We here at The Charles Group take event theming very seriously. When building out a theme, we like to design the entire event in a way that ensures we are incorporating the theme into all of the elements of an attendee’s experience. For us, when it comes to event theming and event design, it’s not just about how things look, it’s really about how things “feel.”
Event Themes and How Things Feel
We think very carefully about how we want our attendees to feel and what elements, features and experiences we can offer to get them to feel that way. Our goal is to create an event that touches all their senses so it’s a fully dimensional experience and they are completely immersed in the theme.
A Case Study on Event Theming
We’d like to share a case study of an event we designed to show you how you can integrate a theme throughout an event and successfully make your attendees “feel” the theme.
In this example, we developed a “Rock Revolution” theme for a client entertainment event where the goal was to celebrate the revolution of rock throughout the ages by making attendees feel like they were attending a rock concert. Different areas of the venue were dedicated to various types of rock music, including Classic Rock, Indie Rock, Heavy Metal, and Punk Rock. The center focal point of the event was the main stage area where we hosted musical performances. Each area was distinct and completely custom designed and built.
Hitting All the Senses to Create the “Feel”
Sound
Exciting and engaging live musical performances brought the rock and roll theme to life and kept the party energized and the attendees dancing and singing. Popular music from the various rock genres were performed as attendees danced their way through the revolution of rock.
Touch
Attendees “touched” the theme through interactive experiences. We built a custom Guitar Hero competition station, offered rock star face painting, and presented a photo booth with fun rock related costumes and props. The guests participated in everything which helped them put their guards down and fully immerse in the experience of the event. These elements brought fun and excitement that was palpable in the room.
Sight
We filled the venue with bold and bright aesthetics that were designed with real intent and specially designed elements including: custom created band and concert posters; custom light fixtures made from guitars, drums and cymbals; custom designed bar back decor including a custom cut heavy metal logo with silver wings and an amazing bar backdrop of a guitar made from thousands of guitar picks; uplighting and custom created lighted projections of crowds so you felt like you were at a concert; and lounge furnishings that gave the feeling that you were in the VIP backstage area of a concert. In the area where we set the lounges, black cases from the audio visual team were stacked around the room covered in custom rock and client logo stickers which was another element that made attendees feel like they were backstage at a concert. All the bars as well as the registration and main stage areas were built using the same metal trussing that are found on stages at all live rock concerts. The room was completely transformed! All the “sights” transfixed the attendees and made them feel they were at a live concert venue and not in a hotel ballroom!
Taste
Bold, fun, exciting and tasty food was offered that matched the hardcore, rock vibe. Guests enjoyed elevated versions of food items typically found at rock concerts that were suitable for a VIP corporate crowd. It was a perfect blend of fun and bold, with upscale and delicious!
Need Event Theming and Design Help?
Event theming should be a thoughtful endeavor. Our goal is to always find ways to pull your attendees into the event experience and make them “feel“ the theme. Just as that quote from Maya Angelou says, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
The award-winning The Charles Group would love to help you design your next in-person or virtual event, so your attendees will always remember how you made them feel! Contact us at or 973.575.1444. Click here to view more photos of this fantastic “Rock Revolution” event and to see how we fully built out the theme.
