A Tailored Client Event
Uplight, a leading provider of end-to-end customer-centric technology and energy solutions, collaborated with Condit on their first conference and unique client event – Customer2030.
In their words,
“Utility leaders are charting their way towards the Utility of the Future, working through common challenges of increasing customer expectations, an aging grid, declining load growth, climate change, and a proliferation of distributed energy resources. At the center of it all, how consumers use energy, and the experience they have grown to expect from their utility are both undergoing rapid transformation.
Beyond the critical need to innovate faster than ever before, utilities are facing the impending threat of climate change and its dire effects. 2030 is a critical year in climate science. If greenhouse gas emissions continue at the rates that they are today, the globe will reach the 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit increase threshold by 2030, at which the most extreme effects of climate change will no longer be avoidable.
The good news is that by changing their relationships with their customers, utilities can stop these global trends and continue to grow as an energy provider. Customers are at the center of the change the energy industry is facing–both today and for decades to come.
At Customer2030, interactive workshops brought together content experts across the industry to discuss topics including Transportation Electrification, Emerging Rate Designs and Rollout, and Grid Optimization. Within workshop sessions, attendees were given the chance the chance to learn methods of customer-centric design thinking and apply new tools to a product design process.
Customer2030 brought together some of the most innovative utility leaders in the country to move the energy industry forward – together.”
Inside the Design
Condit designed several key elements to accomplish Uplight’s goals at their client event:
- Two breakout rooms for sessions for educational sessions
- Made of flexible, reconfigurable MOLO wall systems
- A technology gallery where customers could get information about all Uplight’s products, services, and partners
- Keynote speaker area – a special room with custom staging/set design and A/V tech for the conference kick-off
The motive for the design was to create a stylish set of environments that blend in with and stand out from the architecture of the space. The design team was also inspired by the Uplight logo – an angled spotlight as the logo mark that runs along the brand name. The floorplan for the event was similarly transected by a central architectural element, paying tribute to the logo.
The conference was hosted at a large hotel in downtown Denver with multiple events and touchpoints throughout the space and throughout the day – getting people from one place to another was critical. This was accomplished using flexible walls with internal LED lighting, advanced digital signage, and wayfinding graphics.
The layout was around 6,000 square feet total (60×100 foot space). Each breakout room within the experience had to accommodate groups of 25-30 people; the special keynote area had to house 75 people. Attendees could plan their sessions, network with other participants, and provide event feedback using the Customer2030 custom business app – available in iPhone app store and Google Play Store.
Goal
Uplight's primary goal was to provide customers with a uniquely valuable experience in which they are able to discuss and learn from industry peers about the energy consumer of the future and leave with tangible ways to approach the problems that the future presents to them. In addition, Uplight sought to display their leadership in the utility space and position brand as experts in the connected customer experience landscape.
Focusing on utility professionals from Uplight clients at the Manager, Director, and VP levels, the target audience was a hand-selected group of utility contacts that Uplight works closely with on executing energy efficiency programs and projects.
Result
The client event had approximately 110 attendees with a 9/10 average attendee rating. As hosts, Uplight received very positive feedback, including, "“I loved the size of the event: large enough to ensure a diverse group of attendees and small enough to foster conversations,” “Love your clear and leading commitment to clean energy transition," and“I found great value in my side conversations with Uplight staff and other industry folks."
From a customer relationship management perspective, the event influenced 41 existing opportunities, and 10 new opportunities were created - big numbers for the Uplight sales pipeline, which can range from months to years.
Value
Shannon Oleynik, Community and Events Manager at Uplight, said the following regarding Condit's value-add to the Customer2030 project, "Our partnership with Condit was an invaluable aspect of executing Customer2030. From the beginning, I loved how the Condit team took my vision and ideas and turned them into physical spaces that brought the event to life. For instance, as part of the agenda, we needed to provide three separate workshop spaces in which to have intimate workshops with attendees and partners. We worked very closely with the design team to figure out how to create spaces that would allow us to execute on the goals of the workshops and the conference as a whole. We received MANY compliments from attendees about how great the branding and physical aspects of the venue and stage were. Additionally, Condit's partnerships with the A/V company allowed us to be able to seamlessly work together to build the stage and provide an excellent viewer experience during the presentations. We would not have been able to have such a successful event outcome without the amazing work of the Condit team."
Impress with Your Next Event
Whether hosting clients, prospects, or partners, Condit will collaborate with your team and your brand to craft an event experience that's sure to leave an impression. Contact us to learn more or to get started.