INSIGHTS
The Fine Art of Building an Event Identity
Melanie Ivory, Creative Manager at FCM Meetings & Events, is a woman who understands the way every creative detail works in synergy to shape an overall event experience.
Drawing on her own design background, Melanie leads a team of design and digital creatives responsible for breathing life into each event by developing a unique identity and visual language. These event identities are crafted to deliver on a client’s strategic objectives, and to connect meaningfully with the event audience.
We ask her about the importance of identity in the event space and how successful identities take shape.
So, what is an ‘event identity’ and why do I need one?
It’s a range of elements that are carefully curated to represent the overall purpose and theme of an event. The event identity helps to define the event experience for the audience using visual cues such as the typography, logo, colour palette and visuals, as well as verbal cues including the copy language, messaging, voice and tone.
By investing in the development of a creative identity, you are bringing a cohesive, strategic direction to your event that will shape the event experience and the audience’s emotional response. An identity can help create an authentic connection to the event experience and deliver compelling reasons to return next time and feel an affinity with your brand.
Is event identity the same as branding?
A good event identity supports your existing brand and represents it in a unique and dynamic way. Your brand is something that is usually set in stone and has been years in the making, while an event identity is designed to represent your brand in a very visceral and emotional way.
It defines the event and gives the creative team a strategic vision to help maintain consistency in all elements produced throughout the event process, including event marketing collateral, the look and feel of staging and production, onsite branding, and may influence your choices of sponsors and entertainment. To meet the event strategy and to appeal to the event audience we might employ bright, bold colours to elicit a strong emotion, or soft colours to create a sense of calm and wellbeing – but nothing is done by chance, every decision is driven by strategy.
Some examples of event identities that have become iconic include the giant red letters that represent TED Talks, Coachella’s dreamy desert vibes and the timeless arrow symbol used by South by Southwest.
Did you know?
Research shows that people are likely to remember only 10% of information they hear, but if a relevant image is paired with that information, they retain 65% of the information three days later.
Source: Dr John Medina, author of Brain Rules
Let’s look closer at the elements that define an event identity...
All good event identities are underpinned with a creative strategy that marries the benefit for the audience and the client’s vision for the event. We approach the identity as the creative ‘thread’ that’s woven through every element of the event. These elements may include:
- Event Name & Tagline: A memorable name and tagline that communicates the essence of the event and captures the attention of potential attendees.
- Event Logo: That reflects the event’s identity, theme and personality, while being dynamic enough to evolve year-on-year.
- Brand Colours: A set of colours that represent the event’s brand and create consistency and recognisability in collateral and digital outputs.
- Brand Voice: A consistent tone and communication style that reflects the event’s personality and objectives.
- Marketing Collateral: A range of materials, including signage, posters and social media graphics, showcasing the event’s identity.
- Sponsorship: Partnerships with sponsors whose brand aligns with the event’s identity and values.
What’s the process to create an event identity?
The first step is to meet with the client, and key stakeholders, to ask questions, gain their insights and to clarify the brief. The FCM Meetings & Events project team, including our creative gurus and production mavericks, will collaborate with stakeholders on the client-side to find a creative solution that will resonate with their event audience.
This part of any event’s development is crucial, as the creative identity will determine the development of every other element. Throughout this process, we work to convey our client’s business objectives and goals to the audience as their experience is always top of mind.
Is there a method to creating an event identity?
Creating an event identity is a bit like planning and revealing a story – which is why at FCM Meetings & Events, we see ourselves as storytellers. In this sense, each stage is like a chapter that unfolds as we work to flesh out the character of the event and ultimately, define the identity. It goes a bit like this:
- Chapter 1: Involves defining your event purpose and goals, to determine the strategy!
- Chapter 2: We research your business, your target audience and take a peek at your competitors.
- Chapter 3: The creative exploration begins as we explore different territories, options and create mood boards.
- Chapter 4: Here we evaluate and refine the event identity and assess it against the strategic goals.
- Chapter 5: This is where we present to the client to get sign-off.
- Chapter 6: Once the client is happy, we apply it across all aspects of the event.
How much is the client involved?
Every client is different. Some like to be engaged in the journey of developing an event identity, by being involved in the exploration of early design concepts and seeing the process as it evolves. While others prefer to see the concept when it has been developed in its entirety. Either way, the message and identity can be tweaked and fine-tuned before final sign-off.
How do you measure the success of an event identity?
At FCM Meetings & Events we’re committed to delivering events and creative ideas that speak to the audience and deliver a return on investment for our clients. The success of an event and audience engagement can be measured through social media metrics, website analytics and traffic, media coverage and PR traction. We also utilise audience feedback, during and after an event, and post-event surveys.
Delving deeper, ROI can be calculated by comparing costs with measurable outcomes, including looking at the number of registrations, lead generation, and through sponsorship and partnership success. It’s an ongoing process which FCM Meetings & Events can assist with through strategy development well before the event kicks off.