Barcoding Executive Forum

Barcoding, Inc. is a supply chain automation and innovation company that enables organizations to be more efficient, accurate, and connected. As part of our thought leadership series, we host an annual Barcoding Executive Forum (EF8) – an event built for our customers to deliver innovation, networking, best practices and inspiration.

This year was the 8th anniversary of the event and we worked to develop a new identity to refresh the look and get people excited to celebrate our company's 20 year anniversary. As part of this campaign we developed a series of collateral to promote the event and the new additions to the schedule including a Women in Supply Chain Luncheon, our first in our company's history. Included in the collateral, we designed an eight-page responsive website, VIP invitations for our top Tier Customers, and digital marketing materials to elevate the experience.

The design of the print and digital materials was inspired by the flying barcode in our logo. The barcode was abstracted and used in the icon set, invitations, agendas, environmental signage, event name badges to create an experience from the moment they received an invitation, to their experience on the day of the event.

Table of Contents:

1. EF8 Icons & Branding

2. VIP Invitation & Postcard

3. Responsive Website

4. Social Media

5. Email Template & Signature Images

6. Day of Event Materials
7. Thank You

EF8 Icons & Branding

Inspired by Barcoding's logo icon, I used the flying barcode as pieces of the icons to create a fun and abstract icon set. The icons was used throughout the printed pieces (map, agenda, signs, invitations) and the digital pieces (social media, guidebook app, and the website).

Icons from Left to Right:
First Row: Recording Studio, Break, VIP, Registration
Second Row: Innovator of the Year Award, Keynote, Women Lead Summit, Lunch
Third Row: Coffee Break, Breakout Sessions, Location, Main Icon (8th Annual Forum)

Icon Sketches & Brainstorming

VIP Invitation

One of the first deliverables of the Executive Forum was the VIP invitations for our top tier customers. The printed invitation was printed on a shimmery paper and included a die-cut to insert the the VIP ticket into the invitation. We decided to make the card include a die-cut since we had invitations going to tier 1 and tier 2 customers - that way we could have a fun insert for each customer.

Postcards were also mailed and given to our customers, partners, and employees. The postcard was designed so that our sales team could write a message to a prospective customer or client to encourage them to come to the Executive Forum.

Invitation Sketches & Process

Responsive Website

Since there was lots of information such as speakers, agenda, travel, etc., that attendees needed, I designed an eight-page responsive website on Hubspot. The website also allowed employees to share a link so they can learn about EF8, videos from past Executive Forums, and included a direct call-to-action to register. The website turned out to be very successful since we had over 450 clicks on the register CTA buttons. There was also over 300 people that attended the forum.

View the live website: https://learn.barcoding.com/executiveforum

Social Media

Melina McLean created social media posts for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to promote the executive forum using my icons, fonts, and patterns. Promoting the EF8 event on social media turned out to be successful (it was successful alone without sponsored content). There was over 300 clicks and over 600 interactions on all social media pages. The social media content also led many people to the EF8 website - there was nearly 250 referrals.

Email Template & Signature Images

Email was the main way of promoting our event to over 5,000 customers, partners, and employees. Since the email template was going to be used almost weekly, the bottom of the email template is informational section about the location, previous EF8 video, and a RSVP section. There was at least 10-25 emails sent to promote the forum.

Another way of promoting our EF8 event was through email signature images that would appear at the bottom of an email. The images also linked to the website, so almost every email was promotion for the Executive Forum.

Email Template created using Hubspot

Email Signature Image

Day of Event Materials

The materials for the Executive Forum varied from printed pieces to digital pieces. The digital piece consisted of developing the Guidebook App. The Guidebook App for EF8 was created so that attendees could have all the forum information in their pocket. The app also allowed us to be able to send notifications to attendees – reminders, special events, news, etc. The printed pieces consisted of the event name badge & pocket agenda, stickers and tees, and a variety of event signage.

