B Corp Summit
As a B Corp, the perfect assignment for us to get is strengthening and growing the B Corp community. And guess what? We were lucky enough to get this opportunity!
For B Lab Europe we organized the 2019 B Corp Summit. 650 people gathered at the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam, and it was buzzin’ for 2 days straight, looking like a million.
So how did we do it? We would love to share some of the work we did to make this event stand out. We’ll guide you through the steps we took.
Setting goals
After the initial budgeting, we sat down with B Lab Europe to set clear goals. You need to know where you’re headed right? Here we go:
Strengthening the B Corp community so people and companies in the community can find each other to share knowledge, inspire each other and do business together. A strong community is more attractive to join.
Growing the B Corp community by inviting companies that are not B Corp yet, but might aspire to be. By informing them on how they can become a B Corp and involving them in the community to give a taste of what being a B Corp is like.
Concept
With clear goals and a briefing, our next step was creating a strong creative concept to provide direction during the project. The concept was the creative backbone for the summit that also created a common (brand) feeling for everyone involved and participating.
For the B Corp Summit, we developed Lead the Beat.
A beat is consistent, steady, powerful, lively and attractive to follow. Irresistible to dance and celebrate to even. It is in sync. Exactly how we want the change we bring to be.
Lead the beat is about a modern way of leading change. It addresses leadership within the B corp community and beyond. B corp as an organisation is leading the way towards a sustainable future. So are B corps in their own industry.
Design
Building from the concept, we carefully crafted the design. We aimed for a positive and playful, but strong design, with lots of color. The result is a layered design that fits the Lead the Beat concept like a glove.
Multiple entities in different shapes, forms and sizes moving organically. They overlap, but remain strong in their own respect. The straight lines and dots represent the structure in which B Corps move. The elements are layered above and under these structures as to be in sync with them as well, influencing each other in harmony. Elements that could be water or landlines represent nature as a strong factor in the design.
As a whole this portrays a heartbeat, putting love at the center of the summit as a driving force.
The design sets the scene and creates an atmosphere. These eventually play a huge role in how people experience the event.
Partnerships & funding
Everyone who organizes events knows and fears this: most tickets are sold in the last weeks. So to organize and event this size, you need funding. We created a partnership proposal and deck to invite companies to become partner of the summit. It worked out and B Lab reached their target number. Which meant we could really get this thing moving!
We also developed a proposition for booths and ‘tables’ for B Corps wanting to take a stand at the B Fair that took place during both days of the summit. A simple, modern and sustainable design with a friendly pricetag.
Personas & tracks
Who do we actually do it for? Who will be participating and what do they need to get more out of the event than they are looking for? To make sure we catered to all the key needs of participants, we created 4 persona’s. All with their own needs and interests. There’s much more to it than meets the eye, but this is the top layer.
We translated these 4 persona’s into 4 tracks, that formed a strong foundation for the program. With something interesting for every persona in each time slot, we were sure that there would be something great for everyone.
Flow
When an event is well organized, you feel it. You might not know what it is, but you feel that everything runs smooth, the events follow each other logically and the pace is right. You feel comfortable with the way things are going. To create this experience, we set up a general flow for the two day program. This, combined with the persona tracks, was the complete outline that B Lab needed to lay out the program content. With this foundation, B Lab developed the full program.
Spread the word
The client created most of the marketing content. We advised them, and we created all visuals and animations for social media to make it hit home.
Website & ticketing
We developed the website bcorpsummit.net. Did the structure and all the design, wrote the copy, set up the ticketing packages and auto mailings. All ready to go!
The App
To really support the community in connecting to each other, we used an extraordinary event app that does just that bit more than a regular event app. It’s like Tinder, but for events. It’s smart and it works. We setup the app for the summit, created the invitations to motivate people to use it, and launched the app 3 weeks before the event.
91% of all attendees at the summit used the app. 3425 connections made, 4103 messages sent and more than 350 meetings set using the app. So yes, it really worked!
Production
With all elements in place, we went into full production mode. From creating the mainstage to finding the perfect bars, plants and chairs. Creating signage and fotowalls, designing workshop materials, and even borrowing some surgery clothing from a hospital. We meticulously planned every minute in the two days.
We also made sure the Lead the Beat concept was everywhere. In the visuals and stage setting, and also in the program. There was music allover. From an astonishing Djembe drumming openingact and Caribbean closing and workshops with drumming and dancing to a piano for everyone to play and surprise musical acts.
Buildup
The day before the event is the buildup day. We always love that day, because it means seeing everything we have been planning, ordering and designing take shape for real. The last step in months of preparation. Usually we’re humbly impressed by the result of all this ourselves.
D Day!
The day of the B Corp Summit! We wake up at 6, and are in position at 7. Everyone in the team knows their responsibility and is utterly prepared. We switch into hospitality mode. As a team we make sure that everything goes smooth and everyone is happy. We fix things that don’t go according to plan before anyone notices, and land a helping hand wherever we can. And most of all we have a lot of fun together.
During the show we were hiding out backstage, pushing buttons, making the show run smooth and fixing last-minute requests.
Would you recommend going to the B Corp Summit to your friends?
Result
The 2019 B Corp Summit was a tremendous success. Not only because of us, but most of all because of B Lab and this amazing B Corp Community.
