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EMEC: Your event has its own dreams—and a story to tell

By Blair Potter | Feb 4, 2025

You should think of your meeting or event as if it were a person, according to Nils Roemen, who will be presenting the plenary session “The Power of Mesmerizing Moments” during MPI’s European Meetings & Events Conference (EMEC), 22-25 February in Istanbul.

“Your event has its own dreams, intentions and reasons for inviting people to attend,” says Roemen, experience designer for the Experience Experts. “It has a story to tell—and like any good story, there's always a challenge at its core. You can use that challenge to engage attendees right from the start.”

For instance, he says, you can begin your invitation with a character who presents a personal call to action.

“Imagine opening with a line like, ‘Hey there, I need your help…’” Roemen says. “This immediately sparks curiosity. People love helping others—it makes them feel like heroes. By framing the event around a shared challenge, you create a sense of purpose and connection.”

As an example, he says he once designed an invitation to immerse attendees in an adventure centered on the history of Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

“By making them part of the story and its challenge, we drew them into an unforgettable experience,” Roemen says. “This approach turns attendees into active participants, making the event more meaningful and memorable (here’s a video example).”

We spoke with Roemen about making more personal connections at events and AI’s role in event engagement.

How can meeting planners modify their approach to events in order to more personally connect with attendees?

As a meeting planner, you don’t want your event to turn into a “dance of missed opportunities.” That happens when you rely too much on cookie-cutter programs and focus only on attracting large audiences. So, how do you create genuine connections with your attendees? Here are some thoughts:

  1. Start with a clear objective. Ask yourself: “What do I want to achieve with this event?” Once you’re clear on your goal, follow up with: “Is an event the best way to reach that goal?”
  2. The universal law of size. The bigger the broader, the smaller the deeper. That’s it. To foster personal interaction​ one needs to slow down and create small well aimed interactions. It's not about how many people attend, but about how meaningful the experience is. So focus on smaller, intimate moments.
  3. Do what they hope not what they expect. If you do what someone expects you will never ever surprise them. From my experience, most attendees expect a predictable agenda: coffee, keynote speaker, breakout sessions, networking and maybe a takeaway apple and water bottle. But what do they hope for? Many attendees want to be inspired, meet new people and leave feeling energized. By uncovering these hopes, you can design programs that leave a lasting impression.
  4. Get to Know Your Guests. Want real connection? Become a detective. Discover what excites your attendees, what dreams they have and what truly matters to them. Craft an event that speaks directly to those desires​​.
  5. Create moments of genuine interaction. Personal connection thrives in moments of undivided attention. Think of intimate settings, such as fireside chats or environments that encourage deep reflection and authentic conversation​​.
  6. Use technology without losing the human touch. AI and other tools can assist in organizing and communicating your event. However, the core of a successful event lies in human presence: observing, listening and responding to what your attendees truly need​.

By following this approach, you’ll not only connect your audience to the event’s content but also to each other and to you as the organizer. This creates meaningful, memorable experiences that stay with them long after the event ends.

I know you’ve spent a lot of time focusing on AI. Can you tell us something you learned about engaging with AI that could be useful for meeting planners?

There are soooo many ways AI can help—it’s almost overwhelming. But to keep things simple, AI is great at five core tasks: generating text, images, videos, music and even code. It does this by processing massive amounts of data at lightning speed.

The easiest way to think about AI’s role in event production is to map out all the tasks involved in planning your event. For almost every task, you can create a custom AI assistant (think of it as a teammate with a specific role). These custom assistants can act as your storyteller, event schedule planner, marketing expert—or even a risk manager.

Let me introduce you to one of these custom AIs I created: Blue Bill. He’s the classic skeptic in the room—the one who always points out risks, raises objections and finds potential flaws. Annoying? Sure. But also essential. This kind of feedback can make your event concept much stronger by forcing you to address potential challenges head-on.

I use Blue Bill whenever I’m brainstorming event ideas, and now, for MPI EMEC, I’ll be sharing him with you. Give it a try—share your event concept with him and see what feedback you get.

Trust me, your idea will come out sharper and more refined. Just remember to be nice to Bill! Click here to start your conversation with Bill.

What do you hope EMEC attendees will take away from your session?

To truly touch someone, you have to aim for the heart.

The best events aren’t about being bigger—they’re about being deeper and more impactful. This means slowing down and focusing on moments that inspire personal connection.

Create experiences that invite reflection, authentic conversations and meaningful engagement.

People remember stories. Especially when they have been part of it.

It’s these moments of personal experiences that attendees will carry with them long after the event is over. Events that prioritize emotional resonance over sheer size are the ones that leave lasting memories.

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Blair Potter

Blair Potter is director of media operations for MPI. He likes toys and collects cats (or is it the other way around?).