The basics: Shepard, a full-service event production company, hosted its SandboxLIVE event July 15-17 at Loews Atlanta Hotel. Held for the first time since 2019, the gathering brought together 150 industry partners, speakers, customers, and prospective customers, and featured programming and activations centered on the theme of “Experience More.” Highlights included an opening reception and dinner; an education session with a keynote delivered by industry consultant Julius Solaris; workshops and networking sessions centered on topics like sustainability, AI, and leadership; and a reception with live music.
“This event was for our top customers and prospects, so that made it challenging and really pushed us to be innovative,” explained Taylor Elliot, Shepard’s vice president of marketing and brand strategy. “We were putting on an event for the best of the best in the industry, people who plan multimillion-dollar events. Sandbox was meant to educate them in areas they might not know about, give them access to the latest industry trends, and connect them with our people and network. That audience drove the innovation.” 
Speakers presented on a variety of topics, including event trends, sustainable practices, ways AI can enhance attendee experiences, and more.Photo: Courtesy of Shepard
A strategically chosen venue: Other than impressing this type of seen-it-all crowd, the team wanted the event to truly reflect Shepard’s robust capabilities. “Our business is complex, so translating that into an event that reflects our capabilities required collaboration across our departments—strategy, concept, design, and others,” noted Elliot. “When you experienced this event, you saw the best practices we recommend to our customers.”
Because Shepard typically works in convention halls, the team purposely chose a hotel that could offer a different vibe. They took over the ballrooms and outdoor spaces of the Loews Hotel, combining them to create one large room that could host multiple experiences. “For two and a half days, we had general sessions and breakout sessions—and then flipped the space to create a trade show floor,” said Elliot. “We designed it with intention, so attendees experienced different types of content and connection. It kept the audience engaged and on their toes.” 
“Design-wise, we pushed boundaries with a gradient we applied throughout the space,” said Elliot. “Curved structures are challenging in trade shows, but with one of our systems, we added curvature to stages, back walls, and kiosks. That really elevated the design.”Photo: Courtesy of Shepard
Capitalizing on content: Elliot wanted to take advantage of the experts in the room—and also make sure the content and Shepard brand were showcased beyond the event itself. “We set up a podcast studio and recorded over 10 episodes for our new series, plus customer testimonials. It was a great opportunity,” she said. 
There was also an engagement wall where attendees wrote their responses to a prompt, further encouraging interaction and sharing of ideas.Photo: Courtesy of Shepard
Engaging activations: The team also ensured guests stayed engaged through a variety of innovative activations designed to leave a lasting impression. Highlights included a charitable scratch-off game; attendees could scratch off different areas as they visited various booths, and once they completed the card, Shepard donated $50 to a nonprofit of the attendees’ choice. A more tech-forward moment was a pingpong table, where Shepard partnered with Zenus AI to measure attendees’ sentiments and calculate their likelihood of winning. 
Attendees were encouraged to step outside the main meeting space with a life-size “Guess the Show Photo” game inspired by Guess Who. Featuring photos from past events, this activity provided a fun and engaging way to showcase the team's work.Photo: Courtesy of Shepard
“We had a nice balance of analog elements, like the scratch-off game for donations and the Guess Who game, with tech elements like the pingpong game and AI-driven experiences,” said Elliot. “We wanted everything to feel accessible, whether big or small.”
The team also drew inspiration from other industries through moments like a branded beverage cart serving creative cocktails and mocktails, plus an evening reception with a floral wall, a dance floor, and branded trucker hat giveaways. “We get a lot of inspiration from outside our industry and brought those elements in. It created a unique energy, not just the cookie-cutter convention structure,” Elliot said.
She added, “I think we did a good job putting ourselves in the attendees' shoes and designing something we’d want to experience.” 
A flower wall featuring the event's "Experience More" tagline welcomed guests to an evening reception.Photo: Courtesy of Shepard
