2023 Wrapped: DCi’s Top Event Highlights From This Year
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hether it’s a trade show, a conference, or a block party, hosting an event is one of the best ways to get your brand in front of the right people. From the moment your guests arrive, consistent branding elements — like logos, color schemes, and fonts — set the tone for the rest of the evening while reinforcing your event’s purpose. They can range from small details, such as branded table settings, to larger, more creative setups, like attention-grabbing custom backdrops and even inflatable pool floats (more on this later!).
As one of the premier destination management and event-planning companies in the country, we’ve created countless custom branding solutions for events. Curious to see how great branding can help tie everything together? Here, we’ll dig deeper into some of the most innovative and show-stopping custom branding planned by our team at DCi — plus some dos and don’ts to keep in mind for your next event.
A Golden Gala
The DCi team was tasked with orchestrating a beauty showcase for L’Oreal — one of the most well-known names in cosmetics. The color scheme? Gold, gold, and more gold. To fulfill the brief, our team incorporated golden accents in everything from signage to the eye-catching media walls that put L’Oreal’s branding front and center. Not only was this an effective way to showcase the brand’s distinctive logo, but it also offered guests spectacular photo opportunities with live entertainers-slash-stilt-walkers who were decked out in the sparkliest and most bedazzled gowns. Equally impressive? The Glambot photobooth experience, which captured moments in slow motion with a high-speed camera. Attendees were able to get creative with their poses and share their most glamorous shots on social media.
A Branded Tech Tradeshow Booth
For a company that helps its customers build AI-powered agents, DCi took the opportunity to get creative and stand out by thinking outside the box. Instead of a conventional, cookie-cutter tradeshow booth, we came up with an immersive, show-stopping display that leaned into the company’s futuristic appeal and cutting-edge technology. At the San Diego Convention Center, our design and planning team outfitted the custom-built booth with hanging branded signs and LED lighting that perfectly captured the company’s vision — while keeping its branding consistent and prominent throughout the event.
Tito’s Pool Party
Planning a pool party for Tito’s Handmade Vodka was all about creating an exciting and relaxed atmosphere where guests could unwind and soak in the rays in Palm Springs. Throughout the event, our team at DCi worked to seamlessly integrate the brand’s visuals. For starters, guests were able to hop on a custom-branded, pedal-powered bike blender — whipping up delicious cocktails with Tito’s honey-sweet vodka while breaking a sweat. What’s more, DCi designed colorful branded pool inflatables to fill the pool while serving as a photo-worthy focal point. From branded sanitizers to sunscreen bottles, we also thoughtfully designed every gifting opportunity to align with Tito’s well-established brand identity.
An Anaheim Block Party
Visit California, a tourism organization dedicated to showcasing the state’s most diverse landscapes, vibrant cities, and unique experiences to travelers around the world, entrusted DCi to dream up a creative exhibit space for a block-party-style event. The week-long activation took place during a travel tradeshow that hosted more than 6,200 U.S. and international delegates — so it’s safe to say, we needed to impress! The DCi team delivered with a road-trip-inspired courtyard. Each stop on the “road trip” represented a different city in California and featured custom-branded stands that showcased those cities’ most popular attractions. Take, for example, San Diego, where visitors were able to make stops at SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and even a bold-and-colorful taqueria!
4 Tips for Creating Unforgettable Custom Event Branding
1. Be Consistent
Consistency is key when it comes to custom branding. Ensuring harmony and unity across all touchpoints will help you create a strong, cohesive identity that sticks in your guests’ memories long after the event draws to a close. At DCi, no matter how big and larger-than-life our designs get, we still maintain the same uniform look across all materials — from invitations and signage to digital displays.
2. Adhere to Brand Guidelines
It’s easy to get carried away when coming up with design and decor concepts — and it’s just as easy to stray away from the company’s finely honed visual identity. But for event branding to work, you have to stick with the company’s DNA. (Altering the color and shape of a client’s logo, for example, is a no-no). At DCi, we always make sure to stay faithful to our clients’ brand style guides — and this includes logos, typography, colors, and imagery.
3. Choose the Right Theme
Balancing a company’s established visual identity with a theme can be tricky — especially when the theme dictates an aesthetic that doesn’t quite match the brand’s look and feel. That’s why it’s important to keep the brand in mind when choosing your theme. At DCi, we always look for creative ways to match the theme with our clients’ branding. For clients whose brand identity encourages imagination, we’ve dreamed up whimsical concepts like an immersive, Alice in Wonderland-themed installation — while staying true to the client’s brand image.
4. Go Traditional
While some clients aren’t afraid to think outside the box, others favor a more traditional approach to branding — and that, too, has its merits. Don’t discount the power of more conventional branding opportunities like branded table settings, a branded photo op, and even lighting that matches the company’s colors. If you’re planning on featuring lounging areas at the event, consider adding branded pillows for an extra custom touch.
We hope that these ideas have inspired you to plan your next event with us. If so, reach out to our team to get the ball rolling.
