Chili's Grill & Bar Leadership Conference

Every year, Chili’s hosts a high-energy leadership conference for restaurant General Managers to reflect on the past year and align around future goals. For their 2023 event, Chili’s wanted to build on the success of a recent brand campaign celebrating their 1975 origins. The goal: create a visual experience that channeled 1970s flair while feeling fresh, engaging, and distinctly Chili’s.

We brought the conference theme — Living the ChiliHead Life — to life through a retro-inspired design system rooted in the brand’s heritage. We created a series of custom “patch” graphics using archived brand elements and layered them over denim textures to enhance the vintage vibe. These patches were animated for use in on-screen content, adding playful movement throughout the event. A new 70s-style mascot, Joe ChiliHead, became the face of the conference, while heritage photos and original brand imagery added authenticity across signage, presentations, and collateral. The result was an immersive, celebratory experience that honored the brand’s roots and energized its future leaders.

To channel the Chili's of the 1970s, graphics from the recent heritage collection were used to create custom patch graphics that were overlaid on denim. The patches were animated throughout the conference to add to the fun energy. The 70s-inspired mascot, Joe ChiliHead, became the official spokesperson for the event. All of these elements were complimented by the use of original Chili's images from the archives.