NPR: “How I Built This” Summit
YOU CAN DO EVERYTHING YOURSELF, BUT SOMETIMES YOU SHOULDN’T.
The Ask: NPR came to Kennedy Events wanting to grow the scope and audience of their “How I Built This” Summit. With one successful year under their belt, they knew how much work goes into a great show. To increase their goals, they would need support from an outside team, but it was important for the relationship to feel like an extension of their current events team.
The Answer: Strategic attention to which elements would make the most impact—coupled with 800+ hours of project management and surgical-like teamwork—to create collaboration while making the process more efficient for the entire team.
Areas of optimization included: tightening event flow with stellar signage, creating multifunctional spaces to maximize budget, and investing in high-impact items like a VIP family-style lunch.
The Venue: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco
Photo Credit: Brian Byllesby
Details
Venue management
AV management
Spatial design
All vendor management
including catering menu
consultation and selection
Staffing and volunteer coordination
Print management
Budget consulting
Drayage
Loading logistics
Sponsor management
Registration
We love it when our clients understand the importance of stage design. For NPR, we used branding on the screen, vinyl on the stage floor, and projected animation onto columns covered with fabric to create a sense of movement between sessions.
We like to be savvy when it comes to design and budget, so we opted to create a family-style lunch and keep the same seating set up for one of the breakout stages for the duration of the event.
To take advantage of the beautiful San Francisco weather, we moved registration outside; clearing up registration traffic patterns indoors.
