In this article we want to raise to Event Directors and Content Directors the true impact event design has on the overall success of the event. From visual assets to behind-the-scenes work, Event Design is the foundation on which the event is built. We will discuss its relationship with the Events-as-a-Service approach, how the two align, and what results can be achieved when the two are paired.

Why Event Design is Key to Your Success

It goes without saying that Event Design is a vital element to any event production. However, despite this being common knowledge, it’s often not given the credit it deserves. Additionally, the importance of consistency built through event design is often played down in terms of prioritisation. 

There’s a reason behind this frequent occurrence. Quite a few event directors pursue event KPIs and are constricted by tight budgets. Due to that, they sometimes lose sight of the big picture. Event design plays a far greater role in the overall success of the event than it appears at the first glance.

Key Components of Event Design

Everyone more or less understands what the term of event design entails: décor, style and aesthetics. The purpose of it is to bring to life a certain vision that supports the message the event is conveying through designing visual details. However, it’s important to understand that the mission of event design has a different angle to it. It’s a tactical approach to engaging your audience better pre-event, during, and post-event, as well as positioning the sponsorship material.

In other words, event design is more than simply designing breathtaking displays. We’ve made a list of all key components of event design that need to be addressed individually:

• Space
• Layout
• Furnishings
• Stages
• Lighting
• Colours 
• Patterns
• Logos
• Advertising and marketing material

Creating Unique Experiences

Let’s expand on the idea introduced in the previous section. There’s more to event design than meets the eye – quite literally. The general understanding is that design stands for things that can be seen. 

However, a big chunk of event design covers creation of assets that will not be visible to the event attendees. Nonetheless, they will have a massive contribution towards shaping their event experience. 

For example, that’s zoning the areas to ensure the guests can easily access parts of the event they wish to visit, making navigation of the event smooth and seamless. Another element of event design entails the flow of speakers and the overall schedule of the event. While this is not something the attendees process visually, it’s a crucial bit that shapes their overall experience of the event, alongside the value they’re provided. 

In other words, event design stretches far beyond the general understanding of providing visual assets alone. There’s a better definition. Its purpose is to deliver consistent experience across the event through tactical building of the environment. 

Remember, attendee experience starts with something very simple. Such as positioning a bin near the exit from a zone dedicated to catering. 

EaaS and Event Design

There’s a clear link between Events-as-a-Service and Event Design. When you adopt the EaaS model, you entrust the provider of your choice to take over the entirety of a corporate event. Including event design.

This means your partner will be responsible for building customer experience that’s consistent across all the channels. Both live and virtually. Depending on your goals and what services your provider offers, the event design element in EaaS approach creates consistent omnichannel experience for different types of audiences.

Aligned Messaging 

One of the key value propositions of Events-as-a-Service model is that it guarantees consistency across different communication channels. Having a single vendor taking ownership of the entirety of messaging, including through event design, eliminates the risk factor of misalignment. 

It’s natural that different people go differently about different things. Which is the core of potential messaging inconsistency when working with different vendors. For example, although event design and ops teams are fundamentally different, they are closely tied together. 

When handled by different vendors, they’re largely susceptible to messaging misalignment. However, when all is in the hands of a sole provider, there’s one thought process in place.

Guidance to Efficiency

A good supplier isn’t just doting for your success – everything they do is built around ensuring you reach your goals. As they are professionals in their field, they can therefore easily identify when you’re chasing after ‘wants’ rather than ‘needs’. Their expertise, tied with a desire to drive you towards success, naturally makes them want to guide you.

The fundamental of EaaS is emphasising the relationship between the client and the supplier, which becomes the foundation of better understanding of the business and goals is built upon. Stronger relationships and clearer vision of long-term objectives and challenges will enable the provider to tailor best result-driven approaches. It will pull you back on the right track. In case you lose focus of big goals in favour of short-term KPIs.

Expanding the Area of Coverage

Although live events are officially coming back, the new virtual grounds to play on that were discovered via virtual and hybrid events are shaping the new normal. 

The event design requirements for in-person events are now expanded with providing covid measures. Such as signage for movement flow and sanitation stations. But that’s far from the biggest change. The new set of opportunities and challenges arises from the fact there’s a whole new area to cover.

From creating custom zoom backdrops to designing apps, event design had to shift to a digital space and harness event technology. 

Virtual Event Platforms

As demand and use of virtual event platforms grew in rapid succession, event design became an integral part of it. Keeping in mind that virtual event platforms took over the function of a venue for virtual attendees, they became a new ground for event design to shape. Similarly to a live venue, virtual platforms require to be designed in accordance with brand messaging – ranging from areas such as registration to creation of on-demand video assets.

Ideally, the provider of your choice for EaaS has their own Virtual Event Platform that they can fully customise. This means they’d have full access to building unique delegate experience. It can be done through content streams, creating virtual breakout spaces for certain content and other means of engagement that is fully aligned with your brand.

Summary

Event design is recognised to be an important part of event planning, but often isn’t given the credit it deserves. Ultimately, it is a big factor of the overall event success. It creates attendee experience through conveying the brand’s message through tactical creation and placement of assets across different channels. 

Events-as-a-Service approach is tied to event design by both being largely focused on delivering consistency. When working with multiple vendors, the messaging is under a risk of differentiating – whereas there’s a guarantee of full alignment when working with a sole provider.

Is your top priority creating a seamless and bespoke experience for your audience? Let’s talk.