Boats, Moats and Goats: How to Bring a Festival Atmosphere to Your Event

Boats, Moats and Goats: Bringing a Festival Experience to Your Event

Show of hands: would you rather go to an event or a festival?

What if you could have both at once?

Here’s how to transform your event into a festival with boats, moats and goats.

Boats: Cruise to New Destinations

Here in Chicago, taking a boat tour is one of the top rated experiences for locals and visitors alike.

Why is that? You sightsee, you learn, you go places – all while cruising in the comfort of a boat.

Events are like that, too. You step in and get transported to information islands, fueling stations, unexpected experiences, and cool connections. 

The BizBash Hall of Fame Awards event at the Field Museum was like a cruise with stops at imaginative food stations, exciting décor, innovative interviews, and sparkling conversations – all at once, all in one place.

Although meeting moats may be invisible, you need to be aware of how to bridge them.

Moats: Build a Festival Bridge Over Event Barriers

Back in the day, moats were built to keep people away.

But, a drawbridge could be lowered to allow entry over the moat.

When you got to the main gate, you still had to clear security, though.

Event barriers might be cost, communication and interest.

Ever thought about giving away tickets to promote your event? That’s how I got into Riot Fest this year.

To manage costs, let your festival goers choose their access with a variety of ticket levels that range from getting in to being an Ultimate VIP with private access to speakers and unlimited food and drinks.

Communication is one of the biggest barriers out there, and is the simplest to overcome with a strategic digital marketing plan that engages participants all along the way.

Look into influencer marketing as a channel to bridge the interest moat with goats.

Goats: Make Your Event Experience Irresistible

Did you know goats means Greatest Of All Time Speakers?

[Yes, I did make up the GOATS acronym for this article.]

The real question is: who are the GOATS for your people?

Match the people onstage with the people you want to be at your event.

For example, if your association’s membership is 75% women, match the speaker demographics to your audience.

Ask your people what they want to know more about, and who they want to hear from – and why.

Do they want to be inspired, motivated, changed, informed, amused - or entertained?

At the Bristol Renaissance Faire, entertainment ranges from jousting, to comedy, to acrobatics, to an audience with the queen, to fire whips, to spontaneous shows that break out, seemingly at will. There’s a lot going on, all at once. What keeps it all together? Themes: the Age of Enlightenment, celebration, interaction, and fun.

How will you add boats, moats and goats into your event design strategy?