360° Branding Campaign – NIC 2025 Spring Conference (Digital, Print, Video, Motion, Event & Social)
Overview:
Led the end-to-end creative vision and execution for NIC’s flagship Spring Conference, building a scalable brand system across digital, lifecycle, experiential, and environmental channels.
This was not just about creating a strong visual identity. The focus was on building a system that performs by driving attendance, engagement, and sponsorship revenue while delivering a seamless, high-end experience across every touchpoint.
The Opportunity:
NIC was growing quickly and needed a more scalable, performance-driven approach to creative.
The challenge was to:
- Create a distinct, premium event identity
- Deliver consistently across a high volume of assets and channels
- Align leadership, internal teams, and external partners
- Ensure creative contributed directly to attendance and engagement
My Role:
- Set the creative direction and led execution across all channels
- Presented and aligned the vision with senior leadership and a volunteer conference committee
- Led and mentored a multidisciplinary team while managing external partners across video, photography, print, and production
- Built and scaled a design system, then trained the team and organization to apply it consistently
- Partnered with performance marketing and lifecycle teams to connect creative to results
The Approach:
Built a System, Not Just Campaigns
Developed a flexible design system that scaled across email, social, web, motion, and onsite environments.
This allowed us to support 600+ conference assets while improving speed-to-market and consistency.
Aligned Creative to Performance
Worked closely with performance marketing to test and optimize creative across campaigns.
Creative decisions were informed by engagement and conversion data, not just aesthetics. It was then continuously refined based on performance data, allowing us to improve conversion and engagement throughout the campaign lifecycle.
Led Cross-Functional Execution
Partnered across marketing, sponsorship, and event teams while directing external vendors and collaborating with the hotel on environmental design and onsite experience.
Also oversaw photography and videography to support real-time content across social and same-day communications.
Delivered a Connected Experience:
Ensured every touchpoint from email to onsite signage to video walls felt cohesive and intentional.
The goal was not just consistency, but making sure each touchpoint drove engagement, clarity, and action.
Digital, Social & Lifecycle:
Email campaigns, social content, and real-time updates designed to build momentum before and during the event.
Same-day photography and video were used to drive engagement across social and email.
Sponsor Activation:
Working closely with our sponsorship and print teams, my team and I developed branded onsite activations that blended seamlessly into the conference environment. Each element—whether a branded lounge, charging station, or digital display—was designed to maximize visibility and ROI for sponsors, while still feeling like a natural extension of the event aesthetic.
Large Video Walls:
The hotel’s built-in digital walls offered a great canvas to showcase content. I led creative on a suite of dynamic animations promoting upcoming NIC events, product highlights, and daily sessions. These loops were branded to match the conference identity while still aligning with NIC’s broader brand system—eye-catching without being disruptive.
Print & Digital Publications:
From quick-glance flyers to detailed programs, every printed piece was thoughtfully designed to guide attendees and reinforce the event identity. I created sponsorship prospectuses, speaker guides, daily schedules, and more—each piece visually consistent and functional, whether printed or viewed on mobile.
Measurable Outcomes
- 5,000+ attendees supported, the highest Spring Conference attendance in NIC history
- 8% year-over-year attendance growth driven by performance and lifecycle campaigns
- 1.5M+ in sponsorship revenue supported through integrated creative
- 6% increase in conversion rates through performance marketing optimization and creative testing
- 14% higher email open rates and 10% higher CTR across lifecycle campaigns
- 15% improvement in production efficiency and speed-to-market
- Consistent brand execution across all touchpoints
Wayfinding: (The Behind-the-Scenes Hero)
Wayfinding has always been one of the trickiest parts of event planning—proofing signage, checking placement, and gathering feedback used to be a hassle. So I found a better way. I now use Genially, an interactive mapping tool that lets colleagues explore floor plans, toggle signage by floor, and leave comments in real time. This system streamlined approvals, eliminated guesswork, and ensured attendees always knew where to go.
(click icons to view signs / right-left arrows to switch floors).