Genius at your table.
Conquering new audiences while strengthening existing ones.
Client
Conference - New Horizons in Heart Failure
Studio Expertise
Event Design
Creative concept
Experience
Content
Communication & invitations
Scenography & decoration
Activities & entertainment
Event management & production
Brand Design
Brand strategy
Tagline & messages
Content strategy
Communication
Redesign of all tools and assets
Project partners
Graphic design - Benoit Clair Grimaldi Forum Monaco
In a nutshell
this conference had been running for 10 years and had built up a bit of a cult following. But unless you attended it, it was hard to understand what was special about it.
While the conference itself was cutting-edge and dynamic, its branding and communication were outdated and static. Because of this gap, the promotional tools were counterproductive making it difficult to attract new delegates and differentiate itself.
The need was to inject the sophistication, creativity and dynamism of the conference into its identity and communication. We developed a brand architecture and content strategy that centered on the human experience that delegates loved. By putting the qualities of this experience into every single detail of the communication we succeeded in making people “feel” the difference before setting foot in the door.
Before
After
5 minute read
Insight
The conference was prepared with tremendous care resulting in an extremely sophisticated program that was on trend, creative and insightful; session formats were innovative; content was cutting-edge; and the speaker list was carefully curated to include only the very best minds in the business.
Interviews with delegates showed that the human experience was valued just as much as the educational benefit. They loved the intimate size of the meeting, the accessibility it gave them to industry leaders, the authentic educational intention as well as the lack of marketing gimmicks. They described the conference as being unique, unmissable and having a special feeling. This was not just another conference. It was a meeting of minds and an opportunity for real dialogue, debate and sharing ideas.
In short, the event itself was exceptional. The need was to get the communication on the same level. If every single detail of the conference identity and promotion could embody the values that kept the existing clientele coming back year after year, people would feel and understand the difference through the communication alone, and it would help conference management to demonstrate that this event was still as relevant and innovative as the day it launched.
What we did
We developed a new brand architecture and content strategy that placed the human experience at the centre of everything.
1.
Serving Old & New
We designed a new logo that recalled the heritage of the past 10 years while also ensuring that the conference looked ready to take on the next 10. This appealed to existing clientele while also enabling the brand to reach a new audience, including younger professionals.
Before
After
2.
Adopting a Unique Typeface
To help convey the values of precision, freshness and dynamism we selected a new typeface for all communication.
3.
More than a logo
A versatile visual pattern was designed composed of the different letters of the conference name to allow for a feeling of constant movement and change from one document to the next.
This graphic tool enabled us to extend the brand feeling to every single detail of the communication while ensuring that no two items looked the same, reinforcing the sense of dynamic interaction and innovation. It also worked as a visual example of the change and innovation that the conference wanted to embrace.
4.
Putting the vision into words
To express the core mission of the conference, we distilled it into a tagline of just three words — Never Stop Questioning.
This served to communicate the differentiating philosophy across all communication tools as well as rally conference organisers and potential speakers around what this conference was really about.
5.
Adjusting content strategy
The promotional content was completely revised
and structured by category of workshop format and benefit to
delegates rather than by topic. Highlighting the calibre of presenters and the innovative nature of workshop formats helped to convey the human experience.
6.
Building Adaptability
To ensure all communication would convey a sense of newness and innovation into the future, we built a strategy for renewal into the brand architecture.
Each year the colours and use of iconography can be adapted to reflect the cultural identity of the host city. Communication features inspirational words from great innovators translated in the language of the host country. This means that the conference doesn’t need to redesign their identity each year in order to maintain an image of elevance.
Launch Event
Brand Engagement Strategy & Launch Event
The 10th anniversary of the conference was used to launch the new brand. Because delegates appreciated the lack of marketing gimmicks, the brand launch had to be experienced rather than communicated overtly. The aim was that people would feel the difference in every detail without necessarily noticing it.
We engaged speakers in the rebrand by involving them in the development of new content designed to highlight their
personalities and interests. Promoting personal stories and anecdotes made speakers appear more accessible to delegates, reinforcing the “human” feeling and instilling a sense of camaraderie and connection.
Delegates were invited to have — Dinner with the Greats, where the portraits of brilliant thinkers in history were exhibited alongside some of their lesser-known quotations related to human endeavour on the road to invention and discovery. Several engagement initiatives including interactive games, and speeches by conference leadership were designed to maximise participation and stimulate discussions around the theme.
The launch event served to anchor the conference and its new identity clearly in the domain of excellence it was seeking to celebrate.
Results
One seamless experience of excellence.
People fell in love with the new identity instinctively and the communication served to enhance the experience of the event itself.
For the first time, people recognised what they loved about the conference in the communication. The result was an instant sense of brand ownership. It was adopted across the board by the organisers, delegates, sales teams and speakers. People felt proud.
The rebrand served as tangible evidence of the conference’s ongoing commitment to education and innovation. It assisted in attracting new attendees and acted as a visual anchor for the core values that made this meeting different.
At the time of writing the brand has taken the conference into it’s 14th year across 4 different European cities. Each year the brand has been adjusted in line with the chosen venue, themes, speakers and content. Greater personalisation and humanity is added to the promotion at every step. In this way the brand strategy is working to constantly ensure that the communication is reflecting the qualities of the conference experience. People feel it.
Let’s talk! — We’ll look after you.