The world was waking up after lockdown, and ServiceNow Inc., a software company that helps customers manage digital workflows, was hungry to return to meeting its clients face-to-face. But ongoing corporate travel restrictions and employee hesitation caused by virus surges and variants prompted ServiceNow to hit the road with a 14-stop mobile tour dubbed InnovationPark.

ServiceNow envisioned a private, invitation-only event that delivered its workflow solutions directly to clients' and potential clients' home cities. But InnovationPark was no hastily propped-up podium from which executives barked the traditional wearisome talking points at barely willing listeners. Instead, ServiceNow engaged Experiential Marketing Limited Partnership (dba XMC) to create a curated campus-like experience that recalled meticulously planned tiny homes, where every inch has a function and every space is gorgeous and welcoming.

InnovationPark was a self-contained, portable campus made up of two 30-foot expandable pods from Mobility Resource Associates Inc. (dba MRA Mobile Experiential) and a custom, 400-square-foot entry pavilion, all of which could be moved into and deployed quickly in empty parking lots in cities on the road tour.

In addition to COVID safety precautions, the company considered the environmental impact of a road tour. The ecopods that created the InnovationPark campus were made from 75-percent recycled materials and were 50-percent lighter than portable environments of comparable size. The two 30-foot pods used 80-percent less energy than traditional expandable trailers, and the environment was powered by solar panels and generators. Additionally, donations to the International Small Group Tree Planting Program fully offset carbon emissions.

Welcome to Campus
But these behind-the-scenes details didn't cross the minds of attendees, whose experience began with an invitation. Account executives personally invited key customers and prospects to schedule a 90-to-120-minute campus meeting for groups of eight to 10 individuals from the same organization. Other customers received a link to a registration page featuring an introductory video from the ServiceNow host and calls to seize a unique opportunity to "discover the art of the possible" by signing up for the mobile experience.

In spring of 2022, the tour officially hit the road. The day of each event, the pods arrived on a flatbed trailer, and staffers quickly deployed the campus. When guests arrived at the arranged location near their offices, they found a five-phase, personalized experience that engaged all five senses. In a statement ServiceNow writes, "We were very intentional in creating a welcoming, personalized experience for each customer who visited InnovationPark. We wanted each customer to feel special and appreciated from the moment they arrived to when they exited the park."

Greeters in ServiceNow-branded jackets met customers with personalized welcome signs and walked them to the registration pavilion, a 21-by-21-foot truss structure. The interior featured dynamic lighting and perfumed air. ServiceNow's corporate shade of green was visible everywhere, from a bowl of green apples to a large screen that displayed welcome images and the guest company's logo.

After registration, InnovationPark staff members gave guests a custom cookie wrapped with the visitors' company logo and invited them to relax in the outdoor conversation area, furnished with a couch, two chairs, and a sun-shading umbrella. While they waited for their session to begin, guests were offered locally sourced, farm-to-table, grab-and-go fare provided by area food trucks. Attendees who happened to be from a food and beverage company found the conversation area well stocked with a sampling of their own products.

After eating, guests headed into the first ecopod, which greeted them with a calming scent and home-like soft lighting, designed to suggest a kitchen table ambiance. Premium natural finishes enhanced the cozy environment, but the technology in the pod was state-of-the-art. It contained three DLO touchscreens supported by mini Macs, a Logitech Rally Bar and video conferencing system, and a Samsung 85-inch 4K screen. One Corporate Event Awards judge said of the environment, "By engaging all senses of their selected attendees, ServiceNow created an unforgettable experience that will evoke memories outside of the event."

Guests experienced customized welcome presentations that let them know what to expect from their experience at InnovationPark. Presenters then guided attendees in a discussion about their business challenges, which helped confirm the agenda for the next phase of their InnovationPark experience. One judge said of this approach, "By gaining the unmet need of their customers up front, they were able to customize the experience in real time."

ServiceNow knew that the home-like environment would create a relaxed and collaborative ambiance, but they said they were surprised by how candid and vulnerable the conversations became. One ServiceNow employee says, "On many occasions, the account executives exited the pods saying, 'The customer never shared that with me before.' Their candidness created a sense of bonding and instilled accountability in the ServiceNow sales teams."

With pain points identified during the business challenges discussion, attendees entered the second pod where they watched a welcome video on one of three video content display screens. Then each member of the group received a sanitized tablet preloaded with their profile information so they could follow along in a guided tour of the ServiceNow software, projected onto screens. After their tour, attendees returned, inspired, to the first pod where they discussed with account executives how they could apply the software to solving problems within their own organizations.

The formal InnovationPark experience ended at this point, and attendees returned to the conversation area to casually engage with ServiceNow employees, often staying well beyond their allotted session time. The day after their time at InnovationPark, ServiceNow employees texted a survey link to attendees and asked them to choose a sustainable thank-you gift to help them remember their experience.

After the spring campaign, the mobile tour took a short hiatus while ServiceNow prepared for phase two, the fall tour. Event organizers applied lessons learned in the first phase of the road tour to the second phase to increase efficiency. For example, rather than rent a forklift in every city, event organizers chose to rent one for the entire tour. In addition, event organizers packed the moving truck in such a way that pieces of the entry pavilion frame did not have to be dismantled, reducing labor times. Labor times were further reduced as event organizers better understood set-up and break-down needs, which allowed for greater staffing efficiencies. And over the year, the event footprint decreased by 20 percent, further reducing labor needs and setup times. Observing early in the tour that guests stayed much longer than their 90-minute slot, event organizers increased session times to two hours for events that took place later in the year and relocated the InnovationPark campus to hotel parking lots so that guests could continue their conversations in the comfort of hotel meeting rooms.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road
InnovationPark was a wild success for ServiceNow. The spring tour met 102 percent of the target audience. Even better, the fall dates were completely booked, forcing ServiceNow to add additional dates to help meet demand. The post-event satisfaction survey revealed that impressed guests gave a 92-percent overall satisfaction score. Judges agreed, saying, "From the personalization to each customer to the thought that went into the user experience being customized and planned, this gets a standing ovation."

The road tour drove an increase in sales well beyond the anticipated ROI. The event led to the closing of 30 percent of open opportunities, and on average, InnovationPark guests requested two or more follow-up meetings. The program accelerated 69 percent of deals between April and December, 16 percent of which were deals that had a more than $1 million annual contract value. After that feat, ServiceNow should feel confident driving off into the sunset.E