Sage is a global market leader for technology with over 6.1 million customers worldwide. Over the years, they have become a prominent attendee at Europe’s definitive event for accountancy and finance professionals, Accountex at ExCel, London.
We were the agency chosen to manage their stand design, build and activation at ExCel for Accountex 2022. Their brief to us was to push the boundaries through stand design, activations, and deliver a technology led stand that would be both fun and innovative. There were several sustainability considerations to overcome, including producing a stand built from sustainable sources to ensure it was fully recyclable and offset making it carbon neutral. Sage are global leaders in the accountancy space, and our mission was to deliver a space which reflected that.
The project began as a competitive tender against four other agencies which included the longstanding incumbent, so the focus was to ensure that what we proposed would give Sage the best visibility possible.
With the open nature of the stand and the noise generated in the expo hall, we curated a bespoke sound system above the auditorium, cleverly hidden in the foliage design which angled down to the audience – creating great sound for the delegates whilst maintaining the open nature of the stand.
Sage’s new brand identity is very much based around ‘flow’. So, when designing the stand, we focused on this at every corner, removing all hard edges and creating curves throughout. The delegate journey was important and with the stand open on 3 sides, we needed to make sure that the design made sense from each angle. Angling the demo pods in the manner that we did achieved this, maintaining the flow from all avenues.
Using technology, we implemented a constant ‘flow’ line above the stand which signified the location and also helped reinforce the new brand. This was achieved through a 15m x 1.5m curved LED banner.
For maximum impact, we used the latest LED technology combined with complex 3D animations to create content that was both thrilling and captivating.
Working collaboratively internally and in partnership with the client, we produced a stand that would win the attention of the crowd. Within that space, there was a cool coffee area, a theatre area and 12 demonstration pod stations.
Sage wanted to maximise on the opportunity to attract potential customers as they walked into the ExCeL. With this in mind, we created a giant see-saw to quite literally ‘balance the books’.
Alongside this, our digital team developed a bespoke website populating a live-streamed leaderboard for maximum engagement. It also acted as a valuable data capture opportunity.
To help promote the brand, we created a ‘merch’ shop where delegates could grab a coffee, pick up and choose some ‘merch’ to take home with them – this proved hugely popular and was a big draw to the stand.
Opting away from the traditional afterparty vibe of hiring an external space, Sage wanted to maximise their investment of the stand and bring the party in. The coffee shop transformed into a bar with a variety of beverages and snacks served – this was complimented with a DJ, and it’s fair to say Sage absolutely rocked the show.
Sage was the talk of Accountex. So much so that because they had so many visitors we had to restock food and beverage provisions after 45 minutes. We made sure that at every step of the way, visitors saw Sage and were left with an impression that was unforgettable, and no visitor was left empty handed!
A massive thank you to all of you and the Outlook team! Sage totally owned the show. We did what we set out to do and more. The stand was incredible and was the talk of the show. You really did bring the vision to life. It was epic!
Sage Group PLC