Wharton Global Forum

The Client:

Sequence Events has partnered with The Wharton School for more than 14 years, producing a wide range of events and experiences—including the Global Forum along with conferences, graduations, and awards dinners—across 10 countries and four continents.

Recently, the Wharton Global Forum returned to San Francisco for a two-day event at the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco, capped with a closing celebration at The Conservatory at One Sansome. (Fun fact: Sequence was also behind the Forum the last time it came to San Francisco—over a decade ago!) The gathering welcomed roughly 500 alumni, faculty, and business leaders for programming that featured 35 speakers, mainstage content, networking opportunities, and—for the first time—hands-on workshops.

The Challenge:

With so much anticipation surrounding its return to San Francisco, Wharton wanted the Forum to make a major impact. The client had three primary goals:

– Ensure strong overall attendance

– Successfully introduce the new workshop format and drive participation

– Elevate the profile of the Wharton Fund with a visible, high-impact presence

This Forum was more than just another conference. It was a chance to re-energize the global alumni community, reestablish its U.S. presence, and showcase Wharton’s continued thought leadership on a world stage.

The Solution:

Sequence Events partnered closely with Wharton’s team to bring fresh energy and design-forward thinking to the forum while honoring the event’s established brand identity. While Wharton led the program content, Sequence managed the full spectrum of design, production, and logistics—from scenic and environmental design to AV, fabrication, and on-site operations. The team also worked with Wharton’s Creative Director to ensure all creative assets felt cohesive and on-brand.

A key creative highlight was the Wharton Fund booth, designed and produced by Sequence as the centerpiece of the gallery outside the mainstage. The booth combined print and digital storytelling to create a dynamic showcase that drew steady foot traffic and became a focal point for attendees. 

Sequence also elevated the mainstage environment with a dimensional scenic design that featured staggered red and blue flats, a slightly raised 3D Wharton logo, flanking LED walls, and a slatted shield framework with integrated LED lighting. Split wall elements added depth and ensured strong sightlines, resulting in a polished, visually cohesive focal point for the program.

The Results:

This project showcased the power of seamless collaboration. Sequence worked in tandem with Wharton’s Creative Director to implement a unified creative direction, environmental design, and fabrication concepts. The result was a unified visual language that felt elevated, consistent, and distinctly Wharton.

The 2025 Forum exceeded expectations:

– Attendance was strong, with ~500 alumni, faculty, and business leaders convening for one of the most successful U.S. forums in recent history.

– Workshops were a runaway success, drawing standing-room-only crowds and generating a waitlist even before the forum began.

– The Wharton Fund booth commanded attention as the event’s centerpiece, significantly raising the fund’s profile.

Wharton’s team praised the creative execution and collaborative process, noting that the partnership with Sequence allowed them to push the forum into new territory without losing the brand’s identity. The result: a high-impact return to U.S. soil that left alumni energized and inspired.

The Kind Words:

“SEQ was a great partner—they know the Wharton brand and standard, and [our account manager] was great at managing all the details and took all of our feedback into account at every turn. … Working with this team was the best, and easiest, part of this whole forum!” —Kate Caccavo, The Wharton School