Lateral Events
Creating an extraordinary event
Events are all about feelings, experiences and emotions. Creating events that focus on providing positive stimulus and greater than expected experiences is at the core of great event management. Perhaps your favourite player lost 6-2, 6-0 at the Australian Open, but if you had personally met Roger Federer during the event you’ll take home a memory, an emotion, that you will never forget.
Often events are created around sports, arts or theatre performances. You cannot make the favourite team win, make the tenor hit the right notes or ballerinas lift the standard of performance. Those things are beyond your control. What you can do, however, is to invest time in thinking through the experience and the emotions of your guests and seek lateral ways to make your event extraordinary.
It is staggering how many events are run with the minimum of planning and total absence of thought, let alone creative thought. People seem willing to invest significant monies putting events on, but they tend to overlook the need to invest time in planning and smart thinking. If a Marketing Director purchased advertising space in a magazine but did not invest in creating a great ad they would soon find themselves unemployed. However, some event managers don’t invest the time to plan a truly exceptional event and have been getting away with putting on bland events because expectations have been low.
Too many people seem to think that because they invite guests to an event, provide them with food, beers and a $15 cap emblazoned with the company logo that everything is fine with the world. It is not. You can do a lot of damage by not providing a fair return for your guests’ time investment in attending.
Key Considerations in Creating Extraordinary Events:
- Events are expensive – maximise the opportunity
- Invest time to brainstorm the planning for each event
- Look for original, impactful elements which will positively stir the emotions
- Keep your concepts contemporary – move with the times or better, keep ahead of the times
- Maximise the number of touch points with attendees
- Review the event plan with the value proposition in mind
- Have KPIs in place
- Clearly communicate the point of difference when inviting guests – let them know this is no ordinary event
Look out for next week’s blog where we give tips on Brainstorming Extraordinary Events.