CO-OPERATING AT THE CAPITAL WITH NCBA

A cause for celebration.

Every year since 1964, October has heralded National Co-op Month, a time to celebrate the history and values surrounding cooperatives, and the benefits they bring to their local communities. While individual communities have long held their own celebrations, in the summer of 2017, the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) decided that they wanted to host an event of their own to kick off the month on a large scale.

Along came plans for The Co-op Fest - a 2-day festival held on the National Mall in Washington, DC. With hopes to turn this into an annual event, and the prospect of hosting thousands of attendees, the NCBA staff needed to find a partner who would help them brand an entire event on a large scale.

From zero to one hundred.

The NCBA team required individual signage for each of the 25+ exhibiting cooperatives, way-finding signage pieces, and impactful decorative elements to really emphasize the NCBA brand.

Our team provided detailed product estimates and ideas on everything from the type of signage they should use, down to the best practices for designs on them. Presentation was critical for this first-time event - some of the cooperatives exhibiting included REI, Ocean Spray, Nationwide and Cabot Creamery.

Ultimately, NCBA needed over 100 individual display items to cover this event, most with their own unique design. In all, the order for the 2017 Co-op Fest took less than 2 months from initial quoting to complete delivery.

Great service, even better results.

The first annual NCBA Co-op Fest was a resounding success. Over the course of the two-day festival in DC, there were over 20,000 attendees! The festival was chock-full of free activities and live music, driving guests to learn about the impact of co-ops and the mission behind NCBA.

One of the event's biggest hits? The custom inflatable balloons! Adults and children alike were encouraged to play with them, racing to pull them along, and they were easily spotted in the National Mall's expansive lawn. The custom printed flags helped to illustrate the different types of co-ops exhibited at the festival, like Agricultural, Utility Services, and Financial Services. The inflatable arches marked the entrance and exit points of the festival, and the over-sized mesh banners transformed the live music stage from a simple steel structure to the biggest signage piece at the event.

The following year, NCBA returned to us when planning the second annual Co-op Fest to update signage for exhibitors and the entertainment stage. Their arches and balloons were still going strong and were ready for round two! The National Cooperative Business Association was able to have peace of mind that they could rely on us to offer top-level service and quality products every step of the way to ensure that we would help make the event a success, year after year.

Check out this highlights video with footage of the 2017 NCBA Co-op Festival on YouTube!