How increase engagement without increasing costs
One of the biggest challenges facing planners today is how to grow engagement among attendees all while keeping the stellar experience within a budget.
To better understand how this is possible, Smart Meetings chatted with Devon Montgomery Pasha, CMP, CED, director of North America for Event Design Collective.
To watch the full webinar, click here.
Aesthetic Design vs Experimental Design
When planners initially think of the term ‘design’ within their event, they may think of aesthetic design, such as layouts, florals and lighting. However, at the Design Collective, Pasha focuses on experiential design.
Pasha uses the example: if someone asked you to go across the street and create a building, would you ask questions or would you go off on your building mission?
More likely than not, you would want more details and information before moving forward.
“It’s not just going from problem to solution. It’s stopping to understand the problem. To fall in love with the problem. I like to say, ‘A problem is an opportunity in work clothes.’” Pasha continues, “For so many of us in events, we dust off the binder and we run across the street and just start building the building without knowing who it is we needs to serve and what size it has to be, what functions does it need to have?”
Having a better grasp of event design allows for planners to see their task from multiple perspectives and see the many ways they can approach any problems that arise.
Read more: Tricks to Create an Effective Learning Environment
The Big Questions
Pasha offered up some questions planners should be asking themselves when thinking about experiential design within their event.
1. What behavior needs to be changed?
While the question may stump some planners, Pasha says to look at it in terms of knowledge. Do you need more knowledge? Do attendees need to take away a new skill from this experience? What is the desired behavior?
2. What behavior doesn’t change if we don’t do the event?
What happens if the event doesn’t happen?
“If you can’t answer what and why, that’s the perfect opportunity to pause and understand the problem a little bit better. To see if that style of event really is the most effective in getting those desired results,” says Pasha.
Read More: Q&A: Stimulating Environments Energize Meetings
Impact is Not Expensive
Adding impact into your event design process won’t hurt your wallet or your budget.
“It could save you money,” says Pasha, “[It is] a really, common misconception that adding design to the process takes more and more money. Design is part of the process of time you already spend doing it.”
By adding experiential design to the framework planners can create a more holistic process of streamlining RFPs, spending and experience to save internal time on the planning.
“There are times to add event design into the conversation, every conversation during the planning process. Even if you can’t use the entire process from the beginning to understand the whole architecture of the event, you can still have the powerful conversation.” Pasha continues, “if you understand your prototypes and the values of the design, everyone’s in alignment. You use that as the lens to look at your RFPs, your caterers, your entertainment, your speakers and your experiences.”
Read More: What One Thing? Exploring Impact and Innovations with IMEX CEO Carina Bauer on IMEX Frankfurt 2024
Empathy in Events
The needs of the attendees are paramount at events. Planners need to be aware of the expectations of their guests and what goalposts they will need to meet during the event.
It is important to meet your stakeholders where they are. Do they need time to digest their breakfast before the keynote speech? Is there time to check emails?
“When you start having those frank conversations about your stakeholders and what they need, it’s really easy to meet and exceed expectations,” says Pasha.
The barrier of entry for attendees, whether it is a required event or a voluntary event, will naturally have an impact on the level of engagement.
“When people are self-selecting [to go] to that event, it’s almost more on the burden of the planner and the host,” Pasha explains. The attendees are choosing to leave their house, their family and friends, in order to spend time at said event, adding to the threshold of expectations.
“The burden is on the planner and the host to say, ‘we do appreciate you choosing to give us your time. We promise it’s time well spent.”
