This past May, the BenefitsPRO Broker Expo brought its standard powerhouse lineup of speakers, sessions, and industry pros and it’s a great example of corporate events at the Encore Boston Harbor. As their repeat corporate event photographer for the conference, I was excited to reunite with this vibrant, smart, and fast-moving crew in a fresh setting. I’ve photographed a ton of events for Touchpoints Markets (formerly ALM), including last year’s BenefitsPRO Broker Expo at the Gaylord Rockies in Denver, along with three years of the Globe St Women of Influence Events.
Encore Boston Harbor proved to be a sleek, high-functioning home for a corporate events and it showed off a completely different side of Boston to me. I am excited to return to Boston this October with SPC Advance at the Omni Seaport Boston Harbor!
Understanding the Brand Behind the Event
BenefitsPRO Broker Expo is an annual event for health benefits brokers, agents, and advisors who are socially conscious, want to stay sharp and grow their business, and have a compelling interest in both their own professional growth and the growth and sustainability of their industry. With a thoughtfully curated agenda driven by editorial insight, this conference isn’t fluff. It’s fuel for thought and one of my favorite things about it is that they always have incredibly engaging and out-of-the-box keynote speakers like Gretchen Rubin and BJ Novak.
They brought me in (again!) to capture that energy: keynote speakers in action, attendees networking, breakout sessions, branded signage and sponsor setups, plus the organic moments that make in-person connections so powerful. I love working with Touchpoints Markets (formerly ALM) because they trust me to deliver the kind of images they need, same day, and give me the free reign and trust that I’m going to get exactly what they need. Which I always do! It’s the kind of event storytelling, independence and trust that I always dream of and allows me to really excel in my job. A great partnership with a team of event professionals that I get to revisit every year is my mf-ing jam!
Corporate Events at Encore Boston Harbor
I had never photographed corporate events at Encore Boston Harbor before but it’s a pretty standard convention space with a straightforward layout. Meaning, the flow actually makes sense, and you don’t spend half your day chasing attendees down a maze of escalators. We photographers love our steps but honestly, I get enough when everything is close by! Everything lives off one main hallway, which keeps people moving in the right direction and allowed me to effectively capture networking and candid coverage easily and without a ton of excessive steps.
The breakout rooms are easy to tailor to whatever the session needs. They’re clean, simple, all in a row (again, something I love because I’m not running down hallways or upstairs in each 45 minute breakout). The main ballroom pulled double duty as both expo and keynote space.
The lighting was a bit of a circus (the LED lights were ….. a lot), but the overall structure of the venue made up for it. I could move fast, cover everything, and still catch those offhand moments that end up doing the heavy lifting in their marketing, press releases and sponsor decks later.
What I Focused On (And What Clients Actually Use)
The priority for Touchpoint Markets isn’t just filling next year’s sponsor decks or pushing ticket sales. The real pressure is speed and shareability. BenefitsPRO’s editorial team turns around same-day recaps of breakouts and keynotes, and I work right alongside them so they have strong, on-brand images basically the moment they need them. That means shooting, sorting, and delivering in real time, sometimes within minutes of a session wrapping.
Here’s what mattered most:
Keynote Speakers: Gretchen Rubin talked about habit building in a way that actually made people rethink their Tuesday afternoons. BJ Novak shared the kind of candid, creative pivots that keep an audience locked in. These sessions were high-energy, high-interest, and I shot them with editorial use in mind. Clean framing, clear branding, and ready for immediate upload.
Breakout Sessions: Brokers want practical content, so I photographed these with tight, purposeful images that feel useful in recaps and not like generic conference filler.
Candid Networking: The real value often happens in the hallways and in the expo during networking breaks, lunches and breakfasts. Brokers catching up between sessions, conversations over coffee, the casual connections sponsors care about. These moments show the human side of the event and allow them to sell sponsor and expo space to future brand partners.
Branded Spaces and Signage: Logos, stage builds, sponsor booths, wayfinding, etc. These shots are the backbone of promo decks and next year’s pitch materials, so I photographed them clean and intentional.
Venue Atmosphere: The lighting wasn’t exactly friendly, but I still pulled wide shots and detail images that showed how the space functioned and what the event actually felt like for attendees.
Why Loyalty Matters
Working with the same team year after year means we hit the ground running. They don’t have to bring me up to speed and they know what to expect from my images and when. I know what they need, when they need it, and how they’ll use it. That relationship means less back-and-forth, more intention, and better results. For BenefitsPRO, it’s not just about documenting an event. It’s about feeding real-time storytelling with images that can be used immediately.
This kind of trust and workflow is exactly what makes corporate events at Encore Boston Harbor successful behind the scenes. If your company’s planning a corporate event there, or anywhere nationwide, and you need a photographer who can keep pace, deliver quickly, and bring your brand story to life, let’s connect. Reach out here.
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