How do you design a world class technology event, hosting a global audience from 120 countries, while keeping its India roots center-stage ?
It was a pleasantly mild winter month of October last year. New Delhi was hosting IMC (India Mobile Congress) 2024 in Bharat Mandapam, one of the largest convention centres of India. It brought together global leaders, innovators, and industry experts to collaborate on next-generation technologies. The event focused on key areas such as 6G and 5G advancements, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, cybersecurity, semiconductors, cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT) and electronics manufacturing.
IMC is Asia’s largest tech fest, organised annually. The 8th edition was a 4 days event from 15 to 18 Oct, 2024. About 2 lakh visitors experienced the latest in tech showcased by more than 400 exhibitors and 900 startups coming from over 120 countries.
Going back to the beginnings
We were associated with IMC since it began in 2017, when it was trying to meet its customer base and policymakers. It was organised in the old Pragati Maidan in Delhi in line with Mobile World Congress.
It had a distinctive flair. While in other events, the government was invited, this was one in which the government was the one inviting the private sector.
But it gave a trade-show feel which sparked an idea – an event of such stature should be made stylish. So, while setting up stalls for a tech behemoth in the initial editions, we were discussing ideas with the organising team around that.
In 2019, we came up with a high-quality stall design at relatively lower costs in association with Qogno, a design agency. A design that was different from everyone else. Designed like a Hanging Spaceship, it had flashy neon lights over shiny floor and full LED screens spanning bottom to top. Everything was carefully thought out, from choosing a colour palette comprising black, purple and green to choosing the geometry – no straight lines, all curves
Manish Sinha, founder of Zamun, sketched the initial designs himself. He had previously designed mobile apps and comic book characters and was excited to foray into a new avenue – designing world-class tech experiences.
2024 Edition – a turning point for the event
He kept designing stalls for his employer every year after that, including in 2024.
In parallel, he was also having discussions with IMC CEO Ramkrishna (fondly called Ramki ) and team, brainstorming on ideas to make the event bigger and bolder every year. They were interested in collaborating with us and saw us as a partner who
- wanted IMC to succeed and
- can come up with a new, fresh way of thinking about design that is not a copy of an American or Indian design
- has the persistence to get those designs executed
In August 2024, we were asked to take charge directly and develop the complete design and experiences.
Painting the Canvas: Designing the Experience
Thrilled and delighted, we set out to make IMC the stellar event that we always wanted to. We were clear – IMC has to be grand, stylish, beautiful and inviting.
Futuristic Name Connected to the Past
Indian Mobile Congress had built a name for itself. We want to modernise it without completely breaking from the past. The name was the first item in consideration, and we were thinking of modern sounding alternatives that explained the event better. Given the constraints spelled out in various signed agreements, we finalised upon shortening the name to IMC while retaining the same font Poppins
Vibrant Colour Palette representing Utopian Vision
The design process begins with a careful selection of the colour palette.
The theme for IMC 2024 was Future is Now. It had to be about the future more than the past. We chose vibrant colours representing utopian future rather than steel colours that have dystopian undertones. To give it a modern contemporary look, we chose flowing gradients instead of spot colours.
Transformed Logo with Depth and Meaning
The logo had to be unique and yet not disconnected from the past logos.
The previous logo had a lot of details and needed the viewer to focus a lot of attention to grasp it. We needed something instantly eye-catching in the attention-deficit age that we are living in.
So we took the hard-edged monochrome hexagon of the old logo and transformed it into a floating cube with soft edges and multiple colors. The 3 dimensional cube had depth vis-à-vis the 2D hexagon. We gave it soft corners that represented flexibility and fungibility instead of rigidity. It also gelled well with the roundedness of Poppins font in the name. Multiple colors signified the openness to a wide spectrum of possibilities.
Imagery Eliciting Positive Emotions
The imagery you choose depends upon the emotions you want them to generate in your viewers. In our case, they were wonder , joy and unconstrained possibilities.
