Presenting Our New Look: 10 Years in the Making!
Our team is feeling giddy this week as we roll out the new Ann Plans logo. In honor of our 10th anniversary, we contracted with Chad Nestor of Nestor Design to create a new logo that articulates our brand.
We wanted a logo that conveys the energy, fun and passion for service that we share with our clients. The red circles represent each of the years Ann Plans has been planning events in partnership with the nonprofit community.
Our hope is that our new look says a lot about Ann Plans. And, with branding on our minds, today’s newsletter offers tips for maximizing branding opportunities through your events.
Think Branding When Planning
When helping clients create a new event or reinvent an existing one, we focus on elements that set their event apart and effectively share the impact of their organization’s work. Here are some of our favorite branding strategies:
- Make your event name short, clever and meaningful. “Whisker Whirl” (Animal Humane Society) or “Green Tie Affair” (The Nature Conservancy) has much more punch than “The ABC Organization Gala.”
- Keep your event theme simple and connected to your mission. Allina Health Hospice uses the dragonfly, which symbolizes transformation and the start of a new journey, as the theme for their Gala imagery and messaging.
- Bookend and infuse your event with hospitality. Be creative and intentional in how you greet your guests and provide hospitality throughout the event. And, send your guests off on a high note!
Receiving guests at a Children’s Theatre “Curtain Call Ball.” - Provide interactive activities that showcase your organization’s work. The Food Wall game at PRISM’s “Taste of the ‘Burbs” features a display of items from their food shelf combined with opportunities for guests to win gift cards to local businesses. What a fun way to share a little mission!
- Build a powerful program. Focus on stories that inspire your guests and connect them more deeply to your organization. Make impactful client stories a highlight of your event.
- Promote your brand through visuals. A gobo light or photo backdrop are examples of affordable ways to push out your brand.
Gobo at VocalEssence’s “Choralia.” - Create a buzz through social media. Leverage social platforms before, during and after your event. Create a hashtag, generate creative content and images, and engage your supporters in talking about your event through social media.
Meet Barb Hallowell
We are excited to introduce Barb Hallowell, the newest member of the Ann Plans team. Over the last fifteen years, she has managed several events including those supporting the performing arts within the Eden Prairie School district. Barb loves helping clients enhance their fundraising efforts by deepening heartfelt connections of sponsors, donors, and volunteers. In her free time, Barb enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, and making small world connections everywhere she goes.
As we prepare for entering our second decade, we’re striving even harder to make a positive impact within our community. We look forward to continued and new partnerships around the themes of celebrating and serving.
Warmly,
Ann