May 2015
Event Experience Playbook
Event Experience Playbook
Hello.
This book is designed to provide a little insight into what makes any event or activation undeniably Microsoft. Enjoy!
Empower people and businesses around the world to achieve their full potential The essence of the Microsoft Brand.
Event Experience Playbook
New CEO, new mission and new values Our brand must reflect these changes. Empowering the people who use our products.
Creative ideologue Traditionally an event’s look has been encapsulated in a graphics style guide. A style guide provides the planning team guidance and examples for how to execute the creative elements in a consistent manner across all events. Graphics style guides are great, but moving forward we need to focus not only on the visual vernacular but also on the overall attendee experience.
Let’s get going
Event Experience Playbook
What’s inside 7
Overview
14
Our Brand
19
Our Voice
24
Venue & Travel
28
Production Design
38
Presenting
49
Audience Engagement
54
Closing
Section 1
Overview Events reimagined.
Overview / 9
A unified experiential approach It’s a completely immersive wrapper that ties together every attendee interaction, engages the audience at every level, and creates a cohesive and impactful connection to the brand and overall messaging. Every touchpoint is an opportunity to create a connection—from the moment they open their invite, until long after they’ve gone home. Human. Connected. Intelligent.
Overview / 10
Know your audience We
personal expression.
In order to connect and deliver engaging, memorable, and authentic moments we must first understand who the audience is and where they come from. We need to design for real people, for the ways human beings really live and think and act.
Overview / 11
Winning fans We are evolving rapidly to meet the way our customers consume and relate to information. We need to tell the united Microsoft story, with rich and compelling visuals, ads, demos, and experiences. The Event Marketing discipline is an integral component of this new way of connecting with our employees, partners, and customers. Many teams. One vision. One ecosystem. Happy fans.
Overview / 12
Capture hearts & minds Create fans for life
Authentic immersive attendee experiences have the ability to create personal connections. This allows your audience to emotionally engage deeper with the brand. Invested audiences are advocates, evangelists, and fans for life. In our experience, when every detail is thoughtfully crafted, delight happens.
Sometimes it’s dazzling. Sometimes it’s a moment that is just right. Everything matters.
Overview / 13
Working towards a common goal All attendee-facing aspects of production and logistics should align to the creative goals to deliver a cohesive experience with a unified message.
When we work together we can do amazing things.
Section 2
Our brand Let’s roll up our sleeves. The following pages offer guidance on how to execute and implement impactful experiences with the aforementioned principles in mind.
Our Brand / 15
Our core belief We believe in what people can make possible Who we’re for People of action
Our brand promise Who we are and what we promise.
Our mission and brand promise We empower people to achieve more Our values Integrity and honesty Open and respectfulness Big challenges Passion Accountable Self-critical Brand attributes / experience pillars Humanizing Connected Intelligent
Our Brand / 16
Our personality It guides how we come across to customers in how we tell stories, how we look, and how we sound.
Approachable We’re friendly and outgoing, always ready to engage in conversations and share ideas.
Empathetic We listen to people, understanding their goals, ambitions, hopes, and concerns.
Determined We’re steadfast in our commitment to improve the lives of our customers.
Passionate We’re inspired by the potential of technology to make a difference in people’s lives.
Real We’re transparent, honest, and direct.
Our Brand / 17
Our design principles lead to harmony in all the experiences we create
Our Brand / 18
Our visual brand Our shared elements unite us. Consistency is key when maintaining brand integrity.
Connected customer experiences
Connected Connected customer customer experiences experiences
Connected Connected Connected customer customer customer experiences experiences experiences
Connected brand strategies Connected
Connected design assets Connected
Connected Connected Connected Connected Connected Connected Connected Connected strategies design design assets design brand brand design brand brandbrand design strategies assets strategies strategies assets assets strategies assets
Mission Attributes Mission Mission Mission Personality Attributes Attributes Attributes Mission Values Personality Personality Personality Values Values
Values
Attributes
Aa Aa Aa Aa Personality Values For more details, please visit: https://brandtools.microsoft.com/
For questions about the brand assets, visit: https://brandtools.microsoft.com/HelpCenter/
Connected identity systems Connected
Connected Connected Connected Connected identity systems identity identity identity identity systems systems systems systems
Section 3
Our voice Speaking to your audience.
