Sponsorship and Branding – It's all about the design

One of the key components to orchestrating successful corporate events is to create inviting, visually stimulating environments where guests feel comfortable networking and conducting business. Great corporate events combine the art of visual design with branding and marketing imagery, often reinforcing the primary event goals themselves.

Corporate branding in event environments is of course nothing new. We’ve all become accustomed (and somewhat desensitized) to branded signage pointing us in one direction or another, and large sponsorship banners suspended from exhibit hall walls. Raising the bar with creative ideas for branding placement can both enhance the look and feel of your event and increase opportunities for sponsorship that can frequently help with the bottom line.

For example, incorporating stylish lounge seating into an event space enhances guest comfort and will often boost the overall vibe of a room. Branding these groupings with subtle, sophisticated touches can be a very effective use of logo placement and highly desirable for event sponsors. Examples include printed pillows, branded coffee tables, end tables and branded lamp designs. It’s not uncommon for a sponsor to underwrite the cost of the furniture rental in exchange for the unique branding exposure, especially in areas that boost the events overall aesthetic. Branded specialty bars, communal tables and centerpiece designs are additional design elements that can be used as “stylized” marketing vehicles by potential event sponsors.

Sometimes the name of the game is high-impact exposure. Specialty lighting elements are an effective means for “going big”. Lighting and AV tools such as gobo projections and video mapping can transform entire walls (and even the sides of buildings) into blank canvasses for marketing messages and sponsor logos. On a smaller scale, the now common use of wireless LED lighting has opened the floodgates for marketing opportunities, making it easy to incorporate illuminated graphics almost anywhere. Grand-scale lightboxes, lamp designs and interior-illuminated towers are all effective tools to enhance food stations, seating areas, and entrances with brand identity.

Sponsorship and branding will always be central elements of corporate event design and the avenues for creativity have never been more abundant. Thinking out of the box is key… digital printing technology has granted us the capability to virtually “brand anything”. The goal is to use that capability in tasteful, unique and unconventional ways. Your sponsors and attendees will notice and appreciate it!