GoGather partnered with a leading company in the lighting industry to coordinate their 2024 annual conferences in both Atlanta and New York City.
Each multi-day event included networking sessions, expo exhibits, presentations, and engaging activities, bringing together lighting professionals from around the globe.
They chose GoGather as their event management partner because they needed a trusted team to provide visibility throughout the planning process and manage all the logistical details.
Highlights of Solutions
- Budget Savings: GoGather designed a sports-themed casino night for under $1,000, saving the client from having to hire an expensive DMC in Atlanta.
- Avoiding Attrition: For the first time in the program's history, both events completely avoided any attrition issues.
- Building Trust: Acting as a neutral third party, GoGather’s project manager helped the client navigate committee dynamics, building trust and ensuring everyone’s voice was heard.
- Elevated Sponsor Experience: GoGather enhanced the expo experience by setting up sponsor lounges, boosting booth traffic, and creating more valuable connections for sponsors.
- Managing Logistics: GoGather took charge of all the event logistics, from coordinating room setups, signage, and A/V needs to flip spaces for workshops, networking events, and the evening gala.
- Room Management: GoGather fine-tuned room management, adjusting breakout room sizes to fit each session's needs.
Program Needs
The client initially approached GoGather because they were not happy with their previous event managers' level of communication and were challenged with attrition and adhering to budget on their annual programs.
With visibility and control slipping away, they were considering scrapping the program altogether.
That’s when we stepped in.
Challenge: Managing Committee Dynamics
One of the major challenges our client encountered before partnering with GoGather was dealing with the complexities of a committee-based decision-making process.
With multiple voices, various viewpoints, and decades-long industry veterans involved, aligning everyone’s vision required understanding and collaboration.
GoGather’s project manager supported our client as a neutral third party—someone outside their industry—to understand the team’s passions and priorities. It was all about building trust, maintaining clear communication, and making everyone feel heard while keeping the program aligned with the client’s budget.
Solution: Communication that Drives Confidence
To tackle the complexities of the committee, GoGather implemented a structured communication strategy that ensured all voices were included while minimizing confusion.
We established a single point of contact, our project manager, to host regular check-ins, facilitate discussions, and keep everyone aligned on the program's goals.
The outcome? Their first event with us went off without any attrition issues, and the committee felt re-energized, with complete transparency throughout the planning process.
We’re excited to keep the momentum going for 2025, 2026, and 2027!
Challenge: Big City, Big Challenges
The NYC conference brought in over 500 attendees and took place in a beautiful venue right in the heart of Times Square.
While being so close to Broadway made it a memorable location, it came with its own set of challenges.
The busy area made it difficult to bring in outside A/V, so we had to work closely with the hotel’s in-house production team to keep things running smoothly.
Plus, with thousands of hotels in NYC, it was tough to keep attendees within our room block.
Solution: Creative Budget Solutions
Thankfully, the Marriott Marquis turned out to be a great choice for the event venue, offering beautiful meeting spaces and plenty of amenities.
We negotiated competitive room rates and assisted the client in promoting the benefits of staying at the hosted venue, emphasizing that it:
- Offers easy access to the event space and is within walking distance of many restaurants, shops, and entertainment options in the heart of Times Square.
- Ensures attendees enjoy high-quality accommodations at a great price.
- Provides opportunities for networking in the hotel’s bar, restaurant, and common areas.
Our project management team collaborated closely with the in-house A/V team to ensure the event looked and sounded its absolute best. We were also able to arrange the ballroom’s custom lights to tie into the client’s lighting theme.
Challenge: Managing All the Moving Parts in NYC
Another challenge our client had was juggling all the different logistics, activities, and groups throughout the event week.
We helped them organize their agenda to include a walking tour around NYC's best lights in the city, hands-on workshops, and networking events for emerging professionals—every day was packed with something new.
This meant we had to carefully plan room allocations, signage, and A/V needs.
Solution: Full-Service Event Management
To tackle all these moving parts, GoGather’s event experts stepped in to streamline communication and take charge of logistics. Our project management team handled:
- Site Management: Conducted site visits and worked closely with the client to fine-tune the flow and logistics
- Housing: Managed the hotel room block and tracked attrition
- Venue: Coordinated the event agenda and worked with the onsite venue team to execute
- Set-up & Signage: Facilitated the set-up of all event signage, logos, banners, etc.
- Food & Beverage: Worked as a liaison between the hotel and the client, designing breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus
- Vendor management: Sourced and coordinated local vendors for decor, florals, photo booths, and entertainment
- VIP Management: Organized a VIP reception for award winners before the evening event
- A/V companies: Worked closely with the A/V company to deliver smooth presentations and visual experience for attendees
Plus, the GoGather team managed all the room flips, turning the general session space into a red carpet-worthy setup for the evening awards gala ceremony in NYC. Then later, into a lively party atmosphere, all in just a couple of hours.
Challenge: Room Management in Atlanta
While planning the event, our client faced a few hurdles with room management.
The higher floors of the hotel tended to get a bit too warm, which could be uncomfortable for attendees. Plus, we had a mix of breakout rooms, with some being much larger than needed, making it harder to create an intimate environment for the classroom sessions.
The client also wanted to make sure attendees spent plenty of time in the expo halls to network and help sponsors make connections.
Solution: Thoughtful Space Management
To keep everyone comfortable, we made a last-minute decision to relocate the smaller event to a private reception space featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, which helped maintain a cooler environment. We also reevaluated and swapped around the breakout room assignments to make sure they fit the needs of each session better.
Before the event, our project management team coordinated closely with sponsors and crafted a floor plan that maximized networking opportunities.
We set up welcoming spaces for attendees to sit and chat. We also added wine and beer bars and snack stations around the expo at night to encourage mingling.
Challenge: Juggling Casino Night
The client envisioned a Casino-themed game night to wrap up their conference in Atlanta while keeping budget considerations in mind.
Since we planned to host the casino night in the general session area, we needed to think creatively about how to make the event feel lively, especially since attendees had spent the majority of the day in that same room listening to presentations.
Solution: Creative Room Flip
We hustled to transform the general session space into a vibrant casino atmosphere. With layout adjustments and playful decor, we helped set the stage for a memorable night.
To keep costs down, we built a sports-themed casino for under $1,000, avoiding the expense of having to hire a traditional DMC in the Atlanta area.
To top it off, we offered attendees snacks that complemented the sports theme, like soft pretzels, popcorn, beer, wine, and ball-park hot dogs.
Summary
Despite facing challenges like juggling committee opinions, complex logistics, and tight budgets, GoGather delivered a smooth conference experience for attendees from start to finish.
Our project management team handled every detail, from venue setups to overseeing F&B services, even transforming the space for an exciting casino night.
The client couldn’t have been more pleased, stating, “The GoGather team is an excellent partner for our organization and events,” and commending our attention to detail and positive attitude throughout the process.
For both conferences in Atlanta and NYC, they said, “Everything went perfectly with GoGather's support of our event."
COMMENTS