Hands-On Design Lab @ The BizBash Expo

At the 2010 BizBash Expo, I lead a special education session on how to design event experiences; the tool, tactics and trends that will transform your events into experiences.  The attendees of the lab ranged from event planners to  vendors at the Expo to a number of college students eager to learn the process of designing experiential events  of successful event design.

During the session, I expanded on the principles of good design and what design means in terms of executing event experiences. Attendees were asked to retain this knowledge, which would aid them in the final session of my course: the Hands-On Design Lab.

I invited four of my design partners that I work with regularly to join me in the lab to discuss their company products and service, talk about what inspires their design process and talk about current trends in event design.

• Kerri LaGrutta of CORT Events, Nationwide Provider of Event Furnishings
• Pablo Oliveira of Nüage Designs, Custom and Specialty Event Decor
• Deb Roth of Pink Powered by Moss, Tension Fabric Design
• Keiko Sato of Party Rental Ltd., Party Rentals

Each of my design partners contributed materials to the lab that the attendees used to design a tabletop that reflected their design inspiration to fulfill a fictitious client’s objects and that met the needs of the fictitious event guests.  This is design improv at it’s finest!

I broke the attendees into teams based on their seating location during the class. Reaching under their chairs, attendees pulled cards which corresponded to one of the six tables in the Hands On Design Lab.

Attendees began to engage in brainstorming sessions with their new-found team members and execute thoughtful ideas based around a pre-assigned artistic theme: Conceptual Art, Modernism, Minimalism, Renaissance Art, Impressionist Art, and Americana.

Judging the winner was tough because I wanted to see which team followed my steps of design the closest. Which team kept the best CLARITY OF VISION? Which team showed the best BALANCE OF AESTHETICS AND FUNCTION? Which team provided a direct flow and CONTINUITY throughout the design process and through each design element?

Seen below, the table based around Conceptual Art emerged as the winner! From start to finish, this team executed a clear and concise design around a theme that incorporated each design element, from chair to napkin. Congrats guys!