Welcome to Inside Live at AIA!
We have designed an immersive QR content tour, where innovation meets engagement! Prepare to embark on a journey through five dynamic topics, each designed to deepen your understanding of how AIA24 came to life and enhance your experience with helpful behind-the-scenes planning tips and insights:
Networking: Unlock the power of connections in today’s interconnected world. Explore the strategies AIA24 incorporated for effective networking and discover how to leverage technology to expand your professional circle.
Attendee Journey: Delve into the attendee experience from start to finish. Learn how AIA24 crafted seamless journeys, from registration to post-event follow-up, to ensure every participant feels valued and engaged.
Experiential: Immerse yourself in the world of experiential marketing. Discover how AIA24 created memorable and impactful experiences that will resonate with audiences long after the event ends.
Building the Event: As active planners, you’re no strangers to the intricate ins and outs of orchestrating an event like AIA24 or Inside Live at AIA24. We summarized how all of the pieces came together, with a special shout out to incorporating sustainable options and going behind the scenes of the general session.
Easier Exhibiting: For event planners and marketers, creating an event aligned to the latest insights is key to connecting with exhibitors and attendees. Our latest Q2 Trends Report revealed that exhibitors want all-inclusive packages, which means they’re looking for turnkey solutions such as pre-designed exhibits that come with flooring, first-night vacuuming, electrical, and material handling. However, all-inclusive solutions can vary depending on the size of the exhibitor.
AI That’s Smart, Human, and Hands-on
Our latest Q1 Trends Report indicates that attendees are craving learning opportunities that turn into hands-on experiences, experiencing what they just learned. Because of those insights, we developed a hands-on AI experience using this new technology in real time and breaking down any barriers.
Read more AI content:
Connecting Speakers and Attendees + Sponsorships
You spoke, we listened. We know that attendees are interested in leveraging the experience of experts in a more conversational way. We’ve split our Mentor Think Tanks into small groups to create better connections with more accessible, tenured mentors.
Planning tip: Designing thoughtful spaces for connection is easy when you have the right vision and sponsors. And it doesn’t have to break the bank! CORT helped sponsor our Think Tanks and we’ve worked with a young professional from CORT to design our Think Tank spaces for best attendee flow, utilizing decor and colors instead of signage.
Expanding Expo Audiences
AIA is expanding its audience, shifting to the full architecture ecosystem rather than targeting architects only. The association is also developing more intentional networking and experiences that the next generation of event goers want and expect.
With this perspective, we will guide you through AIA24’s experiential zones, floor plan layout, branding and messaging, and general session. Throughout the tour, we will share insights about how AIA accomplished its goals, and we’ll provide questions to consider for your own event.
Learn more about creating better experiences on the show floor.
AIA24 Inspiration Zone
AIA planned five experiential zones within its expo, each centered on the theme of architecture’s social impact. Every zone was designed to feature new technology and experiences to facilitate networking, learning, and real-time inspiration.
Each zone is designated by a distinct color, enhancing the visual experience and creating a cohesive look that integrates seamlessly into the layout. These zones were crafted to feel naturally part of the event, enriching the attendee journey with thoughtfully planned spaces that reflect the social influence of architectural design.
The Inspire Zone: Sustainability and social impact is at the forefront of everyone’s minds and architecture can play a large role. AIA really wanted to connect attendees around this theme with the goal to come up with new ideas and approaches across the industry.
The Inspire Zone includes a CE theater, learning lounge, a private sponsored lounge, and activation centered around sustainability and social change. The activation includes:
- A live digital mosaic representing how each individual can come together to make a change through community building
- A photo opportunity with the new AIA headquarters to demonstrate how all of these ideas can come together through architecture
Activations are most impactful (and memorable) when tied to the values and ideas that attendees find important and when connected to your messaging, as AIA accomplished here.
AIA24 Innovation Zone
The Innovate Zone brings engineers, builders, and architects together around new innovative design software and systems, AI, generative design, design simulation, AR/VR, and more to help make smarter design decisions.
With each of these zones, architecture was at the center. Around each area you’ll see architectural marks to denote the beginning and end of each space in the designated color of each zone.
When thinking (and planning) in zones, it’s important to think through what type of engagements and activities you want to provide for attendees in each area and how to facilitate intentional networking throughout to connect audiences. AIA accomplished this feat seamlessly.
AIA24 Design Zone
The Design Zone brings interior designers, engineers, and architects together to share ideas around design trends, interiors, and the influence of materials. This experiential zone also celebrates award-winning designs and an artist that will be creating art using repurposed and discarded materials.
AIA24 Build Zone
The Build Zone emphasizes new materials and new capabilities such as robotics and automation in this community. To represent this, AIA incorporated a “Make your own building” activation where each person writes a note on an AIA branded shape and adds it to build a sculpture that will grow throughout the event. Attendees are welcomed to check back throughout to see how it’s shaping up.
This activation connects the physical build aspect with the overall idea of working together as an industry and community. Another great example of leaning into attendee interests and event messaging.
AIA24 Prosper Zone
The Prosper Zone leans into overall practice development and how each attendee can continue to enhance their careers through next-gen tools. Together with Freeman, AIA designed a personality profiler experience for attendees to answer simple questions and in return, would receive an architectural style such as “Modern Architect.” Attendees can then connect with like-minded styles and share ideas.
Staging a General Session
AIA envisions its keynote as a VIP experience. Large LED screens with engaging lighting span the front, commanding attention, and adding to the speaker’s content. Not only that, but for the first few minutes as attendees enter, calming scenes will play to help them get into a learning mindset while they hear inspirational topics.
Good Call: Phoning It In
Hearing attendee feedback doesn’t have to feel like the same old survey. For our Inside Live at AIA24 event, we wanted to create a fun and nostalgic experience to hear what you thought, instead of only relying on a post-event, emailed survey. Step inside this colorful Good Call phone “booth,” pick up the handle, and jump on the line, then leave us a message with your feedback!
Explore more Inside Live at AIA topics
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