how we do it

Lenovo had exhibited at NRF before, but in 2023, they were looking to raise their profile and put their retail technologies on the map. We helped them make the most of their sponsorship at the largest retail tradeshow in the world through the design of an impactful booth experience, staging of a podcast studio, and full-service planning of an offsite VIP event.

On the show floor

A 30×50 booth space was transformed into a real, live retail store featuring Lenovo’s consultative services and POS hardware. Far from your typical exhibit, ESG created a connected, immersive experience with seamless product displays. From sourcing to testing every barcode, to creating realistic labels for the store shelves, no detail was too small. The store concept helped Lenovo’s booth stand out, while still feeling like a part of the larger show. Thoughtful staging of a podcast studio in the show’s Innovation Lab attracted additional attention for Lenovo’s brand and helped to generate content that could live beyond the dates of the event.

VIP event

To complement Lenovo’s presence on the show floor, we also planned an intimate offsite event at the upscale Ascent Lounge featuring a sit-down dinner and live performances by stars of the Broadway musical, Hamilton. This additional activation allowed Lenovo’s staff to nurture customer relationships and advance prospects through the sales funnel. ESG’s ability to take our client’s goals and strategy and turn them into an innovative event presence led to inboxes full of lead correspondence for Lenovo’s sales team and a memorable brand interaction for attendees.

This multi-city tour of the Americas with stops in Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta and Mexico City — as well as a virtual event, Possible: Brazil — featured updates from Teradata executives on the company’s latest advances in cloud, data, analytics and customers sharing their real-world successes using Teradata technologies.

Designed as demand generation events, these events attracted decision makers and influencers within Teradata’s target client pool. ESG supported Teradata by handling all aspects of production for the tour’s live events and a last-minute pivot to virtual for the sixth and final stop of the tour.

From CAD drawings to delivering post-event recordings, we were with Teradata every step of the way and provided a consistent, core crew that got to know their organization, anticipated executive needs and ensured the smooth execution of each event.

The ASAE (American Society of Association Executives) Annual Meeting was one of five tradeshows that Higher Logic tapped ESG to manage in 2022. Their goal was to showcase their Thrive platform while also highlighting the host city, Nashville.

ESG led the design and onsite execution of a 20×40 booth at Music City Center as well as an offsite event infused with local flavor dubbed the “Sunday Shindig.” The booth featured custom branding, interactive demos and seating for one-on-one conversations between attendees and Higher Logic staff.

200 guests descended on the Hatchery at ACME Feed and Seed, a famous restaurant and live music venue in the heart of town for the “Sunday Shindig.” Wristbands available at the Higher Logic booth meant guests could skip the registration lines and enjoy local delicacies like Nashville hot chicken and bourbon cocktails (served with custom branded napkins) without delay.

To make sure attendees felt like they had truly experienced Music City, furnishings and specialty décor such as reclaimed wood bars, decommissioned Jack Daniels barrels and a bespoke balloon installation created by a local black-owned business were sourced. Acoustic singer songwriter duo, Jack & Smoke, provided just the right soundtrack for an authentic Nashville night.

Higher Logic gained visibility among association executives who were looking for innovative ways to build community among their members, and spent coveted quality time with them over barbecue and beers.

For Lincoln Financial Group’s National Sales Conference, ESG worked as the production arm of the client’s internal planning team, live broadcasting executives from three stage sets in Orlando, FL to a virtual audience of over 800 employees.

A custom event platform served as a user-friendly and secure space for attendees to join virtually and watch the program, and to access and manage their personal agenda, Q&A functionality, visibility to fellow attendees, speaker profiles and more.

Attendees and guest speakers were also broadcast from remote locations, including a live awards show where winners were toasted on screen in the studio.

During the six-month planning period, ESG roles during the planning and execution of the event included a Senior Event Manager, Platform Event Manager, Creative Director, Technical Director, Producer and Content Producer.

A five-week, one-hour program event series from June 23 – July 31, focused on silicon carbide in power applications, hosted on a custom ESG Live webpage.

The challenges

Create an accessible, custom webpage to deliver five weeks of dynamic virtual events. Working with Wolfspeed over the course of five weeks, we were asked to deliver a digital platform that could perform each week’s three live technical sessions, while allowing audience members flexibility to pick and choose their own sessions.

Our solution

We wanted to create a user-friendly digital environment, while keeping the digital engineer in mind. Working with both live and pre-recorded content, we created a space that enticed users to explore and return to watch on-demand content after the events. Making the digital space feel as rewarding as an in-person conference was a goal for ESG. The five-week series began with a keynote segment from Wolfspeed’s CEO and co-founder, John Palmour, and was pre-recorded and produced in a dynamic virtual stage set. The event concluded with an in-depth panel discussing the silicon carbide market, which was also pre-recorded and produced by ESG.

The results

A global event across many countries, including North America, Europe and Asia, brought industry leaders and followers together to be informed on new products and training. With an initial goal of 1,500 registrations, we were able to bring Wolfspeed 2,500 registrations. What was once an idea, became ten hours, two minutes and 13 seconds of content created and made available online. ESG Live was the best fitting vehicle for the event, with it’s easy-to-use platform and functionality, and a sleek and modern design that was complementary with event branding and theme.

