Happy Birthday Harvard!
Harvard rang in the 375th anniversary of the College's 1636 founding with a momentous birthday party in Harvard Yard. The community-centric event kicked off a year-long series of activities, academic events, lectures, and exhibits. Amid rain and revelry, the University’s 13 graduate schools and 12 undergraduate houses paraded past the steps of Widener Library showcasing what makes each School and House unique.
As an Event Volunteer, I concepted, received buy-in, and implemented the visuals and props for the B-School's entrance into Harvard Yard.
70+ strong, the HBS community entered; a glow-in-the-dark, 6-foot, banner led the way. Unique to HBS, revelers had dressed to represent the personalities of the School's varied graduates (from Wall Street to Silicon Valley, to Capitol Hill, to international NGOs). The defining, common visual? The iconic black briefcase! With a few crimson-red briefcases thrown in. As an unexpected twist, all the briefcases flipped over, revealing brightly-wrapped birthday packages. Ringing bells and shouts of Happy Birthday could be heard all over Harvard Square as B-school revelers clang replicates of the HBS Centennial Bell. HBS literally rang in #375!
My briefcases-turned-birthday-gifts were a fun, visual representation, and definitely enhanced participants' experiences. I partnered with local vendors: hang tags were printed on a reflective substrate, a six-foot parade banner was adorned with glow-in-the-dark sticks); and I art-directed the production of dozens of same-sized briefcases. All made out of FedEx boxes :)
---
SCOPE OF WORK: Harvard Business School's Procession Concept | Experience Design | AUDIENCE: Harvard University Faculty, Staff, Students, Alumni, Donors, Volunteers, Guests, the Cambridge-Boston Community & the Media | PERSONAL CONTRIBUTIONS: Experience Design Concept | Vendor Relations | Banner Design | Creative Direction | Production | ADDITIONAL SUPPORT: All-volunteer Event Team | HBS Procession Participants
Photography: Chris Grosse