Rippling event booth.
Building on the success of Rippling's first foray into trade shows in 2023, the team re-engaged with experiential design agency HUSH to develop a new approach aligned to the 2024 brand campaign, the Rippling effect.
Armed with customer insights from 2023, HUSH and the internal Brand Studio team designed an experience with an engaging centerpiece and clear paths towards demos, discussions, and customer content.
Vision
Bring the Rippling effect to life in a show-stopping event booth.
Design an experience that showcases Rippling's brand and the impact Rippling has on customers' businesses.
Goals
Attract event-goers with an unforgettable centerpiece.
With hundreds of booths to stop by, Rippling's booth needs to quickly build a reputation as the one not to miss.
Build brand awareness and book demos.
While primarily a brand awareness play, the event booth should be designed to drive demos.
Adapt to different audiences.
Every event has a different audience (e.g. generalists vs. department heads vs. execs) and as Rippling expands into new verticals and countries, the diversity of demographics only grows.
Many audiences. One experience.
In 2024, Rippling brought the booth experience to four events: SHRM, AFP, Unleash, and HR Tech. Each event targeted a different segment with many variables (e.g. Finance vs. HR, U.S. vs. International). We aligned on a spectrum that allowed us to focus our messaging around one key idea: business impact.
The Rippling effect.
First established as a brand campaign platform, we extended the visual identity and messaging into our approach to events to create a cohesive experience with media buys around each city. The idea behind the Rippling effect is about turning every individual, team, and department into an empowered one, capable of making broad institutional impact within their organization.
A ripple effect can be experienced from all directions, as does an effective exhibition in a crowded auditorium. We developed a floor plan that could be entered and exited from any direction, with a centerpiece that radiates outward into supporting content and demo stations.
Four zones of storytelling.
01 Swag game
At the center of the experience is a swag game that brings to life the Rippling effect. A single push of the Rippling app icon launches an immersive visual and auditory experience that transforms the entire booth. Plus, you win a prize.
02 Customer stories
Surrounding the booth are customer stories, highlighting stories of impact and transformation from real Rippling customers.
03 Demo stations
Demo stations are armed with sales people, ready to engage interested prospects. When idle, a comprehensive product overview plays on loop.
04 Theater
A large theater area provides a flexible space for group demos and speaker sessions. When not in use, the screens function as an impactful brand moment supported by customer testimonials.
Normal prize.
Grand prize.
Sound on.
When the Rippling icon is pressed, the entire booth lights up, visible from across the event hall. The ambient audio kicks into full gear, delivering a thrilling and suspenseful build up to the reveal of a prize. In the rare case a user wins the grand prize ($1,000), everything ramps up another notch to truly drive home the celebration.
Extending the visual identity into swag.
At the onset, the Rippling effect campaign only consisted of a single graphic. We partnered with illustrator Ibrahim Rayintakath to extend the concept into several supporting pieces of art that were translated to tote bags, handkerchiefs, stickers, and more. We also created pins from our app icons and custom jackets given to members of our customer program, Wavemakers.
Customer content.
Around every edge of the booth were screens looping customer content that bring to life the real-world imact on the people who use Rippling and the businesses they lead. Each "episode" is broken down into a simple Intro > Challenge > Solution format for quick digestibility.
Demo stations.
When not in use, demo stations display product tour video on loop, providing a high level introduction to the breadth of products and features Rippling offers.
Theater screens.
Featuring two 98" screens, the theater serves as an opportunity for another impactful brand moment supported by the voices of our customers.
brand STUDIO
Creative Direction
Dan Schwer
Brand Design & Art Direction
Pat Iadanza, Owobu Ijewere
3D & Motion Design
Ben Chwirka
Copywriting
Parker Tarun, Nnamdi Oghedo
Events Manager
Kelsey Linden
Program Manager
Jane Nagle
PARTNERS