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Designing a meeting theme
June 16, 2011
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At the FCIP Annual Conference, the theme was Northern Exposure, Unlimited Opportunities. A sponsored event by Starwood Hotels and Resorts played on the colours of Canada’s Aurora Borealis because it mirrored the brand colours of the hotel, and brand identities were displayed by a galaxy of constellations. The room design emulated Canada’s Nothern Sky.

Building a program framework is imperative

By Sheri Moore

Having a strong message is paramount to the success of any meeting or event. It’s commonplace to create a theme around the purpose of the meeting, but in most cases the conceptual design and execution of that theme gets immersed in an environment where “discretionary” budgets have evaporated, meetings are multipurposed and messages are murky. The challenge is to reach an ever-distracted and over-exposed audience to motivate, appreciate and engage.
 

  

When it comes to planning a meeting or event – which in many cases involves the team internalizing the theme design in order to save on budget – the creative blueprint often splits down the middle into two camps within the planning committee: the “go with the familiar” approach or the “let’s pool ideas” method. Either plan offers complications for theme design and program development.

Deploying what’s familiar generally leads to themes that are very brand-centric and personalized to the organization. Familiarity won’t lead to contempt in this case, but it can be boring because it winds up producing something that everyone has seen already. The rule in many organizations is that the logo and branding is a carefully guarded temple. Therefore, it can be difficult to find a different angle to make what attendees see more interesting and engaging.
Crowd sourcing (gathering ideas from a group) is a great idea as long as it does not become the catch-all. More often than not, it leads to a homogenization of ideas where the spark gets lost in the design-by-committee approach or, more likely, in the threads of innumerable emails. When it is finally placed in the event manager’s hands to interpret, it can be overwhelming to connect it to the content and the imagery of the program.

Organizational identity as a motif for a meeting requires a strong understanding of the existing brand and branding guidelines. Knowing what you can do allows you to understand how far you can take the design without compromising the brand. From working with pantones (organizational colours are often pantones), brand iconography and mantras to highlighting brand ambassadors, we have created themes that are as unique as our clients. For one client, we used vignetted performances of cirque performers to build an analogy to the characteristics of their top performing employees. Event lighting, costumes and décor were selected specifically to highlight the corporation’s brand identity and corporate colours. Making abstract concepts personal to a sophisticated audience is not only on trend, it is an effective approach to advancing the brand identity and communications strategy.

In another case, we were asked to incorporate the brand identity of Starwood Hotels and Resorts (with its well-known multiple brands) into the design of an event that was sponsored as part of a larger conference theme and association identity. The conference theme for the 2009 FICP Annual Conference was “Northern Exposure, Unlimited Opportunities.” We focused the theme on the Aurora Borealis as the colours of Canada’s Northern Lights were similar to the colours of brands showcased. We created a skyscape of all of the brand identities to be showcased that evening by displaying them as a galaxy of constellations. The room design was then created to emulate the northern sky. Screen images were added courtesy of the Yukon and Northwest Territories Visitors and Convention Bureaus, ensuring that all images were Canadian and promoted the regions as potential destination options for these future clients in attendance.

This example in many ways is a hybrid of the idea of branding and the theme-by-committee concept. Interpreting the catch-all is challenging. Our approach to these situations is to look at the whole as well as its elements to create elements that either expand the concept or advance the communication. The meaning and the language often offer direction. This type of theme becomes the guideline by which all is measured. Event elements are measured against the over-arching concept. Then, we either look to the avant-garde or the ordinary to tell the story.

For an internationally represented event where all 52 countries needed to be characterized, we created a reception menu, an entertainment strategy and a beverage offering where each element incorporated one of the participating countries. Using a spreadsheet, we made sure that every country from France to Turkistan to Liechtenstein was represented. To unify the elements, we studied every country’s Coat of Arms. They were grouped by likeness of their designs. Then, their common colours created the basis for the overall colour scheme of the night. The overall effect was an homage to the attendees themselves. The event and the audience were unified as everyone had the opportunity to experience one aspect of their co-participant’s culture and heritage.

Ultimately, we have been inspired by everything from Seuss to a fig, from Manolo to a cork, Queen to a crumpled paper. If it’s interesting visually, we collect it. We consume it. We constantly research. Inspiration is around us. We draw on everything so we can take the abstract concepts and branding to make them tangible and dynamic.

Moore Carlyle Consulting (MCC) specializes in meeting, event and destination management. Sheri Moore, its partner, creative director, leads the firm’s client and creative services team. Her degree in public relations has framed her approach to program management and communications strategy.

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