Crafting an unforgettable keynote for HubSpot’s INBOUND

Diagram showing "We're big on community" on the left with a smiley face in the word "big," and on the right a numbered flowchart with circles labeled 1, 2, and 3 connected by lines, asking "Why?" "What?" and "Where?"
Hubspot banner with text "Community opens a new door to growth"

Project background

There are no higher stakes for HubSpot than the annual, customer-focused INBOUND event. When INBOUND 2022 rolled around, a C-suite leader sought help crafting a cohesive, compelling, unforgettable keynote for the main stage. Partnering with Duarte as his storytelling sounding board and design dream team, the resulting keynote was so well-received that fellow executives demanded the opportunity to partner with Duarte for the next INBOUND event.

Industry

  • Technology

Services

  • Keynotes and events
  • Communication consulting
Illustration titled "Community" showing three interconnected network diagrams with nodes and lines in cyan, orange, and green, labeled with conversation bubbles asking "Are you trying TikTok yet?", "How's the sales forecast?", and "How's that veggie burrito?" against a dark blue dotted background.
Illustration of two disconnected electrical plugs with a sad face emoji between them and the word "disconnected"
Diagram showing the IDEAL framework for community building, with five connected circles labeled Identity, Discovery, Engagement, Action, and Learning, each represented by a letter and color, with a Welcome sign at the bottom.
Illustration of nested rectangles with the text "Dream big" in dark teal and coral, and "literate small" in dark teal and coral at the bottom, with a small coral square in the lower right corner.
Diagram showing "Audience" at the top with a dotted wave pattern of white circles forming a curved shape, and at the center a red circle labeled "me" with arrows pointing outward in six directions.
You belong. message in white text on a large coral circle centered against a dark blue background with a halftone dot pattern.

The results

Using a simple dot to create an engaging presentation

Our design team developed a visual identity for this presentation using a simplistic dot as the focal point. And that dot did a lot of heavy lifting. As the dot morphed and changed from one moment to the next, it not only crisply and clearly illustrated key messages, but provided a through line that kept the virtual audience engaged the entire time.

 

In addition to design, Duarte’s content developers helped this executive refine his existing keynote speech. When it comes to a high-stakes moment, brainstorming the most audience-centric way to say things is a key ingredient in delivering a memorable keynote speech.

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