Our Voice / 21
Brevity & clarity Be concise. Our voice means never having to hear something twice. Think carefully while you’re crafting your plan for expressing our voice. Be clear on what you’re saying and why. Really understand who you’re talking to, and always keep your audience top-of-mind. Consider your words in combination with the design so that they speak together. If writing is not a strong suit, bring in help.
Brand
Logo
Print ad
Type
Color
Imagery
How-to
Showcase
61
Our Voice / 22
How we speak Our voice is how we sound—how we write and speak. We speak naturally. We use honest, everyday language as if talking to a friend. We keep it simple and human, less formal and more grounded in everyday conversations. We lead with what’s most important. Three principles form the foundation of our voice:
Warm and relaxed Crisp and clear Ready to lend a hand
Our Voice / 23
No more robot talk Always choose the more human words.
Modify
Change
Perform
Do
Purchase
Buy
Terminate
End
Navigate
Go
Toggle
Switch
Obtain
Get
Configure
Set up
Execute
Run
Resolve
Fix
Warm and relaxed Crisp and clear Ready to lend a hand
Our Voice / 24
Consistency is our friend All communications should follow the event’s experience guidelines with thorough copy checking and clarity of diction. Make it easy for attendees to understand directions, instructions, and how to navigate a space. Consider all the channels for communication and how they fit in with the end-to-end experience. When you know what really matters, you can find purpose in every element and communication is clear and direct. Keep it simple and fun.
Section 4
Venue & travel Specifications for venue selection and the experience on-location.
Venue & Travel / 27
Location The location and venue is the physical framework of your event. Consider how it will affect the experience and leverage to your advantage. Venue choices should relate directly to the individual event message, production needs, and always evoke the Microsoft brand. Question yourself and the team—do you really need to do a Keynote in a traditional setting? Don’t settle for the obvious solutions, settle for the most audience and brand relevant solutions.
Venue & Travel / 28
Leverage your destination Use your location to your advantage. Consider that your guests may also be tourists and leverage the local attractions, history, and lore. Showcase local specialties and features that make your location a destination.
Venue & Travel / 29
Planes, trains, and automobiles Consider how you would personally like to get to the destination‌ Make it interesting, fun and memorable. Use your guests’ travel time as an opportunity to immerse them in the brand, deliver content and provide unique and thoughtful amenities. Consider every detail and look for opportunities.
Section 5
Production design Style and atmosphere. All creative elements within the experience should be purposeful and reflect the One Microsoft Story in a holistic manner. Always tell a multi-sensory story from beginning to end.
Production Design / 31
Materials Modern Clean Elegant Confident Innovative Approachable
Timber/Timber effect Use of materials should be straightforward and based on the authenticity and needs of the event. When there is attention to details attendees notice. Where function and form come together delight happens.
Steel/Aluminum
Composite/other
Production Design / 32
Fit and finish Take pride in craftsmanship. Treat every event like a public facing event— make the attendees feel like valued customers by approaching events with the highest standards, treating all details and finishes as an essential design element of the core experience.
Production Design / 33
Signage & Branding With our ongoing initiative to prioritize eco-friendly approaches, consider digital signage and projection rather than a proliferation of printed collateral. Create immersive branded environments by designing wayfinding and branding into existing architectural features via vinyl clings and wraps versus meterboards and showcards. Think outside the box: what surfaces can you brand, where can you use digital signs or projection, what alternate forms of signage can be used?
Production Design / 34
Our sound Just like a logo, specific sounds can represent the expression of a brand. Sound design subconsciously sets the mood of an environment or experience. Carefully selected music and expertly crafted sound design can humanize video pieces, punctuate key stage moments, elevate social atmospheres, and personalize the guest walk-in experience. Make connections through music that is representative of our principles, the event thematic, and fires the emotional cylinders.
The Microsoft sonic identity sounds like:
Humanizing Intelligent Connected Productive Empowering
Production Design / 35
“The details are not the details. They make the design.” — Charles Eames
Section 6
Presentations Tell your whole story with every element at your disposal.
Presentations / 37
Surprise & delight Emotional connection and investment can be heightened by surprising and delighting guests. Deliver authentic and unexpected experiences that excite and impress the audience while delighting them with fun and engaging moments. Understand who your audience is and what they might find amusing and unexpected. Will they be wowed by innovative uses of technology, social connectivity, and advancements in staging; or excited by region-specific talent, performance, and interactivity?
