Described as “three days of tech value by design,” TBM’s annual convention offered insights into TBM standards and career advancement in technology leadership. Brite Ideas provided audio visual services for the entire event bringing to life this year’s theme of “TBM by Design.” See how we added our own splashes of technological color throughout the TBM Conference 2025.
TBM Conference 2025 Pushes Onward in The Changing Technology Realm
TBM Conference 2025 is hosted by the TBM Council in partnership with Apptio. They brought together “a global community of technology, finance, and business leaders” ready to explore this year’s theme. It took place in its inaugural year at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Florida. It has previously occurred in Austin and San Diego.
The conference is a gathering of IBM finance leaders to share strategies, learn from their peers, and push forward the future of TBM (Technology Business Management) in IT financial management. Spread across engaging panels, keynotes and breakout sessions, attendees get a front-row look at how organizations make their decisions.
Other highlights include TBM product announcements, with news shared on AI elevations, new integrations, and the introduction of new capabilities and features. Attendees gain inspiration while also walking away with a road map for action. These goals were summarized best in the opening address by TBM Council Executive Director, Matt Guarini.
“Our ambition for TBM is to be the indispensable global standard for every organization to unleash the full potential of their technology.”
Matt Guarini, TBM Council Executive Director
Considered their most valuable conference event of the year, the level of value packed into three days did not mean it was all work and no play. The conference both motivates industry members for the coming year while providing a break from their everyday norms. Many creative event activations were provided for connection and relaxation:
- Coffee provided by charity partner Java Joy
- Puppy cuddles with Miami Animal Rescue
- Oversized Paint By Numbers Station
- Palm Royale–themed closing party
It was within this environment that we found ourselves providing the event production services for the full breadth of these conference events.
Bringing Our Event Technology Expertise to The Table
TBM Conference 2025 marked having worked this conference for four years running in partnership with ITA Group who led project management for the entire event. This also marked a history of collaboration with ITA Group including other corporate events.
Our role as technical partner and event production team for the conference meant we provided the technical solutions for nearly everything. The following was the scope of these audio visual production services.
EVENT CAPABILITIES
Lighting, audio, video, rigging, and stage set design for the following events:
- 4 Main Stage Keynote Sessions
- 15 Breakout Sessions
- 2 Larger Breakout Sessions
- Closing Awards Party
While the Apptio team provided the content creation, we contributed to ideation and content coordination ensuring that everyone received what they needed. Our creative team was able to assist in coming up with visuals and design the looks on stage that worked in tandem with the created content.
We contributed specifically to the visuals for the colorful LED tubing design used in the stage backdrop. The video header bar at the top of the stage was also a very small detail that turned out to be a hit!
EVENT CHALLENGES
Even after having worked the event for multiple years, this year’s iteration wasn’t without its challenges. Through great effort and thinking outside of the box, we were still able to provide the event tech services for all three event areas (breakouts, keynote main stage, Expo Hall).
The venue itself presented the first difficulty since the site does not have a dedicated loading dock. This created a logistical challenge to getting our AV gear into the building. Fortunately, we had previously been to the Fontainebleau Miami Beach and knew what to expect.
Our production team still had to set up 20 breakout rooms, the keynote stage, and the awards area in a very complex and complicated load-in. We had a plan going into it and it soon became necessary to change that plan and put our team into overtime. Our crew was able to adapt with the event’s many moving parts and in the end our efforts produced great results. We were able to overcome the challenges presented to us!
EVENT REFLECTIONS
The TBM Conference 2025 experience points to a foundation laid by our CEO, Greg Christy who made troubleshooting the bread and butter of Brite Ideas. Providing creative problem-solving is the backbone of a successful show which is one of the reasons why we are brought back year after year.
Creative problem-solving really comes down to facts and numbers and this year was really about the team and the obstacles they overcame. We look forward to the many follow-ups to this year’s conference in Florida and beyond!
Vendors
Production Fulfillment | Brite Ideas
Client/Project Management | ITA Group
Conference Hosts | TBM Council
Conference Host & Content Creation | Apptio
Venue | Fontainebleau Miami Beach
Photographer | Dro Photo & Video
