Masterclass 2: Lesson 3 of 5
Dream together
In the dreaming and aligning phase, you get to explore a universe of possible directions without having to think about the constraints.
With your budget in hand, meet with your events partner to explain to them what you hope to achieve with that spend. And also, how you will measure it. Are you thinking about success in terms of the number of tickets sold? Donations collected at auction? Attendee satisfaction level? Whatever it is, that will become the rubric by which your events partner will measure their own success.
But for now, let’s dream.
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Let’s hear those wild ideas
What is your vision for the event? From all the events you’ve attended for this audience, which got them the most activated? Which provided the most value? From which did they meet the most people who they kept in touch with? You cannot overdo it by offering your partner too many insights here. Maybe even bring customers into the conversation. Ask your partner to explain your dream back to you, which is how you’ll know they heard—and truly understand.
“Ask your events partner to explain your dream/concept back to you. It’s the only way to know if they truly understood.”
One way to think about this is in terms of how your event will activate the five senses. (Using City of Spotify Love as an example.)
Senses and Facets
Example
Sight
Mood lighting and neon bars
Hearing
Incredible DJ sets and performers like DJ Jazzy Jeff
Taste
Cocktails
Smell
Candles or a branded
scent
Touch
Dance floor
Memory
Meeting coworkers in an exciting, undisclosed location
Surprise
Mystery act revealed
at the end
This expansive dreaming phase is essential. Without it, the event will be rote, tactical, and unexciting. And keep the budget out of it. I hear many concerned companies reply to a potentially brilliant idea from the team with, “Well, how much does that cost?” To which our reply is, “Let’s talk about that later.” Anything can be done cleverly. What matters is if you’ve really fleshed out the concept.
This is important because the winning story for the best events we’ve ever produced started out wildly impractical. They’re the things people laugh at but dismiss, and if you only keep working on them, they lead to some rich insight and a concept that can be done.
In the diverge phase, go wild
So, what do you want your attendees to taste? See? Hear? Remember? What have you experienced firsthand as an attendee that was unforgettable? (And hopefully it is not, “Wow, this event seems very low/high-budget.” If they notice the production value good or bad, the dreaming phase didn’t work.)
Today, ask yourself:
If money were no object, what would you do? Hold a team brainstorm where there are no bad ideas.
In the next lesson: Narrow it all down to fit the budget.
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