traditional advertising services – strategy, creative, media, PR and social – the agency brings together disciplines rarely found under one roof: government affairs, community relations, activations and events, crisis consulting, connections planning and experience design systems. R&R starts with the desired outcome and surrounds each client’s problem from every angle, taking on social issues, large-scale business challenges and transformational communications work that most agencies won’t touch.
The agency’s independence and breadth of expertise have produced results that go well beyond marketing: launching innovative companies, shaping public opinion, executing landmark rebrands, relocating professional sports franchises and generating billions in value for clients. Its wholly owned subsidiary, House of V, operates at the frontier of AR, VR and MR technology, delivering immersive experiences built for social commerce. With a strong North American footprint, its client roster includes the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Brand USA, Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, Boeing, Discover Puerto Rico, Allegiant Air, Las Vegas Raiders, Intermountain Health and many others. For more information, visit www.rrpartners.com.