North American Division General Conference Session Exhibit Space

“Types & Symbols expertly managed the NAD’s complex exhibit space with both big-picture vision and attention to detail. They coordinated seamlessly with more than two dozen stakeholders, creating exhibits that reflected each group’s needs while coming together as a cohesive whole. They also identified cost savings without ever compromising quality or the visitor experience.”

—Kimberly Maran

The Opportunity

In preparation for the 2025 General Conference Session, the North American Division invited us to partner with them on the design of their 30,000 square foot exhibit experience. The space balanced each ministry's unique identity within consistent structural elements in order to showcase NAD's "Together in Mission" theme. There were 20 ministries and 14 educational institutions represented along with interactive features including a podcast studio with live broadcasts taking place throughout GC Session.

The Team
  • Kimberly Maran

    Director, Office of Communication

  • Rick Remmers

    Assistant to the President

The Process

About a year before the July 2025 GC Session, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work. The first task? Figuring out the floor plan. After working through around 30 variations, there was space assigned for the NAD welcome and strategic focus areas, a combined ministry space, 20 individual ministries, 14 higher education institutions, five storage areas, and even a podcast recording studio.

Once the foot print was set, it was time to bring it to life. The challenge was clear: how do we let each ministry’s personality and branding shine while still telling one unified NAD story to a global audience? We started with quick pencil sketches, playing with ideas until a cohesive style began to emerge. A few simple rules—a shared color palette and refined typography—helped the NAD-focused areas stand apart without overpowering the ministries.

With technical drawings from the production vendor in hand, we met with each ministry to dream up their space. Some wanted bold visuals, others focused on welcoming conversations and connections. Meeting by meeting, sketch by sketch, each booth started to take shape. By the end, the NAD areas and ministry spaces felt like pieces of the same puzzle—different in all the right ways, yet clearly part of the same bigger picture.

The Details

A booth of this scale doesn’t come together by accident—it’s a puzzle of countless pieces. Audio/visuals, furniture, electrical orders, plants, carpet, giveaways—every element had to be tracked to keep the exhibit running smoothly. As designs wrapped up before GC Session, each panel became its own print file. Hundreds of files later, we were double-checking dimensions, making sure every piece would fit perfectly.

When setup began in St. Louis, our team was on the ground bringing the puzzle to life—placing plants, catching misprints, and making sure each booth went up as planned. Piece by piece, the full exhibit came together, ready to tell a cohesive story to every attendee.

The Results

As GC Session began, the NAD's exhibit space welcomed attendees with a powerful and immersive visualization of their "Together in Mission" strategic focus.

Some of the experiences included:

  • An interactive 3M wall displaying the Media, Multiply, and Mentorship aspects of the NAD’s mission
  • An interactive screen where visitors could tap a cover of Adventist Journey magazine to watch video story of the featured member
  • A Combined Ministries booth where smaller ministries could share a space and connect with members
  • 360-degree photo booth in the Ministerial Association space
  • A dedicated podcast recording studio where NAD ministries could create content with special guests during the event

Photography courtesy of Josef Kissinger, Brett Meliti, and North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists (Art Brondo, Melvin Donadelle Jr., Katie Fellows, Rohann Wellington).