The newly formed Young Technology Alliance was tasked with uniting Southwest Florida's divergent business and technology industries through education. It needed a brand and message that would resonate with area innovators and drive them to support and attend the alliance's first key event - The Sarasota | Manatee Technology Conference. The organization, quite simply, was starting from scratch with no previous successes to fall back on. They needed a dynamic branding strategy for the conference that would make this first-time event seem as though it had been around for years.
We began by interviewing area business leaders with technology sector ties. Based on the information from these interviews and in-depth market research, we developed the “Integration at the Crossroads” brand campaign. Leveraging the latest flash technology, the sleek new brand was translated into a highly engaging online space. Through high-action movement and bold imagery, the site revealed speakers, conference track outlines and event news. The goal was to drive excitement and create a viral buzz that would ultimately compel visitors to register for this first-time event. The campaign kicked off with an intriguing event invitation that drove recipients to the Web site. We simultaneously conducted an all-encompassing media blitz that focused on key business publications and media outlets for the Gulf Coast's first technology conference.
Over 250 people registered online for the inaugural conference organized by the fledgling Young Technology Alliance. Due to the immense response in registrations and unprecedented sponsorships, the alliance generated enough revenue to be able to split its formidable profits with The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and the Manatee Chamber of Commerce. The branding campaign also attracted speakers from all over the world, which helped to further cement the event's success and legitimacy as a major voice in the tech industry. In addition, targeted media communications resulted in a bevy of magazine, newspaper and radio coverage both promoting and covering the event. This drove the word-of-mouth marketing efforts and contributed to the higher-than-expected registration numbers. The Young Technology Alliance was ultimately bombarded with requests for membership and information about future events.
