New Ways to Design Business Events
From business conferences to other industry events, planners are getting creative in layout, technology, and even swag bags
To stand out in a competitive event landscape, fresh ideas in room layout and seating options can create better environments at traditional meetings and conferences. Here are some ways to give new life to business-focused events.
Choose a design concept early and clearly articulate what makes it unique
“The challenge is to come up with something new each time and to make these events look different,” says Dea Lawrence, chief marketing officer at Variety. Variety plans some 40 events each year, and in November introduced StyleMakers, an event held with sister publication WWD that honored creatives in the acting, design, and beauty worlds. Lawrence says her team needs to be able to distinguish how the event differs from past efforts or competing affairs, “especially in L.A. where there’s so much competition around these events.” Variety’s senior manager of event marketing, Jasmine Abghari, created the design for the event.
Select a venue suited to new design ideas
At Quartz’s the Next Billion: New York, held in November at the Conrad New York, planners were looking for opportunities to brand walls, ceilings, floors, and other surfaces, says Maggee Dorsey, event manager, head of operations, for Quartz Events. Try to use a venue’s architecture and existing elements to amplify our brand versus pop-up signage and obtrusive signage,” she says. “We try to pick venues and locations that allow us to continue that immersive design experience. We want to create environments that are seamless and easy to experience.” “Not every business conference or meeting needs to be classroom or conference style,” says Michele Wilde, director of conference services and event sales at the Breakers Palm Beach.
Use design to meet guests’ technology needs
Quartz’s row of seating for laptop users made sense for the digital media brand. “We know our attendees have multiple devices—iPads, computers, cell phones all at the same time. It gives our attendees who do need to be working at the same time . … It’s also wonderful for press.” Visually encouraging guests to stay connected also reinforced the event’s digital goals. For the first time, the event had its own Slack channel, and moderators incorporated questions posted there in discussions. Users of the event’s live stream also could pose questions.
Create a sense of theater
Does a DJ booth belong at a corporate event? At the StyleMakers event, planners placed it on the main stage. “Events are like theatrical experiences,” Lawrence says. “How do we keep it theatrical and keep it entertaining? How do we keep it in the mood of the event and keep them engaged? People in the entertainment industry are jaded. They’ve seen the best of everything. … The music is always important because it creates the theme of the day.
Provide dedicated space to keep conversations going
Quartz sought ways to change up the traditional Q&A format. “We want to keep our content on the main stage on track and focused on the message,” Dorsey says. Instead of running mics or subjecting the entire room to someone’s long-winded question, the speakers moved to a dedicated space after their presentations and took questions from attendees. The result, Dorsey says, is that speakers felt more relaxed answering questions while the attendees had a more personal experience with the speakers.
Use design to maximize value for sponsors
WWD created custom content for presenting sponsor Mercedes-Benz that later populated a dedicated website. High-profile guests such as actresses Kerry Washington, Viola Davis, as well as fashion designer Zac Posen appeared in videos. They talked about what drives them to be successful. The website features the same branding and colors as the event. “It’s a great example of native advertising done very well,” Lawrence says. “It is intrinsic and organic to the conversation we were having at the luncheon that day.”
By Beth Kormanik #Bizbash
