Conference on the Reduction of Drug-related Harm
Conference on the Reduction of Drug-related Harm
Project Highlights
Following our visual presentation to city council, the City of Vancouver committed the largest amount of funding in its history ($500,000) to this conference.
- Our marketing efforts attracted the largest number of abstracts ever (1,340), from the most countries (93), in the conference’s history.
- The conference attracted more delegates than the most optimistic projections, creating a budget surplus.
- The conference co-chairs used the key messages regularly in every form of communications, including their final speech to the delegates at the end of the conference.
Background
Researchers from the University of BC and the US Department of Veterans Affairs attracted this annual international conference to Vancouver in 2006. In early 2004, they approached us to help them meet the co-chairs’ goals of fundraising, attracting paying delegates and attracting exhibitors to the Conference. We developed the conference’s branding, the communications and marketing strategy, the website and all conference publications.
Approach
Working closely with the academic organizers and the conference management company, we conducted research and held a “Discovery Session” with a variety of stakeholders. This process helped us develop a branding system to appeal to the range of key audiences that emerged — from government and industry sponsors to delegates described to us as a “black t-shirt crowd.” Careful research led us to develop very powerful key messages and a visual brand that exuded professionalism but with an edge, suggesting the often-gritty nature of the work in harm reduction. Materials included a website, first and second announcements, call for abstracts, a program guide, an exhibit guide, the abstract volume… and branded black t-shirts.