MarketWatch

MarketWatch, Dow Jones’ answer to the democratization of financial information and alternative investing, decided to bring the brand to the world of live events with the inaugural Best New Ideas in Money Festival (BNIM). The two-day event, which featured both in-person experiences and a full virtual stream, was hosted in New York City and featured a variety of interactive content for visitors. 

Built upon a unique look & feel created by graphic artist Toby Triumph, the Festival was conceived as the answer to the standard financial conference. Equal parts colorful and informative, the experience was held in Manhattan at Center 415. Approximately 400 guests attended in-person and another 1,500 joined virtually.

The Sequence team began with our Discovery process in order to fully align with our client’s brand, understand their priorities and develop a roadmap for this first-time event. In addition to delivering best-in-class programming, the goal of the Festival was to design an experience that would engage attendees in nontraditional ways, positioning BNIM as a creative and impactful alternative to the traditional investing conference.  

With simultaneous content on two unique stages, we aimed to deliver programming to the audience in a variety of mediums –  from keynotes to panels, live podcast sessions to quiz games, and both in-person and virtual Q&A. Stages provided a variety of seating options as well, leaning into a customized viewing experience. Speakers included investing legends such as Ray Dalio and Carl Icahn, as well as entrepreneurs and experts in everything from Real Estate and Energy to Crypto and Cannabis.

The guest experience started on the sidewalk with billboard-sized branding overlooking Sixth Avenue, and with vibrant design and unique touches throughout the entire space. Downstairs, the MarketWatch Lounge space offered networking and photo opps in between more intimate workshops. Upstairs featured the Capital Gains Lounge with a coffee bar and lounge, along with an Iconic Mints NFT Exhibit & Virtual Stock Exchange. Brand Ambassadors were available throughout the space, decked in event T-shirts and ready to direct guests as needed around the venue. 

Bringing such a unique event brand to life for the first time was a huge success, and we cannot wait to see how the experience continues to grow and evolve for 2023!