Allow them to discover fun and enriched experiences.
Presentations / 38
The emotional arc Consider the emotional arc of the whole event from end-to-end and think about the key beats that need to be hit to effectively tell your story. How does the timing of your event support the emotional arc as well as the content within each program? From the first touch of welcoming your guests to keynote content, demos, theatrical moments, social mixers, deep dives, and hands on experiences— all play a role in supporting the story you are telling and the experience you are designing.
Presentations / 39
Consider your audience as the diverse group that they are Strive to build a sense of inclusivity and recognition of diversity in an authentic and genuine way. Diversity, accessibility, and inclusivity can be addressed in a myriad of ways: screen visuals, stock photo choices, language formatting, voice over casting, attendee amenities, recognition of spiritual observances, music choices, and food and beverage options.
Presentations / 40
Staging & theater Assess the story arc of the stage presentation and how to effectively deliver key beats of content as well as engage the audience with the highs and lows. Find memorable ways to reveal and demonstrate new products by relating them to real life experiences, references, and emotions.
Presentations / 41
Dress to impress Wardrobe choices are inherently personal and convey the personality and image the speaker wants to project to the world. Consider choices that reflect personality while appropriate to the audience and tone of the event. If your speaker is suiting up, remember that your tailor is your best friend.
For additional information and guidance for your speaker teams, visit Broadcast Wardrobe Guidance.
Presentations / 42
Behind every great speaker... Give speakers great backdrops on stage. Strategically position branding and logos behind speakers for great photos. Take pains to ensure the background won’t become a punch line once the speaker is standing in front of it.
Presentations / 43
Demoing
Demos Demos should serve the narrative by showing how products improve lives rather than list features. Consider satellite stages and demo properties that can be moved off stage between presenters and plan for appropriate camera coverage to capture the action for IMAG (Image Magnification).
Presentations
Passive
Speaking
Costs
Engaging Interactions Active Storytelling Benefits
Emotional investment
Presentations / 44
On a silver platter Think about which press shots are desired and provide the right opportunities with a thoughtful brand presence. Construct settings that are conducive to the story you want told. Make press platforms and positions available as key locations for press to get winning shots. Identify key PR contacts and work closely with them to provide the press with B-Roll, soundbytes, and elements of the story you ultimately want told.
Section 7
Audience engagement Connecting and exciting your audience.
Audience Engagement / 47
Unique Microsoft experiences Develop a set of centrally available unique Microsoft experiences related to consumer and commercial products which include Evidence Zone, Device Bar, and On Device Experiences. Hands on experiences wherever you can is always where the magic comes to life.
47
Audience Engagement / 48
Let the people speak Give your audience a voice and platform to participate in the conversation. Work closely with your integrated marketing teams to encourage the social multiplier effect and increase fan talk around your event and brand. Create opportunities to maximize your messaging and deliver more in-depth and enriched content through social media vehicles, broadening audience participation, and delivering on a fully integrated marketing plan. Promote hashtags, teasers, contests, Q&A’s, and photo sharing on the appropriate social channels.
Audience Engagement / 49
Webcasts and online experiences Consider how the broadcast and online audiences will experience the program. Remote audiences should still feel connected to what’s happening on-screen and with each other. Make their experience special with exclusive content, pre-show interviews, and other ways to engage and interact. Consider the camera package and scenic design choices when optimizing for broadcast and make sure the broadcast graphics map to the event’s visual identity.
49
Event Experience Playbook
Closing
Event Experience Playbook
Strive for accessibility All aspects of any Microsoft event should accommodate guests with diverse needs for accessibility—from text sizes, web alt tags, color choices, subtitling and captioning, to physical accessibility in and around the venue. For more information, visit https://microsoft.sharepoint.com/teams/globalevents/Pages/trends-and-innovations.aspx
Event Experience Playbook
Thank you Thank you for investing the time to explore this playbook. Before you go, we want to share a list of questions to keep on your office wall, taped to your refrigerator or just on the top of your mind. We hope you have fun in creating and producing our events, and we look forward to seeing and experiencing some incredible new shows in the near future.
Event Experience Playbook
Questions to answer Who’s the audience? Are we engaging the customer? Are we creating product desire? Is their a clear association between copy and imagery? Are we telling the right story? Is there one clear message? Are we putting the time and energy into small things that are seen often by many?