Staging

The second Girlboss Rally business conference was held in New York in November, bringing together more than 600 attendees and 30 speakers to discuss the meaning of success. The event featured a feminine, cheery color palette of pinks, reds, oranges, and whites. The stage design by the Gathery offered a simple—yet stylish—backdrop of curved shapes that picked up the same colors and styles as the rest of the conference.

Sometimes, an interesting stage design can be as simple as choosing the right props and decor. For the inaugural In Good Company conference, a female-friendly event held in San Francisco in September, the main stage featured a plush green sofa, a patterned rug, and greenery by Natalie Bowen Designs. Bright Event Rentals provided furniture.

At the ASU GSV Summit, held in Salt Lake City in May, the main stage had an interesting three-dimensional design. Pieces of vinyl-wrapped foam hung from the ceiling and were mounted to the flat vinyl backdrop to give it the effect. AgencyEA designed and produced the event.

Held in NeueHouse Hollywood in February, the Makers Conference drew advocates for women’s rights from the tech, entertainment, business, and nonprofit fields. The 2018 edition featured discussions on the Time’s Up movement, the power of creating a collective group, and a speech by Hillary Clinton. Speakers—including executive producer of Divided States of Women at Vox Media Liz Plank (left) and Emmy-winning screenwriter Lena Waithe—held discussions underneath a stage backdrop that displayed the conference’s theme of “Raise Your Voice.”