ABOUT

Concept

Google wanted to make more of an impact with their annual fintech conference. Following lockdown and a sustained period of inflation, the industry was divided on best practice going forward. With the right execution, Google could position themselves as the preeminent thought leaders in the space.

So we united Google figureheads with key market players in Dubai for an exclusive collaboration on the future of fintech. This hybrid event tackled the complex challenges facing global fintech companies head-on, and provided actionable strategies to help them plan effectively.

Execution

Brand identity
The annual summit existed already as part of the “Google Think” series. This includes “Google Think Fintech”, “Google Think Tech”, Google Think Retail” etc. Our first task was to address a brand name that comes across as an afterthought, and bring it to life in a punchy way that can extend across the series.

We landed on a memorable acronym, GtFT, which launched as an evergreen identity that also created repeatability across the entire “Think” series (GtT for Google Think Tech, GtR for Google Think Retail etc).

We then brought our design to life by pushing Google’s design standards across print, social, email, and video.

Making history
With the brand in-hand, our focus switched to event planning. We wanted a venue that enticed senior execs, and Dubai’s Mohammed Bin Rashid library offered the perfect surroundings. GtFT was the first corporate event to be held in Dubai’s most prestigious library.

Communication and engagement strategy
From the off, we knew that this event was going to live or die by the attendee list. We needed to woo C-level executives from the industry’s biggest brands. And to get them, we needed an illustrious speaker list.
Fortunately, we were able to get early confirmation from the likes of Jason Spero, Nadeem Ladki, Neeraj Gupta, and Patrick Stal, which gave us some headline acts to promote across our invite comms. On top of a series of powerful and engaging emails, we created a teaser video to get the word out on social.
While we weren’t able to implement a PR approach due to budget constraints, we soared past our target number for both the online and offline events registrations.
Event management
We provided end-to-end support while engineering a two-day event packed with speaker sessions, private networking opportunities, and collaborative roundtables. The entire library was brought to life with GtFT branding – from 3D signage and floor decals to rolling big-screen footage.

Hawkeye managed all event deliverables, including creative oversight, communication, set design, on-site showflow, lighting, production, host direction, speaker deck and script reviews, while our remote team back in the office was on ground to handle everything livestream.

With the nuts and bolts secured, we set to work building out the event identity with a splashy and high-quality look-and-feel. From big assets like venue, main stage, emails, and print, to design flourishes like lanyards, stickers, and 3D signage, the event felt consistent and considered across every facet.

To ensure all 38 speakers were at ease on the big day, we set up dedicated briefings and rehearsals prior to the event. We worked with them to finetune their scripts, and reviewed their presentation decks too. We also art directed remote speakers from their homes to make sure pre-recorded segments carried the same level of quality.

We even created GtFT branded robes and scarves to make all participants adhered to the library’s strict dress code.

GtFT Dubai is now being promoted by Google sales teams as a way to increase revenue and further build relationships amongst their key customer base.
Results
Target KPIs for the event included:

500 participants
260 leading companies attended
50 countries represented

GtFT exceeded each of the target KPI’s and ultimately reached the following:

+1000 participants
356 leading FinTech companies in attendance
+83 countries represented