No borders were to be used in the designs to bring out the unconstrained possibilities aspect. We also designed our creatives with the images going beyond the frames for this.
We began looking for pictures of people with smiling faces that conveyed joy at work and wonder inspired by the tech around. Online repositories of stock photos were the best places to find them. To our disappointment though, we soon discovered a sheer lack of Indian faces in such photos. Indian faces were absolutely necessary because that is how we make the imagery relatable to the India in India Mobile Congress.
We chose to go for compositing images – picking up the backdrops and the models separately and stitching them together carefully.
Unique and Easily Replicable Shape
Our design philosophy was guided by the aim of making IMC uniquely recognisable. We wanted that when people looked at them, they should immediately say “Oh I know this is IMC.” Also, it had to be unique in the sense that its IMC 2024.
When we looked at the existing design trends, we found common shapes, like squares and rectangles inside squares and rectangles, circles, ellipses, triangles, etc. Our aim was to have a unique shape which is also simple enough to be easily replicated.
We chose a shape that wasn’t used anywhere else and denoted a movement from one place to another. We chose the portal, in the form of an oblique quadrilateral with rounded corners.
This shape was then used everywhere in all the designs we made for the event, from the entrance gates to the stages and from the print and digital collateral to the trophies.
We also came up with a lot of other design options for walkthroughs, selfie spots, trophies, stages (thematic designs like the globe is ours, tree of knowledge them, celestial space design, palace themed design, etc.)
The black hole portal was a super success. It was enthralling as you walked ahead as if you are moving into a black hole!
Another big success was the knowledge street.
The Blueprint for Brilliance: Our Approach in Action
We had some fantastic brainstorming sessions with designers and experts, generating some truly spectacular themes, ideas, and concepts! Our next step was to work with the implementers to bring these exciting visions to life.
We learned a lot about how to best collaborate and communicate during this process. Sometimes, it took a bit of gentle encouragement to explore new approaches and try things that seemed unconventional at first. We discovered that everyone has a wealth of experience to share, and by working together, we could often achieve results that surprised even ourselves!
This experience also gave us valuable insights into the implementers’ technical expertise and capabilities. We gained a clearer understanding of the types of designs they could readily produce, and where we could offer additional support.
Another key takeaway was the importance of early and frequent communication. We found that providing feedback during the initial stages of the implementation process, rather than waiting for the final output, was incredibly helpful. This allowed us to address any potential issues early on, saving time, effort, and resources, and ultimately leading to much more successful outcomes.
Overall, it was a truly rewarding journey, full of excitement and valuable learning experiences.
Ideas for IMC 2025
After the 2024 experience, we are a bit wiser and better. We are brainstorming ideas that can take the next edition of IMC to yet higher orbit.
- Implementing vs Designing
More focus should be on the implementation of designs than on making designs. - 3D designs instead of paper sketches for decision makers
We are planning to have a full 3D design of the premises and the installations instead of just paper sketches. - Cardboard cut outs vs 3D designs for implementers
Instead of giving 3D designs and expecting the implementers to make precisely cut parts and welding them together, we are planning to give them cardboard cut outs of the components and ask them to use them as stencils for cutting along the edges. - Fabricators
We are looking for more fabricators from Indian and abroad who can push the boundaries. They would bring our designs to life with more finesse.
Additionally, we are thinking of the following:
- Custom photoshoots instead of photos (which never quite make it).
- Centrally controlled screens everywhere with images and videos flashing dynamically on them
- Merchandise and souvenirs
- Other ideas for visitor engagement for 3 days
- Depth focused research and writing, panel discussions,
- Meticulously crafted post-IMC campaigns on large scale
To summarise, a design and experiences strategy that is deeply thought and effectively executed adds a remarkable charm to the event. We feel honored to be able to make our contributions in shaping a tech event that is highlighting India as a tech leader on the global map.