Anticipate, Experience, Remember

These three words can be applied to anything good in life, anything that brings us joy and makes us smile. The question of the day is how can this apply to our events? What are we doing to create each step?  How does it vary by type of event?

1. Developing anticipation. To do this you must have great plans in place for your event, plans you are excited about your guests experiencing and can play off of.

2. Creating the Experience. This must consider the objectives of the host and the needs and desires of the guests. It will often include tried and true elements, and then ideally special touches that will surprise, delight and enhance, touching a variety of senses to better engage, this is what part that creates memories.

3. Remember. For us on the planning side, creating the environment and experiences that will cause guests to remember their event positively.

Well that all sounds lovely, but how do we apply this to specific events?

Incentive Reward Trips
With an incentive program often the cycle to win a reward trip is up to one year in advance and from an organizational perspective, these trips are based on superior sales or service that contribute to a healthier bottom line. Building anticipation by choosing an attractive destination, creating anticipation through the launch of the next year's destination often at this year's meeting, and then using a great teaser campaign are all important steps in building anticipation.

The experience must then deliver the feeling of reward. This begins with the travel and arrival experience, and then with each piece of the puzzle, including activities, unique events, access to important colleagues, gifts and once in a lifetime opportunities that cannot be bought, the experiences are built. To truly create the feeling of reward it means that every touchpoint must feel special, and it must be easy - this is a week without having to worry as you have for the balance of earning this time away. It is most often shared with spouse or significant other and occasionally with families as they too have contributed to this success.

To create lasting memories that build loyalty requires a balance of time with colleagues on shared social experiences, activities that let you build on or learn a new skill, sometimes inspiring speakers who add depth to the experience and knowledge you can apply on your return, fun that engages multiple senses and time to reflect on the experience and the people you are sharing it with. Tangible items such as thoughtful gifts, photo or video memories and new skills will add to the remembering.

Association Educational Conference

The anticipation can come from the programming planned, from knowing you will see colleagues and friends you may only see at these meetings - the education and networking that are the crux of association membership are indeed critical to the anticipation. For new members it is about creating a sense of excitement tied to the sense of belonging and shared positive experience to come.

The experience should be built around these two tenets - great education which in its most ideal form combines formal, interactive and informal learning with tools to apply the enhanced learning on return to work. The networking should be throughout, not just at the traditional evening events, some of which may be buy in and some hosted (ie a welcome or closing). This is perhaps one of the most challenging areas to create experiences as you are dealing often with people from around the world with different expectations, languages and bases to draw from and a larger gamut of age and experience. This is about asking questions of those who know the demographics and psychographics of the attendees and building in variety to create a comfortable experience for the majority.

The memories will come from sharing knowledge with peers so you must allow time for this. The education must have relevance and be applicable on return for the value to be justified.  Memories that make you want to return again are based on connections, and will come from the opportunities to "break bread" with old friends and new enriched with conversation. For us, we have to provide food and beverages that are familiar and tasty enough in environments that may showcase a destination or a theme, with music that enhances the space without overwhelming conversation as this all becomes part of what is layered into the memory.

What will you do to build anticipation, create enriching experiences and ultimately create memories for your guests, the kind that make them want to achieve, and to return?

Details make it Special

When we are planning events, like in life, it is the small details that are remembered. In this photo Darth Vader saved the day by ensuring the awards would appear and could be delivered to the recipients. For the guests and for the character inside, this was less than three minutes of an evening's program, but one that brought delight to all.

When we are with someone special we can't possibly recall everything done together, what creates the memory is often fleeting... a touch, a glance, a feeling created.

When you receive a thoughtful gift, it is not the value of the gift but the care that went into the choice that makes it special, knowing someone thought of what you might like.

When we talk about events we often call them Special Events. Truly, who wants to create or attend an ordinary event?  What keeps me passionate about our industry is the opportunity to evoke memories.  The logistics have to be well thought out and that is the part that makes us professionals, but it is the creating that separates the fantastic event professionals from the merely good; the special events from the average.

It is always about creating an environment and then adding the details what will offer those small moments that make a memory. It is the combination of venue, lighting, soundscape and music, seating areas and decor elements, entertainment that engages and moments that surprise (as in the above) that will allow memories to be created... because we as event producers have created a space that allows for connections to happen.

We might remember an exceptional meal for the food, but if the most average meal is shared with the best company, it is elevated. When you have a fantastic meal and it is shared with brilliant company, then you have a special event that creates memories.

Many years ago I attended an event produced by a colleague. This event had the biggest dance floor we had ever created for a group of about 1,000 guests, all part of an association for retired professionals. The Dal Richards orchestra was playing, and when I came by to see this event, the giant dance floor was indeed full, with many of the octogenarian and older guests - mobile, in walkers and in wheelchairs having the time of their lives dancing up a storm. This is what makes events special.

