EW Creative Director Kate Brack Reports: When Design Meets Reality

We had the pleasure of sharing our ideas on design at MPISCC (We)Con 2019 in Palm Springs.

EW Creative Director Kate Brack and panel moderator EW's Alisa Walsh were thrilled to present "When Design Meets Reality" to a full room on February 22nd.
Based on the wonderful feedback we received we realize the high interest in this topic and we deliver the highlights directly into your inbox today.

The Description:
Topic: Some call it “meeting design.” Others call it “event design.” Whatever you call it, it’s one of the most important skills needed in the event industry today. From the most bizarre of client direction to Instagram expectations on an association budget, join us as we dive into the mind of design extraordinaire, Kate Brack, with in-depth case studies of how to produce creative events even under the most difficult of logistical challenges. Don’t let a 1-hour room turn sacrifice your creative ever again!

Kate Brack: "In our presentation we went through various topics revolving around challenges in design. The first aspect we addressed was "Design within a Restrained Budget". The second challenge we explored focused on logistics. As the third example we spoke about the designer's dream: a client who trusts you completely to turn their idea into a reality. In this case our client had sent us a Britney Spears video and we had the freedom to turn that into an event design with a large budget. In our discussion with attendees a number of questions came up. One issue in particular was posed by hotel event professionals who are challenged to create a new, fresh experience to a regular group of return guests in the same location. We love to turn locations on their head and use unexpected spaces, as you can see below.

Dream to Reality
We have all been there. It's concept time and we are dreaming. We have amazing ideas, wonderful drawings, great renderings .... and then reality hits. Something gets in the way of that original vision. For once, all elements fell into place! Their dreams turned into reality.

Kate Brack: "The client went to extraordinary lengths to give us creative freedom for this event. Whatever it took to make the vision into a reality, they were behind us 100%. From the beginning they supported and trusted our direction. As a result, our process gave them the confidence that from concept to opening night we would achieve their dream. It truly was the extraordinary working partnership between our team, our client and our vendors that made this event an overall success."





The Sky is The Limit 

We were honored to produce the re-opening gala for the Pacific Ballroom in Long Beach. This event is a great example of being lucky with a location's incorporated possibilities.
The Pacific Ballroom is a designer's dream. The legendary arena was turned into a model of modern technology. An innovative curtain and suspension system, consisting of more than 8 miles of steel cable, creates the nation's largest "flying" suspended steel-tension grid. The roof height can be as high as 75 feet and as low as 30 feet. The 46,000 square-foot arena can be shrunk to half its size with the movable curtain system. The grid system holds a $1.6 million LED lighting and sound system.

Kate Brack: "One of the greatest aspects of working at the Long Beach arena is that you don't feel like you're in a convention center. The lobby, Bogarts and the arena give planners, designers and attendees the opportunity to have an elevated experience within a convention center setting without the hassle or expense of booking a different location/venue. The upgrades to the arena give the space endless possibilities and from a design standpoint, this is a gold mine!"





Unusual Spaces

For this event we turned a parking garage into a speakeasy.
The client: an international hotel chain.
The location: a large hotel in the Phoenix, AZ, area
The guests: 500 food and beverage executives
The purpose: to show them unusual ways to use every space of their properties.

Our task: creating an amazing fete in a never before used "event" space.

We were fortunate to have a visionary client who came to us with a concept and details in mind. Creating the event together became a very rewarding collaborative endeavor.

Kate Brack: "The event was a secret. Guests were only told that they were going to an "evening event" and to meet in the hotel lobby. We surreptitiously took over little used level 2 of the hotel parking garage and went to work. Since our guests were food and beverage executives the client came up with a theme matching the jazz age food craze: the Speakeasy!
The concept kept the surprises coming. We created a familiar entrance: an industrial walk-in refrigerator.  The client had found a used model on Craigslist that we could dismantle and re-purpose to create an entry hall that covered the elevator exit in the parking garage. Guests were taken for a real ride - once they gained the elevators they had no idea where they were going. We had created this hotel kitchen with the help of our host hotel's real equipment.
Guests crossed the kitchen and arrived in the jazz age speakeasy, formerly known as the parking garage level 2. The client's goal was achieved! The 3-hour reception was a full success and everyone left with new ideas and impressions."





 Kristin Twombly, CMP
Senior Event Planner / Capital Group

"I really enjoyed the session because it went beyond basic event design, and allowed us a glimpse into the mind of the creators.  I love to hear about what inspires creativity in people.  The tips on how to produce an amazing experience with budgetary challenges or time restrictions were especially helpful, because it’s something we face every day in our industry."

We wish to thank Tammy Dickerson, CMP | Principal Owner
The Baker Group for inviting us to present at MPISCC (We)Con 2019 and we are happy to answer your questions.
Please contact us by email.

Thank you for reading.