Westside Commons Naming
Bringing the tradition of the fair into the modern era
Naming a property is a psychological game. No matter how much you prepare, research and come to the table with a strategic recommendation, at the end of the day clients are human and the first/gut response is always a subjective one of "I like it, I don't like it". That is why we start every naming exercise with a deep dive into discovery, project goals and research and set up the strategic criteria by which to measure every name we recommend so that we may, to the best of our ability, move past subjectivity and into a strategically sound solution.
After years of preparation and planning, Washington County was ready to transform its 100-acre fairground complex into a completely reimagined events campus which included the construction of a brand new, high-tech, state-of-the-art events center. With a $50M investment at stake, the name, brand and reputation had to elevate the property from the existing perception of a low rent fairground to a sophisticated high-tech expo center with the infrastructure to support national level conferences, exhibits and events.
We worked closely with the county project team and the talented architectural and interiors team at LRS to define all of these diverse audiences and user groups and understand their values. In addition to passing our stringent internal criteria the name needed to fire right out of the gate and satisfy on a diverse set of criteria:
Establish as a destination; honor the history and heritage while creating significance for future generations
Act as an invitation to the public
Be reflective of the surrounding community while reaching beyond the county limits to attract and invite broader participation
Support national class events while continuing the tradition of local and community events
Set the stage for future development
And most importantly, serve as a source of pride for the entire community
The Process
We started by creating categories to satisfy each project goal and created a master brainstorm list comprised of hundreds of ideas, and words, which we distilled to 8 naming option pairings—the primary name would serve as the umbrella for the entire complex and the secondary name would distinguish the newly erected events center. Since this was a public project, the name had to go to the County Board of Commissioners for the final vote. There were multiple rounds of presentations before the final recommendations were placed before the Commissioners for a vote. After 10 rounds of presentations to various ad hoc committees and public hearings, we went before the Commissioners to present the strategy, criteria, process and final naming recommendations. We were awarded a unanimous 5/5 vote to approve the new names: Westside Commons, home of the annual Washington County Fair; and the brand new, high-tech, state-of-the-art meeting and events destination is now called the Wingspan Event and Conference Center.
Naming is one of the most challenging and rewarding creative processes we undertake as a team. The reward is building a brand from its inception into a living, breathing manifestation of creativity and imagination. Check out the new brand here.