Immersive Event Design with
Denise Looney

What you need to know

• Immersive event design wraps around the attendee experience and engages the senses.
• Event designers can create zones to improve the attendee experience.
• Exceeding corporate event attendee expectations requires staying ahead of competitors.  

Denise Looney brings a signature style to event production. Her mix of creativity and common sense is centered on giving guests an experience they’ll never forget. As a senior event producer, Denise helps realize the big-picture vision for corporate evening and appreciation events. Designing events for groups of 1,000–3,000 people are her favorite to pull off because they create the collective effervescence only felt in a big crowd.

Denise is celebrating 30 years of pushing industry boundaries—and has stories to match her experience! We caught up with her to learn how her legendary approach shapes jaw-dropping corporate events. 

Q: What’s the best way to create immersive experiences for guests?

Denise: Years ago, I learned that the attendee journey starts in the parking lot. If they’re waiting to board a shuttle, what can you do to make that wait feel shorter, or more special? Always walk the room as if you are the guest. Their first impression should be impressive.

I like a lot of action, lots of things to see and do as soon as you walk in. Roaming entertainment, because you’ve got to hit them with great sound. Make sure that you have enough bars to accommodate your guest count. I’m a big fan of vertical decor, eye candy up in the air to draw the attendee into the space. Think through your directionals and the flow of the event. Sometimes we position waitstaff to draw people from the front into the back half of the space.

Q: How does wayfinding influence your event design approach?

Denise: People like to know where to go. Being thoughtful about space analysis and layout helps guests navigate. I like having an anchor in the middle of the space. Something huge, like the 60-foot breathing tree that we put in for a client’s Burning Man party. Then, I love zones. I usually divide the space into themed quadrants. That way, if you’re trying to meet up with a friend, you can text them and give directions more easily and say, “Hey, I’m over in Rodeo Land.” It also helps split event staffing.

Q: Can you give examples of how a zoned event layout works?

Denise: You can define zones through different lighting or color blocks and graphics that connect to the event identity. At a recent corporate employee summit, we created goal posts that tied to the theme and used big marquee letters to name each zone and make it easy to find. The “Chill Zone” was a lounge area with comfortable furniture. Then, we did a “Smile Zone” where we had photo booths and activations. The “Swag Zone” had a gifting experience. But I think that helps attendees, and it’s also really cool for our event team. When I assign someone leadership of a quadrant, they take ownership of the space and come up with even better ideas for making it the most popular zone.

Q: Looking back on your career, what events stand out?

Denise: We did a fundraiser for the San Francisco Symphony called the Black and White Ball. It’s the Bay Area’s largest black-tie street party, where it’s been a tradition since the 1950s. It brings together different generations and spans iconic San Francisco venues. We had an idea to introduce VIP cabanas up and down the street, inspired by the VIP booths at sporting events. It added revenue and created extra special experiences.

I also work with brands like CrowdStrike for their evening conference events. We collaborate with their brand team in great ways. They give us guidelines and a sneak peek at their commercials. Our creative team goes bonkers with ideas, and I come in and help translate the big-picture vision into the entertainment, the activations, the food and beverage, the gaming, music. We’re always making sure that we’re reinforcing key brand messages throughout the space.

Q: What should event producers keep in mind about appreciation events?

Denise: The people who attend corporate appreciation events, especially in the tech world, go to a lot of experiences. There is a competitive spirit within the event community. There’s always that edge of wanting to stay current or ahead. Our team has always been a trailblazer, finding ways to do something totally different that no one has experienced before. We did Oracle’s appreciation events for 20,000 attendees and we built this city of amazingness. We’d always have two stages with huge entertainment acts like Sting, Aerosmith and Pearl Jam.

Q: Where do you find event industry inspiration?

Denise: I love engaging in life. I’m out and about a lot. I love to travel and go to sporting events and concerts. I live in Sonoma County, and we have so many free art trails. I’m the kind of person who will see a sign while driving and peel off to check it out. I’m curious and I like to pay attention. Sometimes I get inspiration for goofy stuff from my kids, like a bottle flip challenge. We set up a bottle flip activation for a client and it was so popular. We rolled in a whiteboard to do competition brackets and people went wild for it. The best part: It cost next to nothing. When we’re on a budget, I know how to make things cost-effective and cheerful.

See the wow-factor senior event producers like Denise bring to designing corporate events, worldwide.