Briefing centres are designed to create an emotional connection between visitors and brands/products ahead of key meetings. Usually they provide some kind of staged brand experience before entering a more or less standard meeting space. For DATEV, we transformed this concept, creating a brand experience not before, but during the entire meeting.
We designed the floor plan, furniture, lighting, audio and fragrance, not to mention collaborative and interactive technologies, with the core of every meeting – psychology – in mind.
The customer journey follows Bruce Tuckman’s theory of group dynamics, with participants passing through the first two critical phases before even sitting down at the conference table. By the same token, deep dives and workshops take place somewhere else entirely – while laptops or smartphones remain left behind. Individual breakout sessions are possible at any time, without losing contact with the overall event.
The key point is that everything is designed so empathetically that all participants feel comfortable and valued. The moderator can also use various discreet installations to adeptly introduce a change of subject or focus on specific aspects. As such, the space is not only an extraordinarily stylish meeting place, but also serves as a catalyst for turning groups into teams.
In a digital age, in which real-life encounters are becoming ever rarer, the DATEV Experience Center represents a high-impact stage for turning such occasions into a dynamic and successful experience.