To celebrate the power of groundbreaking ideas, we created a direct campaign around the theme of disruption. Each element of the campaign showed how, by completely shifting something, looking at it in a different way or taking it apart and reordering it, something entirely new could be created.

Thought leaders no longer fear disruption; it is what they strive for. They seek solutions and inventions that either shake up the status quo or destroy it entirely. Innovation is happening faster and more frequently than ever before. Disruptive ideas and the disruptors behind them are reshaping our reality in ways we couldn’t have dreamed of and if we don’t keep up, we will be left behind. In today’s world, invention begins with disruption. We need to unravel, destroy and rebuild in order to create.

We created a series of elements that could be ‘disrupted’ by delegates.

• Connect Invitation

We created a cube made out of stacked Perspex squares held together by magnets. Each square featured a graphic that explored a different angle of disruption. From above, the graphics came together to create an unusual visual. These squares could be taken apart and re-ordered to create an entirely different invitation and visual.

• Notebook

A graphic notebook allowing delegates to choose between the front Perspex cover and three additional covers inside. The pages of the notebook were filled with geometric patterns. For ease of use, a special book was designed for left-handed delegates.

• Gift

An umbrella that was designed to open inversely in order to stop water drips and make it easier to get the umbrella into a car or through a doorway. A simple, disruptive take on an everyday object.

Every person in our target audience responded positively - all interacted with the campaign and all attended the Connect 2017 event. As well as a 100% positive response, the work was also an effective brand-building exercise, furthering emotional connections and strengthening relationships.

It was clear that the young chefs felt right at home in The Chill Room. This enabled us to us to have meaningful interactions with them, prompting a relationship of trust with the brand.

Since the congress, we have seen several young chefs post photos of themselves in The Chill Room at the event, further increasing its reach. In fact, the reaction was so positive that one of our regional team members asked that The Chill Room be sent to him for a repeat exhibition at another event.

We believe that we have cracked the code when it comes to engaging with young chefs and will certainly duplicate this model for future events where we want to connect and engage with them in an intimate and informal environment.