EXPERIENCE
Events
Events are our opportunity to show that Zendesk is a company that cares about human interactions and great experiences. That sets the bar pretty high.
Event line-up
Not every event demands the same level of experience design and brand spice. That’s why we organize our events into a hierarchy that helps keep everything in order:
Relate
Relate is our once-yearly global user conference. At Relate, we meet with and hear from our entire community—from partners to executives to developers and customer support agents. We announce new products and integrations, lay out our vision for the coming year, and offer an immersive experience that’s memorable, remarkable, and meaningful.
Relate is our once-yearly global user conference. At Relate, we meet with and hear from our entire community—from partners to executives to developers and customer support agents. We announce new products and integrations, lay out our vision for the coming year, and offer an immersive experience that’s memorable, remarkable, and meaningful.
Showcase
Because we’re a software company, we don’t have anything physical to sell — which means Showcase is where we show off Zendesk product solutions with a bit of brand sizzle. We include thought leadership and trendwatching as a way to add color and support to our vision. When we invite other speakers, we bring big brands with a bang. And we give attendees tangible, interesting things that they can go back and share with their teams. Brand-wise, this is where we put on our business suits and sweet talk.
Because we’re a software company, we don’t have anything physical to sell — which means Showcase is where we show off Zendesk product solutions with a bit of brand sizzle. We include thought leadership and trendwatching as a way to add color and support to our vision. When we invite other speakers, we bring big brands with a bang. And we give attendees tangible, interesting things that they can go back and share with their teams. Brand-wise, this is where we put on our business suits and sweet talk.
Roadshow
Roadshow is the event that pops up in every corner of the world. The content is product-focused and aligned with our key plays for the year. The networking is intimate and meant to create local and long-term connections. Flexible, durable, and hearty, Roadshow shows up where needed, in the local language, and offers a specific and focused perspective. Brand-wise, we default to the Zendesk mother brand, and the tone in written communications is casual.
Roadshow is the event that pops up in every corner of the world. The content is product-focused and aligned with our key plays for the year. The networking is intimate and meant to create local and long-term connections. Flexible, durable, and hearty, Roadshow shows up where needed, in the local language, and offers a specific and focused perspective. Brand-wise, we default to the Zendesk mother brand, and the tone in written communications is casual.
Zendesk Presents
Not everything falls into a neat little package. Zendesk Presents is a flexible system that can accommodate other regional events not covered by the Roadshows. Some events are meetups for a specific group, some are roadmap reviews, some are bowling nights with a titch of product thrown in, some are D&I dinners, and some are User Groups guided by fellow admins. These events are varied and all over the map (literally).
Not everything falls into a neat little package. Zendesk Presents is a flexible system that can accommodate other regional events not covered by the Roadshows. Some events are meetups for a specific group, some are roadmap reviews, some are bowling nights with a titch of product thrown in, some are D&I dinners, and some are User Groups guided by fellow admins. These events are varied and all over the map (literally).
Naming
All events should follow the Zendesk event naming convention: “Zendesk Presents: [what the event is about].”
“Zendesk Presents” serves as a preamble that makes it clear it’s an event hosted by us. A little drumroll, so to speak. It is followed up by the name of the specific event, which should be as prescriptive as possible.
“Zendesk Presents” serves as a preamble that makes it clear it’s an event hosted by us. A little drumroll, so to speak. It is followed up by the name of the specific event, which should be as prescriptive as possible.
Rules for event naming:
Use Zendesk Presents as a preface.
Be prescriptive.
Keep it short.
Capitalize initials.
Don’t use abbreviations.
Don’t create new brands.
If you’re unsure of whether or not a name is on brand, please run it by the Brand Team.
Venues
A physical space is a multi-sensory brand experience for customers, guests, and stakeholders. Venues should reflect the personality and aesthetic of Zendesk. The right space sets the tone for the event and sets it up for success.
The space is the place
Events should follow the Zendesk environment design approach as closely as possible. Either pick a venue that is already on brand, or go with a space that is neutral and can easily be styled to feel like Zendesk. In the case of the latter, open and airy spaces with a lot of white and gray surfaces work best. And avoid stale, run-of-the-mill chain hotels with ugly carpets and bad elevator music.
The space is the place
Events should follow the Zendesk environment design approach as closely as possible. Either pick a venue that is already on brand, or go with a space that is neutral and can easily be styled to feel like Zendesk. In the case of the latter, open and airy spaces with a lot of white and gray surfaces work best. And avoid stale, run-of-the-mill chain hotels with ugly carpets and bad elevator music.
Lofts and industrial spaces (they’re on brand)
Neutral, white box spaces (we can make them on brand)
Unexpected, charming spaces (but check with us if they’re on brand or not)
Stale hotel chains with ugly carpets
Oversized convention centers
Over-designed hotels that try too hard
A few more things we like to see in our event spaces:
Location, location, location
Start off with a central location that is accessible and easy to find. It helps to be close to the desired audience. If that’s not your plan, at least have a good reason to make them go out of their way. Also, make sure that there are nice places nearby where you can send people after you close the doors—because there will always be a few night owls.
Vibrant, central city districts
Hip areas with plenty of bars and restaurants
Remote areas
Boring city districts
Variety is the space of life
A lively event allows all attendees to come together, but also split up into smaller groups or break off for a moment of solitude. Here’s a little checklist for the types of spaces you might need:
• Arrival area for welcome and registration or as a meeting point during the day
• Main stage for keynotes and product demos
• Smaller stages for breakouts and tracks
• Food and beverage areas for self-serve buffets, sit down meals, or appetizers
• Lounge spaces for people to network, hold meetings, and catch up on work
• Smaller rooms for private meetings
• Demo areas for Zendesk demos
• Sponsor areas for partner presentations
Stage design and build
The stage is one of the most important design elements at the event. People will be staring at it for a long time. So make sure it’s on brand. Read the Ingredients chapter first. Then read on to learn how to pull it all together.
These are standard ingredients to create a stage. The more the better, but even one or two elements can help make it more Zendesk.
Z logo on wooden wall
Zendesk logotype in 3D on stage
LED lights below the stage backdrop
Warm gray carpet on stage
On brand high and low furniture
On brand plants
Branded speaker note cards
Wooden lectern with Z logo
Branded water bottles
Graphic templates for speaker note cards and water bottle designs—and much more—can be found in the DAM asset library.
Large build - Sao Paulo
Medium build - London
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Small build -Melbourne
Screens
Consider how the customers will see the presentation and make a wise choice on screens and their placement. Common sense goes a long way. Think size, minimum resolution, colors, brightness, visibility, repeater monitors, etc.
For more details on screen dimensions and confidence monitor setups for speakers, check out the Presentation Design section.
For more details on screen dimensions and confidence monitor setups for speakers, check out the Presentation Design section.
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