Prevue: How can meeting planners best incorporate the unique qualities of a destination into an event?
Korn: As a global events and communications agency, ADM has three keys to success when tying location to event strategy: exploit the senses, avoid cliches and grant access to unique cultural experiences. For example, at a recent large-scale event, the client said, “We’re in Berlin, let’s make it all about Berlin.” So, our team infused every creative touchpoint with the authentic sights, sounds and tastes of Berlin—from food, to decor, to music to stage design. Equally important was what we didn’t do … throw an imitation Oktoberfest and dress everyone in lederhosen. The destination experience needed to be unique and authentic. In this case, we brought in an amazing host who was born in Los Angeles but lived in Germany for the last 30 years. Her multi-cultural and linguistic fluency served as a bridge between audience and location. And rather than throw the company gala in an expected beer hall or ballroom, we transported the entire team to a historic German palace for an experience they couldn’t get anywhere else.
Tell us about innovative teambuilding experiences you've incorporated into group programs.
ADM’s all in-house model is about one cohesive team working together to craft unified messages— teambuilding is in our DNA. We take a lot of pride in making every event attendee feel part of your brand story.
One of our more innovative teambuilding experiences is called, “The Human Logo.” It gathers home office and field force together—in a festive atmosphere with custom company swag—to form an enormous company logo made of employees. It allows us to create an inspiring drone-centric opening video, but perhaps more importantly, it brings the entire team together—with everyone making an individualized contribution—toward the creation of a bigger, better brand.
What unique creative touches—from F&B to giveaways—are you incorporating into events?
With 43 years’ experience, ADM has a unique way of looking at events. We filter every creative touchpoint through both audience and company-facing lenses and that informs how we incorporate AI analytics into our creative process. Everyone is using generative AI, but ADM is different. We understand that creative content is data—a real-time opportunity to gain insight into how your audience thinks, feels and behaves. Those unique insights increase the value of events themselves, forging clear paths for targeted messaging and relevant activities at-event and long after the event is over. It’s ADM’s way of challenging how events are typically done and achieving outsized results for our clients and their valued audiences.