CORT Events blew away attendees at the 2018 Corporate Event Marketing Association (CEMA) Summit in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Filled with more than 800 active senior-level event marketers and industry professionals who have not only been to many conferences and networking events themselves, but have also run them, CEMA set the bar high for its annual conference.
The event focused on fostering conversations, best practices and knowledge sharing, as well as building relationships among attendees. That means creating environments conducive to collaboration and communication is especially important. Radically re-imagining the seminar space at the Summit 2018, the CORT Events team tore down traditional thinking and prioritized collaboration, creating an engaging atmosphere where attendees could communicate and work together, on and offline, in an environment that matched their work style.
CORT Events knows that just one kind of learning environment feels dated, and generic theater-style seating is stagnant. Today’s workforce is connected and can work from anywhere, such as the comfort of their own home, the local coffee shop, or trendy offices. To match the way attendees are accustomed to working, the team set up different seating styles, allowing attendees to feel comfortable and engaged in the seminar space. The team employed three different seating styles to accommodate the different working styles of its attendees.
Connected and Casual
Connected and Casual, situated at the very front of the seminar space, offers powered soft seating, including the Tech Tablet chair, as well as sofas and loveseats for relaxed connection and listening space.
Styled and Structured
Styled and Structured, situated in the middle of the room, offered more standard meeting space for those who like to work the old-fashioned way.
Collaborative Contemporary
Collaborative Contemporary, mimicking the feel of a coffee bar, offered a space where attendees could claim a seat, but share a large, tech-enabled table and collaborate for breakout sessions.
Kimberly Gishler, CEO of CEMA said, “CORT has been a long-time partner with CEMA for our annual conference CEMA Summit. CORT understands its audiences and customizes each design to capture the essence of the conference and inspire attendees. They constantly bring new ideas to the General Session room, with innovative layouts and leading-edge seating that gives our attendees an “aha” moment.”
“Flexible spaces will continue to become more important over time,” said Kevin Dana, executive director of marketing and product development at CORT Events. “We are seeing a huge increase in demand for breakout space conducive for networking and for a wider variety of furniture, including sofas, armchairs, foldable tables and lightweight furniture for easy mobility.”
Because of CORT Events’ innovative furnishings and thoughtful design, CEMA Summit 2018 was a shareable, one-of-a-kind convention, furnished with high-quality, technology-enabled furniture that added to productivity. When you want your space to feel custom and connected, think about the attendee experience at every stage of event planning.
