Warm and sunny all year round, Florida is an attractive destination for hosting events and conferences. It offers famous beaches and theme parks, water sports and resorts, golf courses, fine dining, and designer shopping. There are many venues here that draw visitors from across the country and all over the world, and superb attractions that get people exploring longer than they expected.
Still, when you’re planning a large scale event in the Sunshine State, you wouldn’t want your guests to be thinking only of what to do and where to go after. Investing in the design process can go a long way to making sure your event – and everything that takes place inside – stands out.
Here are some things to consider as you enter the planning phase.
Cohesive theme
A big event drawing attendees from different states or countries is not the place to cut costs in design. If you don’t have an experienced and capable in-house designer, hire a professional consultant, and take time to brief them about your company’s vision and values, and other details specific to your event and clients.
The designer will then come up with a theme that embodies your brand and communicates the event’s objectives. It will be implemented across all collaterals – your conference website, flyers, posters, even custom letterheads, and presentation templates. A good theme creates buzz and directs the focus of its participants.
Centerpiece and set design
Set design is the key to transforming a bare-bones venue into a vibrant, resonant space. It creates the mood and subtly influences behavior and receptivity of those attending. Not only does it often make the first impression, but it also leaves a lasting impression as the background in your event photographs and videos.
You may want to hire a team of consultants specifically for decoration of your set, as they will make sure that it is consistent with the existing theme, use the appropriate materials, and secure the necessary lighting and sound systems from local suppliers.
Staging
You may have ambitious designs to make the event truly memorable. Big overhead banners and props, and maybe a live stage presentation. You could even be streaming live via various online platforms. Bulky camera equipment and setups for lighting and audio tend to clutter up the floor space. Not only can this look messy and unprofessional, but it also limits the impact by detracting from the presentation itself.
The solution is to haul the equipment above – out of sight, and with a better, unobstructed perspective. This is regularly done in theaters and professional stage productions, but your venue may not offer trained personnel to execute the same. Because of the various weights and dimensions involved, it’s a good idea to bring in rigging companies and a staging consultant on board, to ensure the safety and practicality of your stage design.
From concept to marketing, then on to set decoration and logistics, planning a big event can take a lot of time and a considerable budget. Even companies hosting annual conferences tend to be planning for next year’s event by the time the current one rolls around. Remember that in project management, you cannot get great results without time and money. Invest in good design at every stage of organizing your event, and you’ll be able to create a truly unique and memorable experience for all involved.
