Event creative direction and trade show booths
Concept, booth design, stage look, swag and signage for trade shows and customer conferences, planned around the conversations and leads you need from the event.
50+ international events in 14 countries
Content, brand and creative direction in B2B tech
I turn brand strategy into creative work that people notice, understand and remember. I lead video and content strategy while shaping the creative direction of campaigns, events and the wider brand - bringing together strategy, storytelling and execution across teams.
About
My experience is rooted in B2B technology, with the past four years focused on cybersecurity. I lead the company’s video strategy and contribute to the creative direction of all events and overall brand. I’ve also played a main role in both our brand refresh and website redesign, helping translate the brand into a more consistent and engaging experience across touchpoints.
I’ve built my experience through hands-on creative execution, and today my role is increasingly focused on strategy, creative direction and leadership. I still stay close to the work, creating 200+ visual assets across Illustrator, Figma and Canva Pro, and directing and editing employer-branding videos in DaVinci Resolve and After Effects for the past two years. On the content projects I lead, I set the creative direction, delegate work and provide feedback across our two-person in-house content team and nine-person agency team.
I hold an MA in Applied Psychology, which shapes how I approach brand and creative work: with a focus on what makes people stop, connect and remember. I bring together strategic thinking, creative direction and hands-on execution. I like a clear idea, professional and fun team and content that makes people feel something.
Recommendation
“She owned execution end-to-end… she sought out responsibility, absorbed new challenges faster than most, and never waited to be asked twice.”
What I bring to a brand team
Concept, booth design, stage look, swag and signage for trade shows and customer conferences, planned around the conversations and leads you need from the event.
50+ international events in 14 countries
Product explainers, employer branding films and keynote openers, from brief and script to final cut. I direct the shoot and lead the crew, editors or agency, so complex technology becomes a story people remember.
15+ product and brand films a year
Keeping the website, decks, social media, sales material and events consistent with the brand: spotting what is off, what to fix first and the quick wins, then turning it into practical guidelines and ready-to-use templates, so non-designers stay on brand.
Key role in a B2B brand refresh
Keynotes, networking and on-stage moments at conferences and company events, shot and edited myself, ready for social media, press and the company website.
01Videography
All the films below were directed by me. Some I also recorded or edited myself, and some were produced in collaboration with agencies or colleagues. In every case, I led the creative process and directed the film.
02Designs
Graphics I created myself in Illustrator, Figma and Canva Pro: campaigns, collateral and conference materials, each with its AI mockup.
03Events
Fourteen countries on five continents: trade shows, sponsored summits and a hosted customer conference in Oslo, built with local suppliers. Select a highlighted country to see the events.
Sponsored and field events Hosted customer conference
Select a highlighted country to see its events
Case studies
A six-figure sponsored booth at a 44,000-person show in San Francisco, and a six-figure invite-only conference for fifty top customers in Oslo.
04Swag
Seven pieces, two images each: the original design and a mockup of the finished piece. Selected, ordered and shipped against production deadlines.
05Photography
All the photos are shot and edited by me. The ones below are from events, since they show the range of my skills the most. Click any photo to see it full size.
06Leadership
Hands-on and calm under pressure. I set a clear brief, stay close to the work, and give feedback people can actually use - positive by default, always looking for solutions.
I own the creative direction of my content projects and lead the people who make them: an exceptional in-house content writer and graphic designer, plus multiple external partners. I align the stakeholders, set the brief and keep everyone moving towards one clear idea, from first draft to final delivery.
What an agency partner says ↓I brief, steer and give feedback to external motion agencies and animator teams around the globe, and own each project end to end, from brief to final cut.
What an event partner says ↓I created the Brand Champions programme, onboarded every champion into it and led the group for a year, with monthly one-to-one follow-ups that turned colleagues into confident, on-brand content creators.
I bring product marketing, sales, graphic design and motion specialists together around one story, and report to C-level on the work.
What my former CMO says ↓My MA in Applied Psychology, with five years of methodological training and research involving 3,000 participants, means brand, messaging and stakeholder communication are, for me, questions of human behaviour: how people build trust, where they pay attention and why they act the way they do.
A former professional volleyball player, national champion and marathon runner. That discipline shows up in how I deliver: I'm used to performing under pressure, recovering fast and delivering.
Chosen as the company's AI representative, and recognised with a company award in the Ambition category.
Recommendations
Feedback from people I’ve reported to, partnered with, and commissioned. Anonymised here, attributed by role only - the full versions, with names and contact details, are available on request.
“The breadth of what she took on and how much she continued to grow over the years was impressive.”
“Nikola was often forced to stretch and cover tasks across all functions. The breadth of what she took on and how much she continued to grow over the years was impressive. She ran integrated campaigns spanning digital, print, video, and events, managed 40+ international conferences across EMEA, APAC, and North America, and co-founded our “Brand Champions” employer branding program, an initiative she conceived. She had her hands in every marketing activation we did, continually displaying her versatility and capability.”
“…every time, the process has felt clear, calm, and very well managed.”
“Nikola is honestly such a pleasure to work with. We’ve worked together on more than five projects so far, and more to come soon and every time, the process has felt clear, calm, and very well managed.”
“…highly proficient and very switched on, with a great work ethic and communication skills.”
“While providing freelance design and illustration services for Promon, I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Nikola on a variety of projects. Professionally, Nikola is highly proficient and very switched on, with a great work ethic and communication skills. In terms of character, Nikola is enthusiastic, approachable, and would be an asset to any working environment/team.”
“…an outstanding collaborator and brilliant creative mind!”
“Nikola is an outstanding collaborator and brilliant creative mind! She consistently brings both fresh and authentic ideas and tops it off with a positive attitude.”
“When there's feedback, she explains the thinking behind it and brings strong creative perspective.”
“There is no unnecessary back and forth, and when something needs attention, it is escalated at the right time. What I also really appreciate is her creative direction. When there's feedback, she explains the thinking behind it and brings strong creative perspective. And on top of that, she is also very open to collaboration, which makes the whole process feel genuinely enjoyable.”
