Originally published by C&IT, September 15, 2025
Author:
Jo Brown, Executive Producer, Emota
Like many people in the industry, I had another life before I found myself in events. Before I got into events production at 26, I went to drama school and was a stage performer before I switched lanes. However, a lot of the skills are the same, and one of the things that my theatre training taught me is the importance of a consistent creative theme.
Really, your theme is the heart and soul of the event. It’s not just a logo on an invite or a poster – these are only executions. Your attendees should experience an event’s theme at every step of their journey, so it should be thought about at every stage of pre-production, not tacked on in the last gasps of the planning process.
A theme is a storytelling tool; it’s the story you tell your attendees. Every touchpoint is a chance to reinforce that story – so how can you, as an event planner, make the most of your theme?
There are countless ways to bring a creative theme to life; it’s as limitless as your imagination, and as a producer, I want to ensure that every touchpoint of the guest experience manifests the concept. From the initial event invite, through the live experience – every session, dinner, and break in the agenda – to the very last piece of communication you send; if your attendees aren’t immersed in the theme at every possible moment, you’re missing a trick.
I like to start by making an exhaustive list of everything I’m producing, including physical goods, digital assets, and more. Every item on that list is a fantastic opportunity for my attendees to experience the theme. For instance, while there are obvious opportunities like registration site design, venue dressing and on-site signage, there are subtler ways to reinforce a theme, such as music choices, session planning and charitable donations.
Every project is different, and you could probably make a list that’s very different to mine; The point is to be open-minded to everything that could potentially be themed. Don’t overlook – or underestimate – small touchpoints.
The Golden Rule is coherence.Ensure thematic consistency across everything – and I mean everything. From the font choices on your slides to the music playing during breaks, every detail should feel intentional and aligned.
One project that really brought this to life was NEFF’s Sensational Souls Festival – a celebration for 400 of their top retail sales partners designed to deepen loyalty and create a night to remember. We shaped it as a dynamic festival, carrying the “Sensational Souls” identity – based on ideas of sense and sensation – through every detail so it became a vibrant expression of NEFF’s spirit.
The event’s sensory theme was a deep well of opportunity to create lush, surprising experiences. For example, one of my ideas was to place a piano on the festival field as something for attendees to touch and hear – as well as something to see.
As the event planning progressed, I realised that since our DJ, Sarah Lamptey, is also an experienced TV and live event presenter, we didn’t really need an emcee – so I reassigned the budget to bring the piano idea to life. I commissioned up-and-coming artist and personal friend Fi Starr to paint it; her work is bright, bold and often features objects, and the result was a vibrantly-decorated piano which became a moment of connection, creativity and joy, with many people taking time to play.
By strange coincidence, NEFF was also sponsoring The Piano on Channel 4 at the same time, creating a weird and unexpected full circle moment!
Keeping consistency across theming also creates opportunities to live your values as well. Something I hate to see in our industry is waste – so when we buy unique items for a one-off event, we should make sure those items continue their life somewhere else! I often contact charities like the British Heart Foundation, who come and collect it.
The painted piano was one such item. Fi had herself experienced homelessness as a young adult, so when I asked her if there were any charities that might appreciate the piano, she suggested Centrepoint – an organisation that had helped her as a teenager. Centrepoint was thrilled to take the piano, and when I visited later and heard someone playing it, it brought tears to my eyes.
That same commitment to theme ran through every part of NEFF’s Sensational Souls Festival. We turned the Fairmont Windsor Park lawns into buzzing festival zones – a mainstage for the awards, branded lounges, colourful food trucks and roaming performers that kept the energy high. Bold design pulled the story together with giant LED content walls, vibrant festival flags and a striking pergola entrance, all lifted by immersive lighting and soundscapes.
Instead of a sit-down dinner, we went festival-style with roaming serves, gourmet trucks and cocktail bars to get people moving, mingling and discovering. And because every guest needed to feel included, we built in tailored registration, accessible layouts and little touches like DJ song requests – making sure everyone felt part of the experience.
This approach to consistency should also be applied across both digital and physical touchpoints – even integrating the two to create mixed-media experiences and performances. Another benefit of my drama background is that I can look at an event programme and instinctively know the elements I can play with, and what it takes to get them performance-ready.
Stage knowledge from my theatre days helps me produce multiple elements together with specialists. I often work with stage designers to make sure we use the right materials and dimensions, and when working with the lighting crew, I also have a good understanding of what’s possible to create memorable effects and smooth transitions.
Play to your strength, producers – and communicate with your crew. There’s always something to teach each other.
Of course, this isn’t to say themed experiences are ‘anything goes’. A theme is a powerful pen that you should wield with care and respect for your client’s brand values and ethos. Look at it this way: a theme is the story you tell your attendees, but the brand tone of voice still guides the language you write that story in.
By making intentional choices across all aspects of an event, a theme becomes more than a concept – it becomes the defining character of the experience. It’s not just décor. It’s not just branding. It’s storytelling, empathy and imagination, woven into every moment.
