Event Design

At Outsiders Ball, retailers reconnect and reignite their commitment to promoting outdoor activity. It’s a party with a purpose: raising money for programs across the nation that get more young people spending more time outside.

— My Periscope team and I designed and executed the entire event in 2014 and 2015. —

Outsiders Ball’s goals are to raise funds, to raise awareness and to get out of the way of a good time!

OUR CHALLENGE was to address the numerous messaging objectives while keeping the whole thing light and organic. Everything we designed had a purpose. We kept our focus on creating activations that were fun, easy to engage with, immediate and directly tied to key messages.

String Theory — A large frame posed open-ended questions which guests “answered” by tying colorful string between hooks. As the evening progressed, the frame filled with a dense network of individual and shared values.

Century Challenge — We challenged guests to pedal 100 miles on stationary bicycles during the three-hour party, and event sponsor Levi’s pledged to double their donation. The challenge coordinated nicely with the launch of Levi’s commuter jeans.

Walk The Line — Our client really wanted a slack line at the 2015 event, and we wanted to be sure it got used! We hired slack line pros to perform on the line and keep the energy up, and we also invented goofy challenges that encouraged and rewarded guest participation. Even corporate CEOs got in on the fun, tackling silly stunts like crossing the line while balancing a ping pong ball on a spoon in their mouth.

To manage the expansiveness of the event site, we identified focal points, created zones and strategically positioned our activations.

You Are Here — We built large, 12-foot walls to anchor the gathering space and used them for guest engagements that got people thinking about the value of outdoor activity.

Chill Zone — We designated a conversation area with outdoor furniture, custom centerpieces and birch poles strung with lights.

Forest of Worthy Causes — To meet the client’s request to display text written about the 100 projects they supported, we designed printed pillars and lighted them from within. Even if no one really read the text, we succeeded in creating a unique conversation space, awash in the glow of altruism.

And we did it all with a pretty tight budget.

With hundreds of worthy projects to promote during a one-night event, our challenge at Outsiders Ball 2014 was to bring these stories to life in a big way.

OUR SOLUTION involved lashing giant posters to three-sided, freestanding frames, using camp rope for a scout-y aesthetic. The pillars dotted the event site, and student ambassadors stood nearby and shared their stories directly with guests.

We combined the available photos with brand assets in unexpected ways, choosing to tell our stories with whimsy rather than straight-forward documentation. Our pillars not only displayed the client’s successes, they helped brand the event space and provide opportunities to acknowledge sponsors.