…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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Hat tip NotCot.org

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.”

U2 360 Tour features extreme stage

Irish mega-rock group U2 kicked off their U.S. tour last night in Chicago. Ah-maze-ing. Now I’m not particularly a big U2 fan, but the thought and care they put into the show was really impressive. They made it clear they wanted each and every one of us to have a good time. How do I know this? Because Bono said so. And they built one of the largest, most impressive stage sets to prove it.

Dubbed the “claw” by Rolling Stone and a “space ship” by the band, the massive contraption had 4 giant arms that suspended over the stage. The claws were wrapped in white vinyl so they could take on the color of whatever light was shown upon them – this led to some beautiful sights. Under the claw and above the stage was a 360 degree video screen that could expand and contract. What’s more, the round stage was surrounded by a circular walkway set out into the crowd, giving Bono and his band mates even more opportunities to get closer to fans. Bono joked that, “We built this, if I can say this without throwing up, to get closer to you guys.” And I challenge any of the 60,000+ fans in the stadium that night to come forward and tell me they didn’t honestly feel a close connection to the band.

When people attend an event there are those first few moments of uncertainty. When you aren’t sure what the mood, tone or experience is going to be like. Part of you is waiting to see what moves the host makes, and if the host doesn’t set the right mood, the night will likely be downhill from there. Bono exuded a savvy from the moment he decided to build the “space ship.” Bono had won us over with that unique and beautiful stage before even stepping foot on it. Couple that with the confidence, humility and creativity he exuded during the show and Bono had us giving him every ounce of applause we could muster.