It takes a lot to stand out in a conference, especially in a ballroom, and with limited resources. But that was the challenge for us in mounting two exhibits and presenting cultural programming for SEIU at its Unions for All Summit in Los Angeles.
Over 1,000 SEIU members and workers from the Fight For $15 & a Union Campaign came together at the summit in Los Angeles to foster solidarity, interview the 2020 Presidential candidates, and hear their plans to make #UnionsForAll a reality. From interactive exhibits and open discussion, to live entertainment and vibrant expressions of California’s rich and diverse culture, the summit demonstrated how the next President could advance economic justice for workers throughout the country. BBOI was proud to work together with SEIU to make their vision come to life.
As soon as they walked in, conference guests got a front and center look at BBOI’s design-forward approach to event experiences through banners, floor decals, and the “Shine On California Journey” exhibit. The Shine On exhibit featured interactive stations in sequence as a popular education experience with informative graphics aimed at engaging attendees on the potential to transfer $11 billion in lost corporate tax revenue to provide vital services to working-class communities so they can thrive. As folks made their way through the Summit, the next installation for them to experience was our work in the “Child Care Providers Pop-Up” Exhibit. Situated in an area known as Victory City, it familiarized visitors with the history of Child Care Provider organizing, anchored by a large 28 foot, double-sided set of panels.
In addition to that centerpiece, BBOI also took certain icons typically seen in a childcare center and flipped them to be amplifiers for the child care providers. That included giant 7-foot pro-union teddy bears, giant 4’ foot ABC building blocks with union values presented and a giant 8-foot #UnionsForAll Lego man; all with a Big Bowl Of Ideas flair.
A crowning moment came at the end of Day 3 of the conference when one special panel we created as an addition to the others as a ‘signature/expression board,’ showed every Democratic presidential candidate signing it. An affirmation of workers’ voices, it will be a lasting memory and vibrant tool for accountability in the months and years ahead.
In addition to dynamic visual production, Big Bowl Of Ideas curated the Summit’s cultural programming for all 4 days which included Tongva activist Josh Andujo kicking off the conference with a land acknowledgement, socially conscious and tight beats of LA-based DJ’s Novena Carmel, Al Jackson & Anthony Valadez, and a beautiful performance by Jimetta Rose and the Voices Of Creation Choir on the Summit’s closing day.
At the Unions For All Summit, Big Bowl Of Ideas collaborated with various departments within SEIU to execute logistics and key elements of event production, cultural programming, and on-site assembly in preparation for the conference. The Summit was another amazing opportunity to illustrate the vast array of services BBOI is capable of when providing the full package in experience design. We’d like to congratulate SEIU on yet another powerful conference that not only unified workers from all walks of life on a national level, but built a momentum that will carry us into 2020.
