Case Study
Avalara FUSE
An upscale unconference designed to prove that partners were Avalara's most valuable asset
An upscale unconference designed to prove that partners were Avalara's most valuable asset
Avalara needed to launch an entirely new partner program. Simply announcing it wouldn't be enough. They needed an experience that would demonstrate, viscerally, that partners were their most valuable assets. And it needed to drive millions in real business outcomes.
We started with strategic discovery: interviewing over two dozen executives who managed partner relationships. We commissioned and directed the research, synthesized the insights, and developed the strategic vision. Through these stakeholder conversations, a clear picture emerged: an upscale business retreat that balanced business and leisure. Not a conference. An unconference.
From this research, we created the experience strategy that became the event playbook, defining every aspect from naming to spatial design to content format.
From the stakeholder research, we developed the core concept: US. Not "them and us" but truly unified. The name FUSE captured this perfectly: the fusion of Avalara and its partner ecosystem into something stronger, together.
We built a complete visual identity system around the event: its own palette, patterns, iconography, and spatial language. Distinct enough to feel like its own world, coherent enough to live inside Avalara's brand. Every touchpoint, from the pre-event gift box to the on-site signage to the digital registration experience, was designed as a single system.
The palette and pattern system were drawn directly from the venue itself. The Boca Raton is a landmark Florida resort: pink facades, tropical foliage, art deco details. We designed into that environment rather than against it, and the result felt native to the place, which made everything from signage to swag feel inevitable rather than imposed.
One of the most successful design elements was the custom-built Fireside Theater: an intimate 40-seat space inside the main conference area where speakers gave 25-minute presentations followed by candid, off-the-record conversations.
This wasn't a breakout room. The theater created a trusted environment where executives shared information usually reserved for closed-door conversations. Even with competitors in the room, attendees engaged frankly about challenges, lessons learned, and business strategy.
The format proved what the research shows: when asked to rank the most important networking interactions at events, four out of five participants choose "interacting with experts." The Fireside Theater delivered exactly that.
Every spatial and format decision was intentional. The main stage was crescent-shaped and set at eye level with the audience, not elevated above them. Runways extended into the crowd. We didn't push people through sessions. We set up the environment and let relationships happen organically.
Even challenges became opportunities. Three days of unexpected rain moved all dining indoors, transforming our experiential areas into what one attendee described as "a beautiful nesting ground for deeper conversations." The intimacy amplified everything.
Bold visual identity and immersive environments that made immediate impact
Clear messaging and experiential spaces for understanding business offerings
Unexpected moments, like the Fireside Theater and the concierge-style partner services
Environments designed for authentic connection and business development
The physical experience started before attendees arrived. Pre-event gift boxes, branded collateral, shirts, and lanyards were designed as part of the same system as the venue. Not afterthoughts. Not vendor defaults.
A complete visual ecosystem, built from the ground up:
The unconference approach worked. Partners engaged deeply, not just in business conversations, but in the kind of candid, behind-the-scenes dialogue usually reserved for closed-door meetings. Even with competitors in the room, trust prevailed.
"Many partner participants, who attend as many as four conferences a month, told Avalara's event staff that FUSE was their favorite partner event they had ever attended."
The biggest surprise? Business outcomes exceeded expectations. While Avalara anticipated most deals would close after the event, partners signed millions of dollars in contracts on-site, covering the entire event investment during the event itself. The design created an environment where trust, relationships, and business growth happened simultaneously.