Event Recap: A Call for Change
Recently we were lucky enough to be a part of a small, but mighty event for a very important non-profit client and if there is one thing, we learned -- big impact can come in small packages, it’s all about the wrapping.
This organization works to ensure underrepresented communities have the information, rights, and power to influence their lives. As you can imagine a cocktail reception for these clients needed to make an impression - and even more importantly the right impression.
The right impression starts with the right venue - and we found it in the refurbished church turned artistic institution: Culture House. What attracted us so much to the space was not only that Culture House is located in a neighborhood represented by the non-profit, but that it is so much more than your standard event venue - it also operates as an art gallery. This helped ground the centerpiece of the whole event, which was a bespoke art installation featuring photographs taken by activist partners that were taken all around the world. Twelve, four-foot-tall black and white prints hung throughout the space in a maze, which allowed guests to interact with the pieces- and therefore to interact with the impact, mission and message.
“We love the challenge of wrapping an event in a very specific organizational identity, and this event gave us an opportunity to really shine in our ability to do just that.” - Rachael Glaws, RGI Principal
As soon as guests arrived they were greeted with the key phrases that stand at the heart of the organization. Phrases like: “Democracy”, “Freedom of Press”, “Dissent”, “Equality” and “Trustworthy Information” were projected on the front of the building above the entrance, setting the tone even before guests walked through the door.
It was essential to that we found ways to celebrate D.C.’s culture, art and music scenes throughout the event. A panel of activists was brought in to discuss the importance and efficacy of protest and freedom of speech as the focus of the program while local storyteller and musician Yusha Assad performed his latest songs to wrap up the evening.
We worked to ensure the swag the audience received was, like the rest of the event, creative, dynamic and on-brand. Custom tote bags printed with the same words projected on the building as guests walked in were personalized with the help of two artists who live-painted during the reception. Attendees got to choose designs like “Love is Love”, the D.C. skyline or a megaphone.
All in all this reception had a lot of familiar elements you could expect to find in an RGI event - incredible food, a fun bar and engaging entertainment, but the added focus of the mission elevated the evening. After all “Materializing the Message” is what we always strive to do.