AdWeek: Live Events are King

A hefty survey from Momentum Worldwide has some great stats about the value of events.

Event Sense

For most of us, seeing the word cat in a sentence wouldn’t merit a pause. But a recent Psychology Today article described what the occasion is like for someone with dyslexia:

…when dyslexics confront the word “cat” they instantly get a bigger network of meaning. They see, feel and smell cats.”

What a refreshing, creative way to think about a word. And a helpful strategy for event planners. Events are powerful precisely because they influence our senses – smell, touch, taste, sound, sight, and, the sixth event sense, energy. But too often, events are executed simply by lining up the usual suspects: venue, caterer, invitations and gift bag with branded tchotchke. INEFFECTIVE! And lazy.

To ensure you are making the biggest impact possible with your event, perform the following exercise during the planning phase of your event:

1. PURPOSE. Identify the PURPOSE of the event and reacquaint yourself with the BRAND personality. Every decision you make should be in line with these.
2. FRAMEWORK. Identify key opportunities for influencing your guests – from website to invitations to the event itself and any follow up.
3. IMAGINE. Put yourself in a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted and set aside plenty of time. Imagine yourself as the guest of your event and begin to work through the entire experience. What do you smell, touch, taste, hear, see, feel? What decisions can you make as the event planner that will influence these senses and payoff the brand personality and event purpose? Take notes but keep your imagination flowing, you’ll be surprised how effective the exercise will be if you can really put yourself in the moment.
4. CREATE. You probably came up with some brand new, creative, exciting ideas. DON’T IGNORE THEM! Find the budget. Convince the client. Uphold the integrity of your ideas. It will pay off for you, your guests, and ultimately, the client.

People will notice every decision you make, or choose not to make, because they are experiencing it. If you don’t have an answer and motive for everything people experience, you are not living up to your role as an event planner.

Harley launching new bike in NY tonight

The past few years, Harley has been amassing a pack of bikes that have gotten the approval of a younger generation. Collectively called Dark Custom, the bikes have also been launched with style. Renting out the Viper room for Cross Bones and tapping sweet artists like Bob Dob for Iron. And of course spinning great music and letting the PBR flow. Tonight Harley will be unveiling it’s newest bike for the first time at Ace Hotel. Can’t wait to see photos.

More info at http://www.harley-davidson.com/darkcustom.

New Year’s table setting

Is it too early to day dream about a great New Year’s host idea? Check out this idea from Apartment Therapy…

Table setting idea from Apartment Therapy.

I don’t know about you, but I always lose track of time at a good party, whether it’s New Year’s or not. Using clocks as a place setting will surely build anticipation amongst guests and keep people engaged with the reason for the party – a chance to ring in the new year! Excited just thinking about it.

Absolut Black Cube Party

Innovative lighting is going to continue to dominate this blog – just love it. I value music, but I really think lighting does more to control the emotions of a crowd. The latest example is the “Black Cube Party” by Absolut to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its art (covered on Notcot.org).

Every detail down to the straws captured Absolut branding in a way that accentuated the experience. Wish I could’ve been there!

Absolut Black Cube Party

3 things a haunted house can teach you about throwing a great event

Halloween is by far my favorite holiday. I love fall, I love scary movies, I love the creativity of costumes, but most of all… I love haunted houses. Haunted houses, more than most contrived events, get me to play along. Here are a few things all of us can take from haunted houses to make our own events better…

1. Play up the drama. Going through a haunted house is like participating in a play. The best haunted houses plan out details of the experience from the time you approach the ticket booth to the time you drive away. The experience ebbs and flows, delights and surprises. Treating your own event like a play will ensure your guests stay engaged and in the right mood. Balloon drops, surprise announcements, thoughtful touches as guests enter and exit an event, changes in lighting and music are all tactics that can be used to control energy. Simply sending out invitations and providing an event space is no guarantee your guests will have a good time. Your guests want to be entertained, so entertain them!
2. Cover the senses. When the goal is to scare someone, the creator of a haunted house understands they have to get into the psyche of a person. This means influencing all of the senses (well, taste probably isn’t relevant for a haunted house, but it will be for your event!) – touch, sight, sound and  smell. Think through all of the senses and consider how you can activate them for your own event. If you are throwing a holiday party, have wine mulling as guests arrive and they will be sent into a holiday mood the instant they walk in your door.
3. Push limits. A successful haunted house knows that to stay relevant, it has to evolve year in and year out. Doing the same tricks each year will only get it a reputation as a dud. Same goes for your event. Force yourself to think critically about how you can surprise and delight your guests. Is there a new trend in events that you can implement? Is there something newsworthy you can incorporate into your party theme? Don’t worry about pushing limits – better to take a chance than be boring.

Gee, who sponsored this event?

The scene at the Chicago Marathon finish.

 I don’t care if you have a nice logo with appealing colors, this is too much. I’m surprised the runners didn’t fall over from the visual gluttony of the Bank of America logo plastered one thousand times into their sight line. The event photos should convey a good experience, not the work of an over zealous marketing team. Logod ground runners? Fine. Logod finish line tape? Of course. But all that extra signage looming over the finish chute? Gaudy.

Key party ingredient

Love the new ad campaign for J&B (though I think it’d be better suited to a champagne brand, but I digress…). No party should be without a disco ball.

Green energy solution or cool party trick?

SonUmbra unveils a solar powered “tree” that uses strands of ligh-emitting fabric. The product was pitched at the London Design Festival as an energy-efficient light source for remote areas, but something tells me something this trippy will end up on the party scene. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hat tip NotCot.org

Making it tougher to show off

As if playing pool isn’t hard enough, now party goers will be distracted by flashing and flowing lights skimming across the table. Check out the new pool table by Obscura (Posted by FLYLYF http://www.flylyf.com/obscura-introduces-better-billiards-with-cuelight/). This will definitely be more entertaining for people watching the game!

I love creative uses of light and enjoy the increased focus on visual event elements as opposed to relying on music to “set the mood.”