Cisco GSX global sales team event

Making a complex concept come to life to create a sense of ownership and align the global team of networking giant Cisco

Additional credits

Illustration:

Niklas Lundberg

General session production, media, and design:

Tencue

Cisco Global Sales Experience (GSX, now called Cisco IMPACT) is the flagship sales and education event for the global leader in networking technology, Cisco. Each year the conference brings over 18,000 participants to Las Vegas for three days of connection, education, alignment, and inspiration. In 2017, Cisco chose the theme “Own it.” to reassert ownership of the network—their core market—as a rallying cry for the whole sales organization. We partnered with experience company Tencue to bring that network to life and create an inspiring and unifying experience to catalyze and motivate Cisco’s global team.

Branding
Design System
Environmental Design
Event Marketing
Motion/Video
UX/UI Design

Manifesting the network 

To help give substance to the network and provide a tangible motivation to take hold of that feeling of ownership, we conceived and commissioned an abstract interpretation of the network from Swedish illustrator Niklas Lundberg. The graphic represented both the intricate interwoven character of modern networking and the strong network created by the global team itself. The two are one and the same. The rotation of the graphic represents the shifting and evolving nature of the network. The hero graphic was revealed over time, creating a visual system that could remain fresh through thousands of brand touchpoints.

No items found.
No items found.

Collaborating with creative partners and ensuring a unified experience

Cisco GSX is a huge event and necessitates the collaboration of Cisco’s internal creative marketing team as well as other creative and experience agencies, including one of our longest-running creative partners, Tencue. We conceived and commissioned the hero image and designed a comprehensive visual system that guided the look and feel of the event, which partner agencies Tencue, GPJ, and Splash Exhibits employed to design and execute the live experience. The effect of the animated image during the opening session was stunning and set the tone for the rest of the week.

We worked closely with Cisco’s internal teams, creating brand and visual system guidelines to keep all creative partners aligned and safeguard the integrity of the messaging, look, and feel from first communication to opening session through the closing session and beyond. Our close partnership with Cisco allowed us to extend its creative capabilities and serve as a source of truth to ensure verbal-visual consistency and messaging fidelity throughout.

No items found.
No items found.
No items found.
No items found.

Every touchpoint on message and on brand

With brand guidelines in place, an inspirational hero graphic and verbal line, and smooth collaboration across creative partners, we designed the limitless touchpoints, digital and in-person, that created a seamless event experience from registration through final survey. Every asset recalled and reinforced Cisco’s central strategic message: this network is ours. With an aligned team and a sense of pride, the global team was prepared for another successful fiscal year.

No items found.
No items found.