Tech Conference Event - Opticon 2023

In September 2023, Optimizely hosted Opticon 2023 at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina. The flagship event brought together 1,100+ global marketing, product, and technology leaders for three days of keynotes, thought-leadership sessions, demos, and networking opportunities. This was the first Opticon I contributed to as Optimizely’s first in-house motion designer, setting a new precedent for creating an entirely internally produced motion system without external agency support.

When I joined Optimizely, the company had previously relied heavily on external agencies for all event video and animation production. With Opticon 2023 only two months away, I took full ownership of the motion design and content pipeline, leading all aspects of storyboard development, motion asset production, and digital screen content delivery as a solo motion design lead. This required not only a deep understanding of Optimizely’s brand system but also rapid scaling of deliverables to match a large-scale, high-visibility corporate event.

Working closely with Alyssa Newman’s event design system, I translated Optimizely’s vibrant static design language into dynamic motion graphics and immersive animated content. I collaborated with graphic designers Joe Geoghan, Kadie Kohls, and Ellen Hossain, using their work as inspiration to storyboard, design, and animate custom visuals. Deliverables included:

– Animated brand assets and brand messaging. – Wayfinding animations for venue navigation. – Sizzle reels showcasing brand customers, milestones and next year’s venue. – General information screens with rotating content loops. – Animated demo station explainer video. – Opticon Online video contents. – Customer Award show animated assets. – Cohesive motion branding across all venue signage.

I created a flexible motion system optimized for a large event environment, ensuring consistency and scalability across multiple screen formats, resolutions, and orientations.

Opticon 2023 set a new standard for Optimizely’s in-house creative capabilities, with 1,100+ attendees, 30+ breakout sessions, and 70+ motion assets powered entirely by internally produced animations. By eliminating external agency support, the project delivered significant cost savings while demonstrating how a unified approach to branding can transform static assets into a dynamic, multi-screen experience that amplifies engagement and brand perception.