Lost in Space

A new friend stopped by my house for the first time a couple of weeks ago. As she was leaving, she described our home and her experience in it as “so you.” I knew exactly what she meant and it was the perfect compliment. Our physical spaces, our homes, are extensions of who we are as families, as individuals……..and in a business setting, as brands. 

Companies and organizations spend a lot of time and money creating and protecting their brands. They design logos and develop websites that tell the world who they are and what they’re selling. What about the places where their employees and customers spend time? What story does their physical space tell? 

In late 2016, our team began planning for a complete renovation of our office space and we asked ourselves those same questions. With 60+ members of our team and close to 7,000 guests using our space each year, this was a perfect opportunity to make sure that our brand – and our story – didn’t get lost in the space. Here’s how we did it.

Our team is all about Georgia. Our main focus is growing this great state that we all call home. We do that by helping businesses and providing opportunities for our fellow Georgians to succeed. It’s the best place to grow a business, and the perfect place to live your best life. That’s our story- and we needed our physical space to help tell it. 

Known as the “Barometer of Boom,” this digital canvas uses data and animation to creatively show Georgia’s momentum by cycling through artful animations of key Georgia statistics:

- Overall job growth

- Economic growth

- Growth in technology jobs

We consider every city throughout Georgia to be one of our hometowns. To highlight the places and accomplishments that make our home state so special, we built a “Hometown Hall of Fame” in the Georgia Experience Center. 

We combined one-of-a-kind technology and great storytelling in our new space with the creation of the Immersion Room. It’s an interactive presentation experience that leaves a lasting impression on guests and reinforces the great story that our state has to tell through topics including: Business Environment, Talent, Lifestyle, Innovation and Infrastructure.

Our team thrives on innovation so it was important that we created a physical space that screamed “innovation” to the world. We love to tinker with new technologies and ideas, which results in the products and services that we’re known for. The Georgia Experience Center highlights that innovative spirit with modern design and the latest presentation technologies. Our engineering team now has one of the largest video walls around to use as a canvas for displaying their incredible drone tours of the state. 

Speaking of canvases, we partnered with renowned local artist, Will Massey, to create a unique wall sculpture. This sculpture was created using materials provided by community leaders all over the state. They each chose objects that represent their region of Georgia. From these items, Will created an incredible work of art that represents the vibrant diversity of our state. 

Another way we used our space to tell the Georgia story is with our naming convention. Most offices name their meeting and shared spaces, but we wanted ours to be a little different. Each room is named for a big event or success story in Georgia throughout the decades. Simply walking through the space gives you a sense of growth and celebration through these stories. 

Our hope is that when guests leave our space they have that same feeling of "us" that my friend did visiting my house. That the story and sense of possibility in the state of Georgia stays with them. Even if you're not up for a big renovation, adding elements of your story can really be done in any capacity. Each element you add should give life to your brand, making your space and your staff an extension of your story.