Fast Company Innovation Festival & Convene: An Iconic Event Becomes More Extraordinary Than Ever Before.

The Fast Company Innovation Festival is the premiere tech and culture event of the year, hosted by the world’s leading progressive business media brand. Each year, the festival attracts the biggest names in business, design, leadership, creativity, and beyond. Leaders and innovators from all over the world gather in New York City for several days to engage in inspired conversation, panels, workshops, and networking. It’s a place where exceptional visions are shared and ideas for the future are born.

That’s why Convene felt so honored to be chosen as hosting partner for the 8th Annual Fast Company Innovation Festival. Held in September, 2022, the event would be the festival’s return to in-person programming for the first time in three years.

Working with the theme, “Innovation Unbound,” organizers needed more than a great venue: they needed an all-in-one event partner who could match Fast Company’s leading reputation in the industry and enhance the vision of their extraordinary brand.

Goals For The Festival

• A large, versatile space. Any venue that Fast Company chose needed to be able to host hundreds of people comfortably. At the same time, the space needed to facilitate incredible presentations and create one-of-a-kind experiences that would meet the high standards of their attendees, most of whom were in C-level or other top management positions. Additionally, over 20 top media outlets would be in attendance, including The New York Times, Business Insider, CNBC, AdWeek, and The Wall Street Journal. Given that level of visibility, and with expectations so high, the space couldn’t be anything less than exceptional.
• Stellar production. The festival would include in-depth panel discussions and interviews with high-profile talent across three separate stages. Speakers included award-winning filmmakers and iconic movie stars. Also set to take the stage were founders of major industry disruptors, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, and directors of important, life-saving foundations. Sponsors like Meta, Capital One, and IBM sought innovative branding opportunities and experiential activations. The production value of the event needed to match the high caliber of the talent and brands. Every moment had to be spectacular.
• A dedicated team of experts. Organizers needed the right group of thoughtful, detail-oriented people who could work alongside them to ensure everything ran smoothly from beginning to end. The team would need expertise in production, operations, culinary, and technology.
• Seamless technology. Given the caliber of presenters and guests, technical glitches were out of the question. Organizers and attendees rightly expected everything to run smoothly. From the audio/visual experience onsite to the content streaming for those watching at home. The tech needed to be flawless.
• Hospitality. One major attraction for festival attendees is the opportunity for serendipitous and purposeful networking. For that to happen, organizers needed there to be an atmosphere of warmth and conviviality. They also needed every high-profile speaker to feel at home and well taken care of. From the back of house to the front door, support staff had to be top-notch. Each guest was to be treated to an unforgettable experience at every turn.

To help them achieve their extraordinary goals, Fast Company chose Convene.

The Solution:  Convene 225 Liberty Street

• The ideal space. Large in scale yet sophisticated by design, Convene 225 Liberty Street was the choice for Fast Company. At 73,000 square feet, this multi-level, full-service venue can accommodate thousands attendees across six unique meeting spaces, making it the perfect destination for large-scale events. Over the course of the festival, three different stages hosted an impressive programming lineup of founders, creators, artists, and innovators. In addition, attendees were invited to participate in hands-on workshops, purposeful networking, and a brand-new dinner series called Taste of Innovation, where they dined on exquisite meals curated by some of the most renowned chefs working today.
• The right team. During the planning phase, the Convene team became an integrated partner, acting like an extension of the Fast Company team to ensure that every detail was handled with care.
• A flawless production. From panel discussions to workshops to sponsor activations, every moment came alive with high production value. Sponsors were happy, speakers felt supported, and audiences became engaged.
• Cutting-edge technology. Convene’s in-house tech and AV offering allowed Fast Company to bring their content and programming to life in entirely new and surprising ways.
• An inspiring experience. Above all else, Convene means hospitality. For every event, the Convene team brings with them the warmth, creativity, and attentiveness of a high-end boutique hotel so attendees can fully immerse themselves in the event, and truly be at their best.

The Results

The teams at Fast Company and Convene ensured that the 8th Annual Fast Company Innovation Festival was bigger and better than ever. Over 2,000 guests came from all over the world to meet and be inspired by more than 200 high-profile speakers. By the end of the four days, the event recorded well over 21.7 billion potential media impressions.

It was an unforgettable experience, and Convene was honored to have been a part of making an iconic event the best it’s ever been.

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