Dever Designs has been fortunate to work with Psychotherapy Networker for over 20 years, designing and producing their magazine and creating unique branding for their annual Psychotherapy Networker Symposium. Each year, thousands of therapists gather at the Omni Shoreham in Washington, D.C. to get the opportunity to recharge, reconnect, and learn from the masters in their field.
We start the process of branding the next symposium almost immediately after the previous one ends. Consulting with our clients, we establish a theme and create the appropriate graphic elements to build a brand for the event. Next, the look gets applied cohesively to pieces including ads, brochures, web elements, banner ads, promotional items such as tote bags and t-shirts, and a variety of event signage. We also help with other needs—from creating new exhibit hall displays, to finding a new photographer to document the event.
I work as a senior designer and project manager on our team. One of the perks of working with a client on their conference is getting to attend the event once all the planning and production work is complete. As a team, we get to experience the event for ourselves, see the crowds, spend time with our client, and see the impact of the various components we helped create.
Branding long before the event results in larger attendance. This year’s symposium had a record-breaking crowd of 4,500 attendees. As I walked into the magnificent lobby of the hotel, the amount of people overwhelmed me. All of the effort we put into this event was now live and in action. I scanned the lobby to see how the pieces we designed for the conference fit into the space. The bright teal and gold colors of this year’s brand stood out in the large, ornate lobby. Several covers of the Onsite Guide in the same vivid colors were noticeable in attendee’s hands. The way-finding signage had the same bright appeal and was easily spotted in the expansive space.
The Symposium is kicked off with a large gathering to welcome the attendees. This session sets the tone for the rest of the symposium. Rich Simon, Editor of Psychotherapy Networker magazine, welcomed everyone to the 40th Anniversary Symposium with his customary wit and warmth. Drummers and dancers encouraged audience participation and sent us towards our different courses in high spirits.
The positive energy of the event continued in the workshops. I checked out a number of workshops to get a broad overview of the event and gain insight on how to help our client in the planning of next year’s symposium. I attended courses with captivating presenters who encouraged audience participation and interaction. More first-time attendees then ever before participated this year. I spoke to one new attendee who went to a local college and was excited to learn from all the amazing presenters. This energetic event is very important to therapists because they mostly work alone. A break from their practice to collaborate and learn from one another in such a positive environment is one of the many benefits of this conference.
I visited the Exhibit Hall, which was sold out and packed with people. A few years ago the exhibit hall wasn’t getting enough foot traffic to keep the booth vendors busy because the location in the hotel is difficult to find. Last year, we helped solve that problem by creating way-finding signage to direct traffic through the complicated hallways. This year, more floor graphics were added. Judging from the long line of attendees waiting for the exhibit hall to open, it didn’t appear that finding the exhibit hall was a problem any more. The hall felt much more open than last year, even though it had more booths then in previous years. We designed a number of signs and displays in the Exhibit Hall. Our array of signage provided a consistent look and feel and gave the expansive space some synergy.
The large crowd and positive energy of the event really shined throughout the long weekend. Everyone seemed so excited, ready to learn and experience what the Symposium had to offer. I think the bright and playful branding we did helped support the mood of the event.
A few days after the event, we attend a debriefing meeting with the client. We talk about successes, problem areas and what we can do to improve the event for the coming years to better serve the attendees. Our client was extremely happy with this year’s event. In fact, the Exhibit Hall was already sold out for next year before the event even ended. We can’t wait to get started on next year’s conference.
Call us today at 301-776-2812 to start the conversation about how we can help you with your upcoming conference.