The methodology for creating memorable events
Every events planner’s wish is not only to satisfy the participants’ needs, but also to inspire them. The power of events lies in the co-creation and the contact of participants with the organiser’s idea. The moment when a spark of creative energy is lit between participants and organisers is limited and therefore requires careful planning. The process of planning events at our agency is simply called “Power to the meetings”. Even with events we need a very strong skeleton for good composition. The methodology that we use is based on many years of experience and is inspired by the Danish Meetovation methodology. In order to develop the positive experience of the participants we follow the logical phases by using a variety of tools integrated in every event and led by certain rules that can only be learnt by time and through experience.
1. CONTENT
4. RHYTHM
The secret and essence of events remains good stories. The best are simple, clear and sincere, and because it speaks to the heart and soul the basic story must grab the participants at first glance. Such stories are those that separate meetings logistics experts from meetings architects. The first are adherents of the beaten tracks, while the others are looking to create something new, passionate and exciting.
With rhythm we gather together the different parts of the event and put them into a meaningful chronology. Instead of tones we use programme segments with greater and lesser attention of participants. People react instinctively to rhythm, so thinking about the rhythm of the event is one of the elementary duties of the organiser.
Practical tool: Event content canvas
2. PARTICIPANT JOURNEY In this phase we come up with the concept for the participants’ experience. Step by step we guide participants through all the experiences that are written down in the form of a script. In it we also include the user experience in the field of communication. We finally test the scenario on a group of test participants. Practical tool: Scenario of user experience
3. BRANDING Branding is the tool for the construction of visibility of the event by using the name, image and symbols as a kind of fingerprint of a desired identity. It is a part of existence as it is understood or decoded by the participants and it represents an important part of the event development. The result of a carefully planned branding is the reputation as a clear measurement for brand and image of the event. Practical tool: Brief for brand of the event
Practical tool: Programme scheme
5. CREATIVE SET UP You need to support an appropriate environment to start off the debate among participants. Speakers are mostly the motivators and provocateurs. Different venue set ups like “open space”, “open fishbowl” or “word café” will all instantly improve the communication and set it on a higher level, compared to the traditional classroom set up. In collaboration with the architects we visualize our experiences and prepare them for implementation. Practical tool: Visualization of space (floor plan, 3D animation)
6. SPEAKER MANAGEMENT As organisers we have to make sure the speakers are informed and prepared. At the forefront is not only the transfer of knowledge and experiences, but also the importance of speakers also including in their work the interaction with participants. Depending on what we want to achieve, we advise the usage of different programme formats (Pecha Kucha, TEDEx, elevator pitch,…) Having an appropriate moderator that will connect the programme segments is also crucial for the success of the event. Practical tool: Instructions for speakers