Never one to turn down a decade-themed blast from the past, ESG created an 80s themed party, hosted at the House of Blues in Disney Springs.

The challenges

To accompany a successful HIMSS exhibit presence for Lenovo Health, ESG was tasked with creating an engaging and fun evening event for customers and partners who attended the conference. Incorporating an added charity initiative for the Ronald McDonald House of Durham & Wake per the client’s request made the event for a good cause as well.

Our solution

We sourced the perfect venue with plenty of space for the 80s party of our client’s dreams. Then, we hired three retro bands for the perfect throwback experience: Men Without Hats, Flock of Seagulls, and Howard Jones. The creative minds at ESG took the 80s theme and ran with it. We brought in oversized, colorful cube cushions to outfit our Rubik’s Cube lounge. A larger-than-life Lite Brite board and Pac Man arcade games added to the venue’s vibrant entertainment.

Merging our client’s brand colors and shapes with the 80s theme in event signage and giveaways allowed for a brand-immersive experience without being over the top. To fulfill business objectives and bring the Lenovo brand back to the forefront, we hosted a silent auction run on Lenovo tablets. This went on during the event, allowing guests to bid on a variety of prizes.

The results

At the end of the event, the 300+ partners and customers in attendance raised over $6,000 for the Ronald McDonald House of Durham & Wake. This number exceeded client expectations. Beyond numbers, our happy client and attendees measured the ultimate success of this radical evening.

ESG and Lenovo have been collaborating on CES for 12 years now and have built a strong professional partnership. Both companies are comfortable pushing the boundaries of what is possible, and we both play on each other’s innovation and ability to think outside the box.

The challenges

Brainstorm a display that would break the mold and serve as an attractive, eye-catching visual representation of ThinkPad’s durability. What did we come up with? Freeze the laptop in a block of ice, of course! Engineering a display made of real ice that would encase a running ThinkPad laptop on the show floor was the ultimate test in our creativity, attention to detail and thoughtful problem-solving skills. As always, it was our top priority to create the best possible experience for our client and their attendees.

Our solution

We quickly understood that because the ice could only last approximately 10 hours, it would need to be replaced twice per 15-hour day. We took into consideration several challenges before installation: unknown environmental factors within the venue made it impossible to test the display beforehand, and weighing in at 400 pounds, the colossal size of the ice presented safety and logistical issues. There was only a two-hour window of opportunity to replace the ice, with only one way of maneuvering it into the display — through the back window of the display, inside the bar area of the show floor. Getting the ice block safely in and out of the display had to be meticulously planned and then executed as quickly and seamlessly as possible. After a dry run with a local Philadelphia vendor before the show, and an additional test run during setup in Las Vegas, we felt reassured in our methods and fully prepared to launch our display live on the show floor.

The results

Conducting the test run on the show floor provided valuable insight that allowed us to confidently display the laptop for the full 10 hours encased in ice before replacing, and make adjustments to the way the laptop was mounted — resulting in a sleeker overall design. All said and done, the display was a great success. It was visually stunning, easily one of the most interesting displays ESG has ever done at CES, and lived up to our plans for it as a statement piece. Thousands of people per day walked directly by the ice as they were moving through the booth, with many stopping to snap a selfie with the display. More than 1,000 people attending the evening events waited in line, passing directly by the display, which resulted in hundreds of pictures taken by this audience alone. The visually striking display lent itself well to social media, enjoying positive coverage from several of Lenovo’s business units across multiple languages, praise from company execs, along with media coverage including Forbes magazine. With meticulous planning and flawless execution, both Lenovo and ESG were thrilled at the success of this frozen display.

ESG facilitated three virtual events for Arrow customers and prospects with custom beer tasting, pizza making and wine, cheese and chocolate tasting kits.

We provided creative services, handled registration, contracted vendors and experts to run each session, and managed the logistics, ensuring all participants received their kits.

Services Provided

• Creative + design
• Registration
• Logistics + execution

This meeting for 150 AMD partners and sales staff took place at the W Austin over three days and featured strategic 1:1 business meetings, product showcases featuring computers powered by AMD microprocessors, and engaging sessions led by AMD executives and guest speakers.

A trackside reception on Day 2 at Circuit of the Americas gave guests an exclusive opportunity to do a “ride along” with professional drivers on the same tarmac as Formula 1 stars.

Partner participation exceeded AMD’s goals and successful and smooth execution set the stage for future collaborations with ESG.

Services Provided

• Audio + visual sourcing + procurement
• Show calling
• Speaker management
• Technical direction
• Production
• Food + beverage
• Housing
• Signage + print
• Rentals + decor
• Onsite execution

ESG handled both the in-person portion of this event, held at Lenovo’s US headquarter office for 100 guests, and a live stream of sessions to a virtual audience.

Two-way interaction was enabled between the live and virtual audiences during the one-day program. In-person attendees enjoyed both welcome reception and closing event in Raleigh.

Services Provided

• Production
• Housing
• Registration
• Special events
• Print + signage
• Promotional materials