What will you create next?

Cheers - to Holiday Parties

Why do we love holiday parties? Better question... do we love holiday parties?  I would venture to say YES and NO. There are the dreaded holiday parties, the ones that you know you will have to deal with the uncomfortable questions, the awkward pats and the drunken dealings, yet we still feel obligated to attend.

Then there are the parties we can't wait to attend. We know the company will be fantastic and we won't even get to to talk to anyone long enough, that the food will be delicious and easy to get to, the beverages sparkling and the music and atmosphere fabulous.

So what makes the difference between the two? (and leads to the many variations between)  It goes back to the basics

• the guests - invite people who you want to spend time with and who by extrapolating that would likely enjoy each other's company as well - a mix of old and new is great
• the venue - it should be inspiring, fit the size of the group well and have an ambience that works for whatever you want to create, whether that is a ballroom or a skating rink, a pond or a restaurant, your home or a nightclub...
• music sets the tone, so from all holiday to cool dance - choose music that adds to the tone of the experience
• food simply needs to meet the expectations of the guests - if they are expecting dinner, make it hearty, if it is a dessert reception - well you get the point - it is distracting to be hungry and unable to find food and then eventually irritating and you have to leave
• beverages should provide for the drinkers, the drivers and those in-between, offer a special cocktail/mocktail and the basics
• gifts, trinkets and give backs - are you asking people to give something that will go to a charity or are you having fun gifts on offer for the guests - both work but know what mood you want to achieve (giving and getting are both part of the season!)
• unless it is an event specific to a religious celebration, in this diverse landscape most of us live in, keep it about celebration and togetherness
• decorate to suit - last week we did a very traditional Christmas dinner and a "naughty Santa" event - very different, both very fabulous
• entertainment for holiday events should enhance - you may have live music or a play or a focal point that starts with or is followed by a reception to share the joy, otherwise let people focus on each other in this season of joy, and if for your friends that means rocking a dance floor - do it!

Like all events, it is about the details, knowing your guests and catering to their enjoyment. At this time of year, comfort and enjoyment are key - once you have a plan for your guests you will enjoy the event more too!

Happy Holidays!

Step Into Your Life - Lessons learned from Aron Ralston

Live with Joy

Today we had the opportunity to see Aron Ralston speak, and even if you have not seen the film 127 Hours (I have not) this is an incredible story, and an ongoing journey to a richer life with many lessons and inspirations that came out of this. These are the things that stuck with me.

1. When you get into trouble, STOP
1. Stop
2. Think
3. Observe, Consider your Options
4. Plan
2. "I am in the situation I created".  Take ownership of your decisions.
3.  Keep hope, even when you need to give up control.  That sounds complicated but there are times when you have to simply trust that it will work out as it was meant to be.  This might seem slightly contradictory to the above, but if along the way you have made the best decisions you can make then you can trust.
4.  It is not what you do that matters the most. It is who you are. Who you are is about how you love and how you connect with people.  Seek connections that enrich your life and ideally enrich others also.
5. Moms rule.  We bring you into the world and we will care for you, love you and support you like no-one else.  Appreciate your mothers for who they are too.  Maybe Aron didn't say it exactly like that - but that was the mom message this mother heard.
6. Live with passion and joy and pure commitment to what you believe in and want to do.  Learn what you are capable of one experience at a time.

The night before he spoke, Aron joined this conference for the gala dinner and evening at the request of the chair.  He was not in a requisite suit and tie and there were one or two people who asked "who is that?" as if this man who was not in the gala uniform had perhaps intruded.  How quickly we judge on exteriors.

What I saw on our packed dance floor filled with energy, people  dancing in couples, in groups, with friends new and old, was a man who had pure joy in the music and movement - his own and those of all around who were fully participating in this experience, his face lit up from within. I was attracted to the spirit of this person, and to others who were enjoying this time just as much, for their unadulterated joy in the freedom and the fun.  Although Aron as the keynote speaker closing three days of conference shared an amazing story with us, what I will remember is how he looked the night before dancing among strangers.  Live with spirit. 

Step into your life and be present for whatever is happening now and be richer for every experience.

Feel the Color of Every Note

When guests walk into an event, I want to make sure that they leave the event richer for their experience.  Every event will have its own goals and for our clients we want to ensure that once these are clarified, at every step of the planning we keep these in mind and create details that will add impact to the message.

Feel the Color of EVERY note. I want to hear the gasps as people enter a room to unexpected delight as they know by the soundscape, lighting and design details that this will be something special. They will taste the food more, enjoy the conversation more and feel the experience more deeply. Physiologically we have created a space where neurons are firing and their brains are releasing chemicals that add to their increased pleasure and their neural pathways are open to making more memories, more memorable connections and leave the event feeling sated.

