LINKEDIN
TALENT CONNECT SUMMIT
a gathering of top minds LOOKING to harness AI for the workplace.
For the second year in a row, I led the Creative Direction of LinkedIn’s Talent Connect Summit, their largest annual event, welcoming 1500 Talent Leaders from across the globe to Phoenix, AZ. With a huge focus on the ever-evolving topic of AI, this year’s theme, Where Possibility Works, centered around shaping the conversation towards a solutions oriented forward thinking vision. We used this throughline to design and develop all aspects of the conference, from the main stage, to breakouts and bespoke experiences.
Touching down at the historical Astoria Biltmore Resort in Arizona, we leaned into the architecture of its Frank Lloyd Wright aesthetic, creating environmental design that worked in harmony with the building itself and the desert landscape of the resort grounds. Taking inspiration from the provided graphical Visual Identity, we proposed a main stage that created a landmark presence that matched the architectural integrity of the venue.
Filling the entire width of the ballroom, our main stage felt as if it was a natural extension of the space. We used lighting design to bring vibrancy to the build, shifting colorways between keynote speakers. Our DJ, sat behind a transparent scrim, which hid or revealed them at key moments in the show. Building off of the main stage look and feel, we designed a compelling broadcast studio stage for the virtual version of Talent Connect, welcoming thousands more guests via livestream. With similar custom lighting and modular removable panels, the studio stage was able to transform colorways on the fly for different guests and set ups.
Every year LinkedIn releases a Global Talent Trends Report during Talent Connect that features data-driven insights into the changing world of work. Our goal is to bring this report to life in a way that gets guests to engage with the content. As statistics can get heady, we try to bring a bit of play to this activation each year. This year we created a 3-hole mini golf course, with each hole designed around a trend, telling the story of the data through a little friendly competition. A natural networking activity, these beautifully designed holes, and the Teeing Up Trends Club House looked right at home on the resort grounds.
