Getting the Drift HYPERGROWTH Vibe

	Photo Credit: Oleg Tolstoy

Maestra Group - working for creative agency emc3 - delivered design, staging, and technical production for the 2019 HYPERGROWTH conference in London, staged at Old Billingsgate Market and organized by conversational marketing platform, Drift.

The all-action one-day schedule comprised of inspirational, informative speakers and industry leaders from a lively array of new, innovative companies sharing their experiences and strategies for selling and marketing ideas, products and services. They wanted a fun, upbeat, techy interactive environment in which delegates could mix and engage.

The venue was split into two main sections, one side featuring a conference plenary area, and then a networking space the other side utilized for breaks and concluding the day with cocktails and conversations.

Maestra Group's team of 29 including set carpenters and local crew was led by project manager Michaela Welford. They worked over three days -- get in and set-up followed by a rehearsal day, then the show day.

They produced all the bold, bright, and loud urban graffiti styled room dressing - from original artwork created by Drift based on the bright pop-arty side of the street!

A graffiti tunnel was built to link the two active areas of the room. Maestra Group ensured that this was appropriately lit which included the deployment of some specialist UV fixtures and tape on the floor to make the UV-sensitive paint and other materials used really pop.

Ahead of the event, Maestra Group's own team of street artists were commissioned to pre-paint the flats used for the tunnel and set dressing around the rooms. There was a section available for delegates to add their own creative input using neon pens.

Onstage, Maestra Group supplied a set of 2.1m high scenic letters spelling out H-Y-P-E-R and G-R-O-W-T-H which were positioned centrally in two tiers. Welford proposed the impressive overall wide-stage look, complete with three borderless projection screens and 64 flown pixel-mappable Phero battens in front of a full black backdrop.

For the plenary session, Maestra Group brought in their own cameras, PPU and control package which was integrated with the house screens. They also supplied all show crew to run the event including show caller and stage manager.

Part of the branding brief included the delivery of matching graffiti panels for the lectern in the conference room, the DJ booth in the networking areas plus the registration desk in the entranceway to the event.

To maximize the short time available for set-up, Maestra Group utilized as many of the venue's technical elements -- lighting, audio, and video -- as possible, adding their expertise in repositioning, re-focusing and programming from scratch to make these work optimally for the event's specific tone and style.

This included lighting a VIP room which was adorned with hi-energy neon-style pinks and purples, plus a scattering of Maestra Group's Encapsulite LED tubes as specials.

Live activities included a 24' wide x 12' high graffiti wall which was painted throughout the show day by three sought-after, highly skilled artists -- highlighted with additional UV lighting fixtures from Maestra Group -- and a podcast booth housed in an oversized classic London phone box -- which streamed speeches, Q and As, and testimonials from guest speakers.

Welford concludes, "It was a brilliant, hi-energy-high-expectation event on which to work, and our mission was keeping the pulse and the beat of the day moving with a stimulating and highly visual environment. We enjoyed working with the emc3 and Drift Hypergrowth team and have all received some excellent feedback about the success of the event."