Meetings and Conferences
Whether it’s a small meeting, large conference, product launch, or a targeted session, Motus Experiential can help deliver critical takeaways that ensure your message lives on. Check out this large conference we managed for the Ad Club of Boston.
Ad Club Boston: Women’s Leadership Conference
The Ad Club hired us to help manage their signature event of the year, the 2019 Women’s Leadership Conference at the Seaport World Trade Center. Our team handled strategic planning, budgets, stage production, and venue relations, along with outside vendors.
The Ad Club, located in Boston, is the trade association for the New England marketing and communications industry. The Ad Club presents over 30 events and programs each year focused on networking, education, professional development, and diversity. The Ad Club’s membership represents the best-in-class advertising agencies, media companies, and brands in the New England region.
In 2019, the Ad Club reached out to us to help organize and execute their Women’s Leadership Conference. This event was quite important to their company and they were looking to round out their existing team. Particularly, they were looking for event professionals that had experience with show production, managing vendor contracts, and experiential background to help ideate the consumer experience.
Our team was tasked with establishing and maintaining an internal communications strategy, sourcing vendors in addition to taking over all vendor contracts, managing budgets, coming up with show flow, organizing programming, and managing onsite load-in, and load-out. All the while, the Ad Club’s internal team managed the marketing, programming, and sponsorships.
Seismic Shifts
The Ad Club selected the theme to be Seismic Shifts to honor an amazing year of progress in women toward gender equality. Women have been demanding a seat at the corporate table more often, and taking action on issues that are important. This progress has had a seismic shift in society and a widespread impact on American politics, business, and entertainment. At the 2019 Women’s Leadership Conference, the Ad Club celebrated the wave of women who exceeded.
At first, our challenge was to find a vendor that could design a stage around the theme of Seismic Shifts. While working closely with the marketing team, the visual of “breaking the ceiling” was the leading idea. With sounds, lighting, and an impactful visual, we wanted the stage to feel like it was going through a sonic shift and the ceiling was falling. We worked with a local artist and the in-house AV team at the venue to design our vision.
Front of House
Upon entry, guests walked through the front doors surrounded by visual marketing cues that welcomed guests. Altogether, we were able to set the tone as well as create buzz for the theme of the event at this first touchpoint.
Our check-in team greeted vendors, ticket holders, and press registers all at separate branded booths. We also added audio in the lobby of “shifting rocks” to help tease out the theme.
After checking in, consumers walked into the event and were greeted by a tasteful display of event sponsors. Specifically, all sponsors were tasked with having an interactive display that entertained the consumer. The event allowed lead creation, giveaways, and also brand ambassador connection. To continue with the immersion of the theme, the front of the house lighting matched the color palette of the marketing. In addition, sounds of shifting rocks were lightly broadcasted.
Programming
The Women’s Leadership Conference began with a seated lunch and concluded with a cocktail and networking reception. Over the course of the day, female presenters from a variety of backgrounds and ages all shared pivotal moments or turning points in their lives. The 7-8 ‘segments’ were around 20-30 minutes in length. Our team was in charge of calling the show from the back of the house, cueing up the speakers, and stage set changes. The decor in this room focused on table centerpieces of crumbled concrete to match the main stage.
Once programming ended, attendees were directed back to the front of the house for additional connections with sponsors as well as networking. Before the attendees needed to leave the event, they received a gift bag.
Results
The event received high praise from both the attendees via a survey as well as the Ad Club board. Attendees of the event included over 1,300 of the top female leaders, and an increasing number of men representing professionals across advertising, marketing, media, branding, and retail.
