2023 Wrapped: DCi’s Top Event Highlights From This Year
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ooking to offer fresh, out-of-the-box experiences for your event attendees? The key is in your theme. The right concept doesn’t just set the day’s aesthetic; it also ties your entire program together and inspires your food, entertainment, and design elements. Here, DCi’s event planners and destination management experts share a lineup of imaginative themes to consider for your next company retreat or program — from edible design experiences to wilderness-inspired aesthetics and underwater wonders.
1. Culinary Canvas
At a recent event in sunny Ojai, California, DCi’s creative team blended two of our favorite things — art and food — to create an immersive feast for the senses. The edible design experience turned ingredients into eye-catching sculptures and floral installations. A live performance from an artist whipping up a culinary canvas with fresh food earned the equivalent of a chef’s kiss of approval: lots of oohs and aahs from the delighted crowd.
2. Game-Day Energy
From national buzz surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup to the ongoing pickleball craze, sports seem to have taken over our collective focus lately (even more so than usual!). There are countless ways to meet the moment and seamlessly weave a sports theme into corporate retreats. At DCi, we put on our game faces to produce a Super Bowl-style program at the home of the Las Vegas Raiders, transforming Allegiant Stadium into a full-scale game-day activation with plenty of sporty activities and football-inspired decor.
3. The Wild West
Want your guests to embrace the country spirit? Wow them with a custom “cowboycore” theme. There’s no shortage of ways to execute this Wild West concept, from adding a neon twist to the typical cowboy aesthetic to coordinating a sprawling state fair with all the bells and whistles (saloons, carnival games, and more). Pro tip from DCi experts: Let your guests customize their own Western outfit with a bespoke boot design experience or a cowboy hat bar, where they can personalize their hat with rhinestone rope, lace, or ribbons.
4. Sustainable Future
Today’s event attendees are more eco-minded than ever. Your next company program can meet those guest expectations and reflect your brand’s eco-conscious philosophy by adopting a fully sustainable event approach. Take, for instance, the zero-waste conference our team planned for an automotive company in Las Vegas. Planet-friendly transportation, recyclable and compostable design elements, and local staffing all worked together to meet the ambitious zero-landfill goal — while creating a meaningful theme that truly resonated with guests.
5. Underwater Steampunk
For a nine-day incentive trip in Boca Raton, we built every experience around a “fully submerged” underwater theme, blending nautical details with steampunk edge. That meant no fewer than seven custom-designed rooms at a luxury resort, live video feed of the Great Barrier Reef, and even a 32-foot custom octopus suspended from the ceiling. Around every corner, attendees were immersed in an undersea world (if being underwater looked incredibly stylish).
6. All Things Retro
Since nostalgia is always in style, throw things back to a previous era with a retro-inspired celebration. From ‘70s disco fever to the bold excess of the ‘80s, we’ve orchestrated our fair share of sentimental, vintage events. To transport your guests to the time period you’re celebrating, DCi experts recommend incorporating games and activities from that decade (think: beloved arcade games like Atari Pong or Pac-Man for a ’90s-themed program).
7. Call of the Wild
Bring the beauty of the outdoors inside (or to your al fresco setting) with a wilderness-inspired event. For a multi-day Miami conference, we designed a head-turning “Glamping in the Everglades” gala, drawing design cues from the national park in southern Florida. Another way to give your group a taste of the great outdoors? A refined, safari-style experience. For a previous event we planned at San Diego Safari Park, bistro string lights, exposed wooden beams, and front-row views of animals combined to create an elevated safari lodge aesthetic.
8. Rock ‘n’ Roll
Turn up the volume with a rock ’n’ roll theme, which practically guarantees a high-energy atmosphere. Recently, we set out to prove that a venue can rock even harder when the sun goes down. Case in point: The Rady Shell at San Diego Park, an open-air music venue, became an electric backdrop for a rock ‘n’ roll-centric evening of live performances and an attention-grabbing fireworks show. Guitar and vinyl decor pieces helped tie everything together.
9. Digital Dreams
AI and interactive technology seem to be everywhere we turn these days. Why not use these cutting-edge tools to your advantage and whip up a digital dreamscape for your next company event? Immerse your guests in a multisensory, high-tech playground with video mapping, AI-powered photo booths, and LED motion backgrounds. (Find more insights on how we leverage AI for top-tier events.)
10. Movie Magic
With Wicked smashing box-office records these past couple of years, our team got into the spirit and designed a movie-themed program that mirrored the dazzling, fantastical world of Oz. Any good cinematic experience lets the details shine, so we did just that with the iconic ruby slippers, emerald-green table settings, and bubblegum-pink florals. We’ve also orchestrated a Top Gun: Maverick event (complete with cast member lookalikes), as well as a whimsical Alice in Wonderland activation featuring larger-than-life, kaleidoscopic visuals.
11. Hollywood Hideaway
You’re interested in movies as a general theme, but there isn’t just one film you want to focus on. In that case, allow us to introduce the ideal concept for an incentive trip or awards gala: a show-stopping Hollywood hideaway! Roll out the red carpet at your event entrance, project video onto the big screen, and weave in plenty of glitter and gold to give your group the movie star treatment.
Looking for the right event team to bring your unexpected event theme to life? We’d love to chat. Reach out today to start planning.
