Leadership Series
I organized a series of annual leadership summits designed to bring a region of leaders together for a time of training, networking, and encouragement.
I was responsible for the event organization from vision to wrap-up. And, because these were annual events, it was important to gather and analyze the data to know how to improve the experience each year.
It was my goal to not only reach the attendance goals of the client but also to truly create an experience that surpassed the attendees expectations, encouraged them to return, and inspired them to tell fellow leaders about it, in order to grow attendance the following year.
Event Branding
Taking the vision prompt, I created an entire experience brand around it. While the event itself was annual, the theme each changed and so it was critical to design a strong brand foundation that could flex with each year’s cultural context.
-
We strategically focused on creating a graphic that embodied how the experience would feel for the audience. Before the audience ever stepped foot on the event, we wanted them to begin to feel and connect with the brand.
-
This client’s primary avenues of communication were email and basic mail. I came in and designed a media plan as well as event packaging that initiated the experience at invite.
We sent event packages to all key regional leaders, we developed social media campaigns with early discount codes, and personalized email campaigns.
-
This client’s goal was to get increasingly more participation. In order to achieve this, we made event access as user-friendly as possible. This meant designing the website with as few clicks as possible to get registered and made finding information and frequently asked questions easy to find.
Designing the Experience
Far before people remember details, they remember how they feel. It is my goal with every experience I design that people feel so positive about the experience that they also remember what it was all about.
-
Sometimes it’s the smallest of details that leave the biggest impact, which is why no detail is too small.
For this experience, we considered what the points of impact we could have. This included, but was not limited to, water bottles and name tags. I’m a super fan of technology but sometimes the old school points of connection still have value.
Prior to consideration of sustainability, plastic water bottles were still a must at events. So, what did we do? We branded our water bottles. My team covered hundreds of water bottles by hand because it mattered to the experience.
Was it a big deal? Yes and no. No, because a normal water bottle would’ve achieved the hydration they needed. Yes, because it was another element of creating the holistic experience we were aiming to achieve.
-
I’m all about aesthetics, but the priority for these experiences was the content. So, while we created an aesthetically pleasing environment from the moment attendees stepped drove on-site, we prioritized the structure of the day to achieve optimal content for the attendees.
Based. on the unique schedule availability of guest speakers, considering the hot-topic breakout sessions, and prioritizing time for the main speaker, we designed a flow to achieve the optimal content flow.
This continually resulted in positive feedback and glowing reviews in our post-event survey.
-
No matter the size of budget, I always aim to achieve beyond expectations. This is both for the client and the audience.
In this case, this meant the food. Sometimes the budget allowed for full meals other times, we couldn’t accommodate for that. Regardless, we made food part of the experience, whether this was fresh snacks as they exited their breakouts or freshly brewed coffee in between sessions. And the display always reflected a well-thought-through experience.
Planning the Experience
I oversaw every detail of planning the experience: venue booking, keynote speaker coordinator, accommodations, day-of schedule, staffing, and more. I looked after every detail and made sure we stayed on track and on budget.
-
I coordinated with all keynote speakers on their preferences and day-of needs. I worked with their assistants and venue contacts to arrange all tech and presentation materials.
I also designed the flow of the event, from check-in to closing session. I designed it with the attendee in mind, considering food and drink before they even knew they were hungry. As well performing a physical walk-through to ensure every detail was considered.
-
These experiences included venue booking and arranging special accommodations for all guest speakers.
I negotiated with venues and ensured that all details were taken care of in a way that ensured future partnerships.
I booked accommodations that would contribute to the speakers’ overall experience. I chose accommodations that offered accessibility to the venue while also provided them with a comfortable and hospitable stay.
-
Every event and experience is unique, which is why it is important for every project to consider what are the details that are crucial to THIS experience.
For this project, it was important that our audience connected with the speakers. In order to do this we designed speaker highlights, “meet the speaker",” on our media channels leading up to the event. At the event itself, we provided programs with speaker bios.
Follow-Up
The decorations may be down and the audience might have gone home, but the experience is far from over. The wrap-up to any event is important and strategic to event success.
-
Post. Tag. Share. Whatever you do, talk about it and engage with those who are talking about it too.
While this client didn’t prioritize media, we made sure these events had a photographer on hand to capture moments. And we posted afterward.
Our goal was not only to celebrate with those who came but it was the first step in beginning promotion for next year’s event.
With every point of celebration, we were inviting our audience to join in the experience and not miss the next one.
-
Every venue, vendor, speaker, caterer, photographer, staff member, or attendee could be part of your next experience, so, leave them with the best experience possible.
Get the last words in, and let them be: thank you.
For this experience, we made sure to follow-up with every guest speaker, venue host, and key attendee with a thank you.
-
Data can be cringeworthy for a lot of creatives but data speaks volumes. What was your attendance? Is that better than last year or what you were expecting? Did people actually enjoy themselves? Did we achieve what we set out to achieve?
For this event series, every year we sent out a follow-up survey. It asked questions about their experience, the content, what they’d like to see more of, what they didn’t like, and were they likely to invite a friend.
We recorded, analyzed, and applied all of this data to the following year’s event as well as other regional events. This data provided us with critical insights into our audience in general.