Hilton Global Owners Conference
Immersing owners in a wave of connected stories celebrating a nearly 100-year legacy of Hilton hotels.
Client
Hilton
Year
2017
Agency
Role
Art Director and graphics lead for branding, signage, digital and general session.
THE TASK
Agency EA partnered with Hilton to produce a three-day, 2500-attendee event in Dallas, Texas. The attendees were hotel owners from around the world, gathering to celebrate the successes over the last two years, and understanding where Hilton could go over the next several years. Our task was to deploy a unique event look and feel across signage, online communications, apps, and general session content.
Defining the brand principles
Foundational assets were provided by Hilton, tying back to their parent brand standards. The key graphic asset was a tessellated mesh form called the Nebula, which was inspired by an art installation of the same name in the lobby of the Hilton Anatole venue.
After receiving these core assets, defining conference identity usage standards was the next step. it was determined what elements of Hilton’s corporate guidelines would be implemented and what outlying guidelines would be exclusive to this event.
Deploying the IDENTITY
After establishing the assets and the rules of use, several rounds were spent exploring how the spirit of Hilton owners would be brought to life. It was important to use a hospitable tone of voice as often as possible to greet our owners with the same welcoming spirit that they expect of their team members to share with hotel guests. The Nebula, which represented the Global Owners Conference network, was present on all surfaces as the constant motif that connected all touch-points of communication together. Wherever possible, photography would celebrate one of three subject matter: images of Hilton hotel properties from around the world, detailed shots of the event venue’s unique global art collection, and the owners themselves.
Owner attendees were not the only recipients of active communications. Hotel suppliers, who would be present in an on-site showcase during the event, were also a large focus. Much thought was put into the design of their informational materials, such as their booth informational kits.
Designing for ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS
In parallel to designing the print and signage for onsite, a lot of time was spent developing the website and email communications for online. Two experiences needed to be developed: one for the owner attendees and one for the suppliers present in the onsite supplier showcase. The overall aesthetic was identical, but each site required their own specifically-curated pages specific to each type of attendee. Emails were approached the same way.
transforming the space
The Hilton Anatole is a massive venue, and finding impactful ways to brand the experience was no small task. The presence of blue was a nice contrast to the warm colors of the building, which helped aid in commanding attention and steering attendees across the vast footprint.
Enhancing the brand with motion
An equally challenging component of this event was developing content for the general session. A custom stage was designed with 460 feet of linear screen content across 2050 LED panels. A branded asset library was developed, including typographic behaviors and speaker walk-on moments. Additionally, several narrative video pieces were produced, which helped curate the session topics each day.
THE RESULTS
Through print, web or video content, a sense of dynamic motion was present as attendees navigated the Global Owners experience. Across all of these mediums, stories of Hilton and hotel owners were front-and-center in a carefully curated and immersive way. These visual stories boosted confidence in the Hilton brand and encouraged participation by all attending the conference.
Final Thought
Folks say everything is bigger in Texas, and our Dallas conference was no exception. The scale of the venue matched the scale of Hilton’s impact around the world, and it was essential to properly represent that scale in our designs and the manner in which they were presented.
SUPPORTING CREDITS
Creative Strategy/Direction
Rick Cosgrove
Angelina Spaniolo
Sarah Spliethoff
Graphic Design
Paige Pera
Courtney O’Keeffe
Silvia Tangaro
Monika Pawar
Daniel Walden
Animation
Not Exactly Royalty
Rusty Dog Films
Spatial Design
Pawel Puchniewicz
Rudy Arroyo
Digital
Sydny Layne
Cari Wafford
Copywriting
Elle Walters