Design Kompany designed an office launch for our client D+A Studio. Our marketing expert Akira Morita, who once coordinated the World Beer Festival in Durham, NC, explains what it took to make the event a success.
So, how do you “design” an event, anyways?
We started just like any other branding project: ask questions and pay close attention. We asked what kind of party D+A Studio wanted to throw. They said: upscale (but not fancy), classy (but not stuffy), and Southern hospitality. Almost all members of the firm has her roots in the South.
What did you do?
We decided a “summer barbecue” theme would be a good fit for the occasion. For a Southern, laid-back atmosphere, we’d have D+A Studio’s VP (who has a background in culinary arts) grill seafood and steak, and furnish the outdoor patio with antiques from specialty store next door. We would use durable, reusable bamboo plates and utensils to reflect D+A’s “green” focus.
How about the results?
Sarah Marsh of D+A Studio’s Seattle office says, “The Bar-B-Que was a smashing success! Not only did the turn-out exceed expectations, everyone had a great time. It was the perfect opportunity for us to showcase our work, talk about our commitment to sustainable design, and celebrate our accomplishments. Design Kompany really helped us to polish up our act and present our work in a way that was easy and fun for our guests to engage but with a sharp professional edge that will help establish us as a bold new design firm. We’re still getting leads and referrals generated by the party!”
How did you advertise?
Postcards and word-of-mouth. We designed a party invitation postcard using the same motif we created for their web site, to reinforce the young brand. Imagery of an open field and broad sky were appropriate for the summer barbecue theme. We attached a .pdf of the invite to news releases sent out to area publications to announce the office’s opening (at least two of them published the info for free on their calendars!). And we used the same motif on the cover of our guest book and on our name tags.
Any other quirky features?
Artwork by Thomas Christopher Haag, a friend of the firm. In addition to the paintings and sculpture pieces he had to show, we commissioned him to paint the walls and design the interiors. Thomas and I spray-painted a pile Lincoln Logs red and white, D+A Studio’s colors, so guests could play with them and talk with D+A’s staff about environmental design. People loved playing with building blocks at an architecture office!
To make sure the whole event had a consistent look and feel, we used the same font in D+A Studio’s logo on signs to direct people to bathrooms, labels for recycling bins, and a slideshow of D+A’s portfolio.
So, was designing the office party easier than designing something as big as the World Beer Festival? If I want to organize an event at my office, can you give me some tips on getting started?
When you organize an event, whether big or small, you have to start with a clear vision. What is the purpose of the event? Who do you want there? The more concrete details you can get it down to, the better. Also, most things take much longer than you think. You have to plan early, and plan lots of room for things to go wrong. Our laser printer started to act up on the day of the event. We had to let go of some of the planned displays because of that, but we had the essentials done by then since we made the time to prioritize. That was a good lesson.
And, in the end, you have to make sure you are enjoying the event yourself. I think the best part of our helping the D+A Studio put on this event was that it freed up their hands and time a little, so their staff could really enjoy themselves more during the party.
If you want to enjoy your event and let us worry about the stress of organizing it, stop by or call Design Kompany anytime.
UPDATE: June 2008
Also see Design Kompany’s recent branding for a Seattle event for women, The Broader View.
I was recently hired to create a custom brand for a city-wide community visioning workshop. The idea was to create a custom event brand and use effective marketing strategies to create a sense of “newness” and community buy-in and trust in the event. I have written at length about this experience and branding events to highlight the importance of branding in general and to demonstrate the connection between branding a product and a branding an event.
Hi,
Thank you for this post.
I manage a architectural rendering and animation firm.
http://www.casindia.com
Keep it up!
There is some really good advice here. I am having to start thinking about organising a fund raising event for my daughters school and I want to make it really memorable.