The Life Cycle of Event Planning - Part 2: Creativity in all Elements

Event vendors are in a prime position today as special events become more and more prevalent asthe form of B2B and B2C marketing. Events are an opportunity for a company or client in general, to show who they really are, what their product is, how it works, and what building community means to them. Many companies realize the value of an event and the lasting impression it can leave on guests. They also realize the competition is fierce and they have to step up their game if they want their company to stand out from the crowd!

With more and more people understanding the impact of an event, come a higher number of event invitations! In today’s market, people value the experience and that value is determined by how an event made them feel. Feeling valued, understood, appreciated, sought after, leaves guests appreciating your brand. How can we achieve this as event vendors? Through creativity, originality, imagination and uniqueness making the guest feel special, and giving them something they have never seen before.

Venue: The venue of course sets the tone for the entire event. Once that is set, you know what you are working with regarding layouts, themes, and what makes sense within the space.

Lighting: An entire room and mood can be changed with creative lighting concepts such as uplights, gobos, colorful lighting schemes, and more.

Seating: Going from 60” rounds with a seated dinner to a mix of lounge seating, highboys, cabarets, and action food stations changes the entire feel of an event by changing the layout.

Décor: Drive home the theme of the event by way of linens, florals, props, stage sets, etc. as the game changer. Events can touch on all five of the senses so why not use all of them!

Activations:

Entertainment - With a wide variety of directions to go with entertainment, give guests something they have never seen before – a classically trained violinist playing along with current pop music.

Photo booth - Every event now has a photo booth, and everyone loves a good photo booth, but many are the same with cowboy hats and feather boas. Taking an activation that in and of itself is not necessarily ground-breaking, but doing it differently, is key! Example - the still-motion photo activations with 40 cameras placed around providing a 3D GIF is exciting, different, and sure to have your guests sharing on social media.

Product engagement - A tennis shoe brand allowing guests to design their own shoe to take home, a TV show recreating their film set for guests to fully immerse themselves in the theme (SXSW Westworld event) – two examples of the endless ways to creatively drive home the company’s message.

As each specific event detail is important, so is ‘the big picture’ – revamping the entire look and feel of a tired and dated annual gala means changing the entire concept, along with a fresh venue and different décor, and new and modern activations. Innovation in and of itself is a large task, but one that will increase your ROI. Creativity is instrumental in all of event planning elements and we must continue to think outside of the box. While certain things limit creativity, first and foremost budget, and second, the client’s wishes, understand your parameters and work within those to add these elements of surprise to awe and captivate your guests.