Event + Physical experience design

Lighting the Path Ahead

The Strategic Growth Forum® (SGF) is the country’s most prestigious annual gathering of top executives, entrepreneurs, advisors, investors and business leaders. The event theme “Lighting the path ahead,” demonstrates how EY — and the business leaders they bring together — can help create a world that works better for all.

An Inspirational Theme

The creative developed for the 2021 Forum invited post-Covid attendees to “Join the Audacious lighting the path ahead.” The moon was chosen as the source of light and was a consistent visual across all creative executions. Four EY branded Better Question advertisements were developed to promote the event across different channels the months leading up to the event.

Watch the highlights video we developed to promote the event here.

Campaign Visuals

Every one of theme images was meticulously composited to support the rich story we were telling. The moon was used as the consistent visual connection across all four of the creative executions.

Evolving the Art

As we got closer to the live event, our expression of the theme art evolved to include more vibrancy, an aurora of light to represent the promise of a better world, and floating orbs of light to represent the audacious entrepreneur attendees who can take us there.

The Live Event

The thematic elements of light, shapes and color created an elegant, seamless and evolved on-site experience that immersed attendees in a journey to a better world — one that exists at the intersection of imagination, equity and sustainability.

The event theme and stage content wove together seamlessly to infuse messaging, spark creativity and delight and inspire long after the event was over. Watch for a behind-the-scenes look at how we created the magic for more than 3,000 attendees over 5 days.

Welcome to the intersection of Imagination and The-Art-Of-What’s-Possible.

Physical Space

A faceted portal to the future was constructed thanks to a partnership with Bungalow Scenic Studios.

Dichroic Filters

Dichroic film applied to windows and surfaces filtered and refracted light, bathing the venue in beautiful colors that transformed as the sun changed position.

The main foyer outside of the ballroom was staged as an immersive world of possible futures, new perspectives and new ideas.

Floor-to-ceiling LED walls with dynamic movement span the entire length of the event space offering information and live feeds. We created subtly moving animation to enhance the feeling of otherworldliness with texture, depth and constant transformation.

Main Stage

A 360° sensory experience complements and enhances the dynamic speakers and sessions. Custom animation, sound, video and lighting combine to harmonize the out-of-this world feeling of the event space and the main stage. Opening videos tell the story of each day, while slowly moving animation behind speakers and panels reflects the LED walls and adds to an atmospheric, fully realized experience.

Thematic Videos

Each day opens with a thematic video. The opening videos tell the story of each day’s content using thematic elements of light, shapes and colors.

We utilized an immersive technology that allowed the audience to experience sound from all sides as well as from above. The system was deployed in a 35.1 configuration, across over 100 speakers to fully envelop the audience and provide the unique experience of being immersed “in the sound”. Nearly 60 separate sound effects were mixed to move around the room and mapped to objects in motion on the 360 LED screen.

The 360 screens were a challenge for clients to visualize so we developed dynamic ways of storyboarding and prototyping. Shown here is a screen record of a 360 composite.

See the final video experience with the ballroom lighting effects from the audience point of view. Turn the volume up to experience all the sound effects.

Winner's Sculpture

An illuminated tribute to regional Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners incorporates layers of reflection and refraction as winner names illuminate the floor, ceiling and surrounding surfaces.

At the end of the week, we brought the sculpture outside to light the path to the future and celebrate the unstoppable Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners. It’s impact was even more striking against the night sky.