A More Meaningful Meeting

63

Audiovisual Staff

126

Hours of Preparation

70

Table Pin Lights

800

Employees

It Takes A Million Small Things

We often get asked what makes our company different from other event planning companies. While there are a million small things that add up to our exceptional services, one of the main elements that set Event Solutions above others is our approach to planning events for businesses. Corporate events like the recent executive business meeting we assisted with are only successful when approached with a true partnership, teamwork, and open, clear communication.

Communication is Key

From the first conversations regarding the business meeting, we ask questions pertaining to the very core goals of the function. What is the goal? How will it be reached? Once the specifics are worked out, our experts take a customer-centric approach to providing tailored solutions.

Events are not created in a silo. It takes professionals from a large range of industries to craft an extraordinary experience. That means creating bridges with the client and our teams executing the work. Before the big meeting, lots of smaller meetings are had. We meet with various heads of departments, such as the marketing managers and heads of HR, to ensure the right message was being put forward during the planning process.

Putting the Pieces Together

Creating invites and RSVP web page(s) for business meetings set the tone for what employees expect. Templates are made, reviewed, changed, reviewed again, and finessed into perfection. Every little detail from colors and picture selection to specific wording on the welcome message to directions creates an anticipatory atmosphere. Once perfected, the user’s experience is rigorously tested with different devices and platforms. Anticipating behavior is the key to a successful experience over hundreds of different users with nearly unlimited variables.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

A dedicated communications manager follows the entire process, becoming an ambassador to the brand and bridging the technology and event experience. They also filter the communication for the lead on the client side so that they can focus on the important elements being placed in front of them. Attendance, hotel stays and travel arrangements were managed for the meeting of 800. While guests are preparing for the event, the production, audio visual and graphic design teams are honing in the content for the big day itself.

Calculating Creatives

Before the lanyards or custom ribbon is ordered, LED screen sizes calculated or any other of the technical components are calculated, the creative segments are refined and approved by the client. In this specific meeting, a great deal of content creation took place. The client gave us the task of creating a 7-minute graphics package that would include videos and photos from previous events, archival images, and flawless movement over the 5 large LED screens with different sizes and varying heights. The client worked alongside for weeks with our creative director, professional animation and graphics team and the event producer to create the perfect short visual story.

Telling a Story

The story showed the diversity over the East and West coast within the company as well as a metaphorical bridge that connected people to opportunities both internally and externally. We also create a 20-second end graphic that animated the concept of employees from all over the world coming together to end up as part of the company logo. This was shown during the final remarks to visualize the employees being the backbone of the company. Each employee has a role to fill and only all together will the company be successful.

Light up centerpieces, custom gobos, and video clips for before and after the presentation were painstakingly crafted to reflect the client. Blue uplighting sets a mood, spotlights set attention to the individual speakers and white uplighting highlights logos. Trussing made it possible to set the lighting for the stage, including the lasers that ignited excitement before the mixer.

We Each Have a Role

A series of hedge walls with three-dimensional logos created structure and backdrop for the event. Even the music for the meeting’s end was selected for its upbeat message and further personalized to drive the business goals.

Registration

Registration passed out the lanyards as employees checked in on iPads. Each name was printed on high gloss with branded bands and placed carefully in alphabetical order for ease of check-in. Fresh fruit, granola bars, and other refreshments were presented to fuel the employee’s brains for what was to come. Blue signage with contrasting white print outlined the agenda for the day as a reflection of the information presented on the RSVP page and invites.

Mixing It Up

Employees lingered around the branded hedge wall with beverages sat upon cocktail tables topped with branded, lit up column centerpieces. Employees mingled over conversation until the loud-speaker announced it was time for seating.

A Well-Oiled Machine

A network of professionals connected via headsets to the head event manager, keeping the event moving like a well-oiled machine. As employees entered into the theater seating before the stage, hundreds of familiar faces greeted them on three 16 by 9 foot LED screens. Like the business they create, each image came together to organize into the logo itself. The lights dimmed, and the loudspeaker announced the first speaker. Mic hand-off was smooth as the meeting progressed and additional professionals contributed under the spotlight.

Igniting Excitement

Cameras captured it all, projecting it on two of the LED screens so the audience (both attending and those at the office) didn’t miss a thing. Inspiration is contagious, and to seal the deal the meeting ended with a live musical duo singing a trio of uplifting beats personalized for the meeting. To encourage engagement after a work-meeting, the singers went through the crowd as a laser show beamed overhead. By the end of the meeting, the energetic crowd was led out by the directional and support staff to the mixer in the courtyard.

Mixing It Up

White lounge furniture with red accent pillows waited in a green courtyard. Flowering trees and pure white umbrellas provide shade while the branded hedges created structure. A live string duo set the ambient in the background as employees were ushered down the double staircase. Three bars crafted cocktails and passed out beverages to thirsty employees in the Horseshoe Garden.

Refreshments

Several fruit and cheese displays featuring flavors from around the world refueled and refreshed guests as they engaged in deep conversations about the meeting topics. Hand-passed Yuzu Shrimp & Avocado with Tomato Soy Pipette, Spinach Artichoke Dip on Rice Cracker, Deviled Eggs, Individual Beef Wellington, Mini Beef Empanada with Black Bean Sauce, Polenta Fries with Coconut Curry Sauce, and Chipotle BBQ Boneless Breaded Chicken Wings circulated the gardens in addition to the cheese displays.

In Closing

Planning executive or all-hands meetings like these have more moving pieces than what meets the eye. Months of planning, revisions, and communication were followed by two full days of set up. A rehearsal run-through helps ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible for the day-of. Event planning is a risk management business looking to bridge entertainment and learning. We craft win-win relationships for clients and guests, especially those events that have more to achieve than simply entertaining. It is an honor and an absolute pleasure to partner with businesses to achieve results-driven events like these.