For the return to live, Fidelity’s team challenged us to deliver the ultimate attendee experience. The goal was to empower attendees to drive their own on-site experience. Content sessions and learning sessions needed to be delivered in new ways, reimagining the live event. Meanwhile, moments of collision and conversation needed to be curated yet feel natural. Throughout the venue attendees needed to feel immersed in the Fidelity experience. We needed to create buzz and engagement.
With clear direction, our teams began our planning journey including theming, experiential strategy, and execution. Ultimately, we knew success meant crafting an end-to-end experience that excited and activated attendees.
Upon arrival attendees would become immersed in the Fidelity experience with custom branding and signage throughout the hotel to help guests navigate the property. Once in the event space, elements from the theme design such as desert flowers would come to life.
To allow for attendees to customize their agendas, the breakout sessions and conversation circles would be interchangeable. Each attendee could prioritize the learning sessions and discussions that are most valuable to them.
Finally, we reimagined the format for general session, breakout sessions, and conversation circles. How could we engage the audience in new ways? We explored improv, interactive video, and activation spaces including a Zen Garden and a meta-verse experience.
Fidelity Benefits Summit 2022 kicked off with an energetic, immersive experience – our team produced a 2.5-minute animated video that took over the LEDs and was enhanced by loud, lively, emotional music and dancers on stage, who choreographed a routine to go along with the animations. The wow moment added buzz and momentum to the program as intended.
Over the next few days general session continued to add energy to the experience. We varied content with keynotes, star-powered remote presenters, fireside chats, live demos, and even wove in celebrity guest appearances. Attendees were engaged and excited to share their experience with colleagues.
Outside of the general session was the Community Garden. This activation space again allowed attendees to customize their journey choosing between 9 interactive experiences. Booths provided learning opportunities through activity with games, even playing in the Metaverse, or through relaxation and reflection with a Zen Garden and community discussion walls. The activation stations were positioned around the foyer and surrounded two 15-foot-tall pergolas which were both covered in cascading wildflowers from all around the world bringing the event theme to life.
Opportunities for learning and engagement continued into the breakouts and conversation circles attendees self-selected to attend. A highlight was The Inclusion Theater, a powerful experience that leveraged improv and humor to bring attention to crucial areas where diversity, equity and inclusion show up in the workplace and how to navigate those moments. Our team collaborated with Second City to guide their writers in crafting stories to bring out Fidelity’s key messages. The result was an entertaining, yet serious, and memorable experience.
Back by popular demand, we crafted a sequel to our cyber security breakout that leads participants through an interactive video experience. The premise of the video is a real-time simulated cyber-attack. Attendees work in groups to determine the most strategic path forward and vote on key decisions throughout the journey. Their choices determine the result of the simulated cyber-attack. This experience was once again immersive, collaborative, interactive and constantly evolving based on decisions the attendees in the room made.