Pocket Agenda
One of my favorite printed pieces was the tri-fold agenda. It was perfectly sized to fit nicely inside the name badge holder. Having the agenda behind a name badge made it convenient for the attendee to just turn their badge around to see which session was up next. The pocket agenda included a full schedule with times and locations, conference center map, and a section for our top sponsors.

Name Badge
Since the name badge had to allocate for a barcode to scan attendees into sessions, a blank white square was placed on top of the badge design. I designed the label template using an application called Bartender (#SupplyChainGeek). I organized the information on the label so that the name stands out on the event name badge. It was very important for the name to be readable and visible. Another part of the name badge was the blue Barcoding lanyard. The lanyard made a wonderful addition since it was representing the Barcoding brand in almost all photos from the EF8 event. The lanyard made it known that the Executive Forum was a Barcoding event.

Swag: Stickers & Tees

I attended AIGA LeadCon in Philly, PA during the fall of 2018 and was inspired by Josh Higgins and the Facebook Analog Research Lab. Higgins started the Analog Lab to promote creativity and community through art and design. My coworker, Jennifer Jericho and I were so inspired by Higgins that we made our own secret design club at Barcoding. This is how we came up with the idea for our Supply Chain Geek Hero stickers and "Every Solution has it's Geek" Stickers and Tees. For the slogan on the tees, we emailed employees with fun slogan ideas and included that they can get creative too and submit their own fun sayings. Jillian Margiotta, Account Manager, came up with the winning slogan. Her creative slogan led me to create the maze design that leads to the #SupplyChainGeek.

Concept Sketches

Event Signage

The Executive Forum consisted of 4 main events; Women in Supply Chain Luncheon, VIP Happy Hour, Executive Forum, and the Executive Forum Happy Hour.

Event Signage: Women in Supply Chain Luncheon

As part of this campaign we developed a new addition to the schedule including a Women in Supply Chain Luncheon, our first in our company's history. I volunteered with many other Barcoding employees to make the luncheon happen. We wanted women to feel important and vital to the technology and supply chain industry. When I was planning the event, Jennifer Jericho and I came up with the idea of having inspirational and informal takeaways at the event. The takeaway consisted of a woman in supply chain card that featured some amazing & inspiring women. The women we featured were Sally Ride, Ethel Payne, Juliette Gordon Low, Hedy Lamarr, Naomi Parker Fraley, and Melitta Bentz. There were over 40 women that attended the event (customers, partners, employees) and I can say that every woman left that room inspired. I cannot wait for what 2019 brings for us women in the supply chain.

My favorite was Hedy Lamarr, an Austrian-American actress and inventor who pioneered the technology that would one day form the basis for today’s WIFI, GPS, and Bluetooth communication systems. Lamarr was more publicly known as actress but now she is being recognized as the mother of WIFI and Bluetooth.

Event Signage: VIP Happy Hour & EF8 Happy Hour

Since each happy hour was time to connect and be social, the signage for these events were simple and to the point. The event signage for the happy hour's included quote signs, sponsor signs, guidebook app sign, and welcome signs. Melina McLean designed the quote signs!

Event Signage: Day of the Executive Forum

There was over 20 signs that I designed to create wayfinding for the Executive Forum. I complimented the Barcoding brand with the event branding using the abstract icons, and the patterns. The event signage was crucial because it made attendees feel welcomed, informed, and intrigued. Some of my favorite signs include the welcome signs, podium sign, Barcoding experience sign, sponsors sign, and the conference map sign. This event made me realize that the signage at the event can make or break your event – it certainly made EF8 the most amazing event.

THANK YOU!

This event was definitely a learning experience within branding+design but also within all other things - event planning, making a barcode label, and more! Thank you to my marketing team, Jennifer Jericho, Brand Manager, Jody Costa, VP of Marketing, and Melina McLean, Digital Design Consultant. Thank you, team, for helping me learn how to plan an event, run an event, and design an event – you all truly made EF8 the best it could be. Another thanks to Backroom and the Barcoding employees for all your hardwork that really made the Barcoding Executive Forum a successful and amazing event!