A sponsor booth in seven weeks — Datadog's team arrived to run demos, not setup

How it went

Behind the work

1. 

   01

   Design scope checked before the proposal, the logo to the final proof

   When Datadog sent its brand guide, the rule it stressed most was never to invert the logo; as the organizer reworked sponsor graphics, we checked everything from the rules to the final proof. The day before sending our proposal, we asked the organizer and heard sponsors could design only the booth graphics; once the booth drawings came out, we confirmed it meant only a marked area within a 980 × 900 mm panel. In the organizer's final proof we caught Bits, Datadog's dog logo, color-inverted and asked for it in white; the organizer sent a fix the same day. Site photos show the booth copy as Datadog set it and a white Bits on the counter front.

2. 02

   Forms in two languages, a stuck payment covered

   Datadog handed us the organizer's order form; we set out the add-ons, slogan, and payment details in English for Datadog to confirm, then submitted it in Korean. Datadog wanted five lead scanners in total; we asked the organizer how many came standard, learned it was two, and cut the add-on order to three. Datadog was to pay for the add-ons directly, but six days before the event its payment process rejected the organizer's invoice. When the organizer asked if we could pay instead, we paid on Datadog's behalf by the payment deadline, the day before the event. After the event, when Datadog checked to avoid paying twice, we confirmed the add-ons were already paid.

3. 03

   A purple tote that took four weeks to make

   Datadog wanted a purple PP tote, so we checked the supplier's terms (about four weeks of production) against the event date before ordering. We compared suppliers and offered mockups of two option A designs matching the reference bag Datadog had sent, and a thicker, larger option B. Once option A was settled, we ordered 1,000 bags and received them four days before the event. When Datadog asked for more swag ideas, we listed what could be made in time, and Datadog decided against additional swag. After the event, Datadog asked us to add another 1,000 of the same tote to the quote, and we placed a new order.

4. 

   04

   The counter stayed put; the laptops got a cabinet

   Expecting crowds at each wall TV, Datadog wanted the TVs further apart and the counter centered, so we first asked the organizer if the template allowed it. The organizer said the power and wired internet setup ruled out moving the counter; the TVs and counter stayed put. When Datadog asked for more laptop space, we ordered an extra base cabinet as an organizer add-on and rented two high tables. When Datadog wanted to rent more monitors, we checked the organizer's bring-in rules; told other brands' logos must be covered, we prepared two Samsung displays. Site photos show a laptop on the cabinet and the displays and high tables on the right.

5. 05

   Printed materials ran short on site; 300 more flyers the same day

   When printed materials ran short on site during the event, we printed 300 more A5 flyers that same day. Earlier, Datadog's A5 flyer file could not be edited, so bleed could not be added, and we asked Datadog for the editable source and the X-banner QR code by September 2 to meet the print date. We added bleed to the files we received and sent the brochures, flyers, and X-banner to print five days before the event. On event day, at Datadog's request, we also had diaries and pouches couriered from Datadog's office to COEX. After the event, we sent the site photos to Datadog and checked with the organizer when the lead data would be delivered.