American Chamber of Commerce Thanksgiving 2025
Client: The American Chamber of Commerce in South Africa
Period: 2025
Awards & events
01 The sneak-peek
Shared tables, shared futures
AmCham's flagship Thanksgiving Dinner gathers 400 business leaders, diplomats and officials around the US–South Africa relationship. BBA Liminal gave the evening a single idea – "Shared tables, shared futures" – and carried it across collateral, an animated film and the press story, holding diplomatic weight and warm celebration in the same room.
02 The liminal moment
The Thanksgiving Dinner had to do two things at once. Falling near the B20 discussions, with high-profile political attendance in prospect, it carried real diplomatic significance — yet it was still a dinner, a celebration of gratitude. The threshold was that balance: celebratory enough for a dinner party, substantial enough for diplomacy.
The brief asked for comprehensive creative and communications support — a unifying theme to carry across sponsorship materials, printed collateral, stage design and multimedia; a motion graphic to translate complex investment statistics into something an audience could feel; and post-event press communications. The deeper problem was positioning: how to frame the US–South Africa relationship, for a room of 400 leaders, so it read as a partnership of equals — at a moment when the politics around it were anything but simple.
03 The transformation
We wrote a theme that did the work. 'Shared tables, shared futures' honoured Thanksgiving's gathering tradition while framing the US–South Africa relationship as a partnership of equals. The idea held across every surface, from the sponsor wall to the press release, so the evening spoke with one voice.
We brought one practice to many disciplines. The project drew on BBA Liminal's full range — strategic positioning, graphic design, motion-graphics scripting, event collateral and press copywriting. Holding them in one place kept the voice and visual language consistent across print, digital and the room itself.
We turned watching into taking part. A pledge card invited each guest to commit to a specific action — mentoring a student, backing a community initiative, championing a cause. It made attendance active, and doubled as entries for a Delta Airlines prize draw that kept the energy up all evening.
04 The craft
Gratitude, given weight
One idea set across the whole room — sponsor wall to screen. The 48-second motion graphic gave each statistic a story: when the film revealed that 80% of American investment goes to skills development, the room saw a shared commitment to South Africa's future workforce, not a percentage.
01 The sneak-peek
Shared tables, shared futures
AmCham's flagship Thanksgiving Dinner gathers 400 business leaders, diplomats and officials around the US–South Africa relationship. BBA Liminal gave the evening a single idea – "Shared tables, shared futures" – and carried it across collateral, an animated film and the press story, holding diplomatic weight and warm celebration in the same room.
02 The liminal moment
The Thanksgiving Dinner had to do two things at once. Falling near the B20 discussions, with high-profile political attendance in prospect, it carried real diplomatic significance — yet it was still a dinner, a celebration of gratitude. The threshold was that balance: celebratory enough for a dinner party, substantial enough for diplomacy.
The brief asked for comprehensive creative and communications support — a unifying theme to carry across sponsorship materials, printed collateral, stage design and multimedia; a motion graphic to translate complex investment statistics into something an audience could feel; and post-event press communications. The deeper problem was positioning: how to frame the US–South Africa relationship, for a room of 400 leaders, so it read as a partnership of equals — at a moment when the politics around it were anything but simple.
03 The transformation
We wrote a theme that did the work. 'Shared tables, shared futures' honoured Thanksgiving's gathering tradition while framing the US–South Africa relationship as a partnership of equals. The idea held across every surface, from the sponsor wall to the press release, so the evening spoke with one voice.
We brought one practice to many disciplines. The project drew on BBA Liminal's full range — strategic positioning, graphic design, motion-graphics scripting, event collateral and press copywriting. Holding them in one place kept the voice and visual language consistent across print, digital and the room itself.
We turned watching into taking part. A pledge card invited each guest to commit to a specific action — mentoring a student, backing a community initiative, championing a cause. It made attendance active, and doubled as entries for a Delta Airlines prize draw that kept the energy up all evening.
04 The craft
Gratitude, given weight
One idea set across the whole room — sponsor wall to screen. The 48-second motion graphic gave each statistic a story: when the film revealed that 80% of American investment goes to skills development, the room saw a shared commitment to South Africa's future workforce, not a percentage.
Brand & communications strategy
Audiovisual & motion
Copywriting
Publication & editorial design
Brand identity design
Positioning & narrative
