Conference branding tips to captivate your audience
Have you ever left a conference feeling energized, connected, and brimming with new ideas? And on the flip side, have you left a conference feeling disengaged or confused about the topics that were discussed? Effective conference branding could have been the difference between these two experiences.
Effective conference branding is key to creating a cohesive experience for your audience. From the initial invitation to the closing remarks, every touchpoint offers an opportunity to reinforce your brand and engage attendees. Additionally, when you have a clear conference theme that resonates with your audience, attendees will be naturally motivated to interact with conference organizers, panelists, exhibitors, and each other. Ultimately, these connections and conversations will be the most memorable takeaways from the conference experience.
For over a decade, iilo has partnered with the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources of British Columbia and Yukon (CPHR BC & Yukon) to brand their annual HR conference and expo, and after all these years, they continue to break attendance records! We believe effective conference branding has helped amplify their success. Let us pull back the curtain and show you how we helped CPHR BC & Yukon captivate their audience!
Stand out by going custom
“Something to consider when creating conference branding is how to stand out from the crowd. One of the ways to do that is by stepping away from stock art and instead working with an artist or illustrator from the concept phase to create custom artwork that we can be sure is going to connect with our theme, connect with our brand, and stand out from all the other events happening that year.” — Keiko Lee-Hem, graphic designer
We had incorporated custom artwork into CPHR BC & Yukon’s annual conference and expo branding in 2022 and 2023, but in 2024, we went one step further by facilitating the procurement process. Given that the previous year’s conference explored the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on workplaces, we took it to heart to activate CPHR BC & Yukon’s principles around equity, diversity, and inclusion by promoting a local illustrator representing equity-deserving groups.
Our artist call-out encouraged applicants from the following groups to submit their interest:
- 2SLGBTQI+ non-binary
- Racialized person
- Person with a disability and/or who identifies as neurodivergent
- Person who identifies as female
We then proposed three illustrators and the client selected Cynthia Tran Vo, a BC-based graphic designer and muralist, to create a custom illustration depicting the conference theme, “Flourish.” It was the perfect fit for Cynthia’s signature geometric and vibrant style!
iilo collaborated with Cynthia at key points in her creative process to help evolve the custom illustration. The final product was a colourful, modular design that grabbed attention as a whole, and could be zoomed in to reveal new curiosities.
“It was really neat to activate [the client’s] values because in the past we have spent a lot of time looking for just the right stock image, and now a lot of designers are just using AI to create illustrations. In light of people management and HR principles, we wanted to promote an actual person and the people behind the work, so it felt really good to get to share Cynthia’s work. And certainly, it was great to get to use her work as we were sizing for all the different elements of the conference!” — Lisa Hemingway, creative director
Engage attendees in their physical space
How often do you get to share space with hundreds of other people who share the same passion as you? Not very often in the digital age, which is why in-person conferences are so special!
A thoughtfully designed conference space can enhance engagement and connection among conference attendees, so they can spend time meeting new friends and colleagues. For CPHR BC & Yukon’s conference booth at the expo, we designed panels for their 360-degree booth that showcased clear calls to action encouraging attendees to learn about member benefits. The conference hashtag was also prominently featured, including at a photo booth, to raise the profile of the event with a playful touch.
“It’s such a great creative challenge to think beyond print and digital and to think about how people might interact with something within a physical space. It feels very meaningful to be a part of bringing an event like this to fruition, where people come together to connect in person, to sharing new ideas and new perspectives.” — Richelle Veñegas, graphic designer
Make swag a talking point for good reasons
“We love to focus on creating reusable swag, so not just another pen that you’re going to throw away or another bag with a giant corporate logo on it, but what are people actually going to keep to live beyond the conference.” — Lisa Hemingway, creative director
There can be many fun ways to apply your event branding, like the multi-purpose Swedish dishcloths and eye-catching Envirosax totes bags we made for CPHR BC & Yukon! When you design reusable swag that conference-goers scramble for, they’ll automatically become your brand ambassadors when they show off those items in their home communities. We’d like to think that there are now thousands of HR professionals across Western Canada pondering how they can help their workplaces flourish every time they clean up a coffee spill with their cute dishcloths.
Bring your values to life at every touchpoint
“Think about all of the touchpoints where [attendees will] interact with your conference branding and build the materials you need to keep that experience going as an attendee moves through a venue, interacts with your app, and all of those things. Think through the whole cycle of their experience and try to find ways to inject life and passion and energy into those materials so they really feel immersed in the experience that you’re trying to create for them.” — Madelen Ortega, project manager, writer & editor
The mandate of CPHR BC & Yukon’s annual conference and expo is to empower HR professionals with information and to keep their passion going for the profession. With lifelong learning as a driving force, a different theme is selected each year to draw HR professionals out to learn together. This year’s “Flourish” theme inspired members to deepen their understanding around healthy workplaces, human engagement with technology, leadership at work, as well as social and environmental sustainability. Accordingly, all conference materials were branded to evoke curiosity and conversation around those ideas.
As their ongoing design partner and a small business that values employee wellness, we’re always delighted to help CPHR BC & Yukon create fantastic experiences for their members to learn and get inspired, so workplaces across BC and Yukon thrive!
Stay motivated by focusing on your goals
The planning and design phase of a conference can span months, so it’s important to stay motivated by knowing the end goal. For CPHR BC & Yukon’s annual conference and expo, we focused on the goal to inspire their membership and facilitate meaningful connections among thousands of conference-goers. After working on their conference branding for over ten years, we still get a thrill when it’s launch time!
If you have a variety of ongoing communication design needs, our annual creative services partner plan might be the perfect fit for you. Connect with us to see how we can support you.