A great event has peaks and valleys, swooshes of colour created both literally and through entertainment and activities that engage and excite, that make them feel alive and part of an experience greater than just themselves.  Isn't this what we all want?

The Pain of Being Human

We all recognize Pain. And Joy. It is what makes us human, the ability to feel across all spectrums. It is our ability to wade through what happens in this place called life, and to live it to the best of our ability that defines us as who we are. They are times it seems nearly impossible, and there are also times we don't win. When we lose friends and loved ones and feel that we may never be the same again as part of the life we were comfortable with is sliced away. Sometimes this is very sudden, and sometimes we know it will come and it is just a matter of time.

How we get through these times is always highly individual, and we each have to do what is right for us in this time, and the rest of us simply have to give support, time or space as needed, when needed.

When I was 30 my dad died suddenly, on the other side of the world. When I found out I naturally called my husband who had just started an 8 hour shift and had to honor that commitment (as his job relates to public safety). I went to the home of very special friends who knew they didn't need to do anything to make it better, I just needed to be somewhere that I knew support was. Their at the time 4yr old daughter was a joy then and now and she helped me refocus. Their son, then just 16 months old had never been a baby that was interested in other people. If you were not his parents he pretty much would not come or play with others. This evening he must have had an inner sense he was needed and he crawled right over and was content to sit with me from the time I arrived until it was time for bed - something that had not happened before (and now at 15 would never!)

Earlier this week and again tonight I have had people contact me to cancel social plans because they have had a personal catastrophe that quite simply has to take precedence. In both cases I was told over a written medium (email or text) and in both cases I feel there is no adequate response - that whatever I said was not enough to fully express how I want to reach through the the medium and wrap them in a giant hug and protect them and tell them I understand pain, and I wish I could lessen theirs, at this moment.

I know intellectually that we will all have times that we feel intense happiness, the kind that makes you want to burst. We will all feel the intense perfection of a moment, when you know you are exactly in the right place at the right time celebrating the perfect moment with the right people. That is joy. When pain comes knocking, as it inevitably will, I wish you the strength to give in to the pain knowing you will come out the other side, and the willingness to believe that there are people to support you and to reach out to them.

Being human won't always be easy, but we don't have to do it alone. For those of you feeling pain, please accept this virtual hug in the spirit it is sent.

Do you Believe in Infinite Potential?

As we (get older) gain more experience in the world there is often the tendency to default to what we know will work rather than experimenting with what might work. The word "might" always leaves the door open to possible failure, and the vulnerability associated with the potential to fail is an uncomfortable place we prefer to avoid. Potential-limiting.

Yesterday we had some friends for dinner and as the evening wound down we ended up with a small group discussing Einstein's theory of relativity, which suggests time and space are not as linear as we presume.  The interesting thing about this is the discussion was that it was a high level look at the possibilities, taking place mainly between a 12 year old and a 17 year old, the latter who had just written an essay on the subject for a scholarship application. The application is to Cambridge, who award four full scholarships to Canadians each  year. She definitely sees herself earning one of these spots. Infinite potential.

What if we approached our opportunities open to the possibilities, knowing we may be wildly successful... or we may fall flat and have to pick ourselves up and try again? Who was the first person to look at a stalk of grain in a field and wonder how they could turn that into something else? Who made the first mills that turned wheat into flour, or bakers that turned flour into bread?  We can imagine the first loaves were not spectacular, but the potential was there, and now we have literally thousands of varieties of loaves made from a seemingly unending variety of ingredients. Infinite potential.

When it comes to meetings and events there seems to be a default to the safe zone - open rounds or theatre style seating, presenters who talk at us, food and beverages that are easy to provide but often nutritionally light (think danishes/pastries, sandwiches with processed meat and white bread, etc.), and little room for feedback. Safe.

What if instead we considered the infinite potential of choice and gave the responsibility for the potential learning and connections to our participants? If we provided events that considered content, program design and meeting flow at every step? This might include nutritional, brain-friendly food choices, presenters who welcome feedback and questions using comfortable-for-the-participant methods (ARS, text etc.) during the sessions, attendees able to share content with each other both during the session and in white space, and ultimately where we collaborate and create a space where connections that allow  you to apply your new learning to your current situations can be made, enhancing your overall experience.  

Anytime you doubt the potential of thinking differently, consider how the people within corporations such as Apple and Oracle are considering the potential impact of each decision and making choices that ripple; or watch an episode of Extreme Home Makeover, where they not only change a home, they change lives, week by week, one thoughtful decision at a time. There is infinite potential if we choose to embrace potential.

What if we all looked at an old tree stump and saw instead a great place to spend time and contemplate?