Masterclass 4: Lesson 7 of 7
7. Recap: How to make events searingly memorable
We began this course with the premise that people are much more likely to recall stories than facts—that good stories can sear themselves into people’s memories. Shall we put that idea to the test?
Here are all of the lessons, recapped.
1. How stories make events unforgettable
If you remember Jordan, Nikki, and the event budget theft, you know stories are more memorable than statistics; and that the neuroscience says that your attendees have just a 5% chance of recalling numbers but a 63% chance of recalling that same information as a story.
Use stories for your events. And use the real kind—the ones that make your attendees into heroes and guide them through rising and falling action that affects them and leaves them changed.
Takeaway: Take the time to write an event story. (Ask our team.)
Every event is secretly a story—with a beginning, middle, and end. How does yours leave your attendees changed?
2. How to find your event seed idea
Next we talked about a great, towering Sequoia that’s been standing on a rocky crag in the California Sierra Nevadas for thousands of years. We reflected on the idea that it started as a tiny seed. This is a great metaphor for events.
Every event starts with the seed of an idea—like a client of ours who wanted their sales team to break a record. We helped them break a Guinness Book of World Records entry and surprised that whole team with a challenge to fill the most backpacks for needy schools. When they triumphed doing something they’d never done before, it unlocked something in them; they shattered their sales record that year.
Takeaway: Deeply consider your environment, and how it supports your story.
Do not begin planning the what of your event until you know the who and why. Who’s it for, and what’s in it for them?
3. You must deliver the unexpected
Remember how movie trailers began spoiling the movie, and nobody seemed to care? (Except for diehard cinephiles.) That’s because people like to be surprised … and can still be surprised even if you spoil it. In fact for some, that only heightens the anticipation.
Find a way to work moments of surprise and levity into your event story. Give some away. But also keep some a true surprise.
Takeaway: Don’t plan the logistics before you have your seed of an idea.
In a psychology study, participants rated stories more highly if someone told them spoilers. How can you use that in your events strategy?
– Psychology Today
4. Harness the power of environment
If a carnival barker approaches you at an event and offers you a sparkler, you have a pretty good idea of what the event will be like, don’t you? And if you enter and everyone’s seated but silent and you’re asked to remove your shoes, you know how to act there too, don’t you?
Environment is everything and people rarely consider how it can do most of the talking for you. The decor, the music, the clothing—it all communicates to people how they’re supposed to show up and participate.
Takeaway: Deeply consider your environment, and how it supports your story.
Style matters as much as substance in events— decor, setting, and site may outshine the keynote.
5. Everyone must be in on it
What’s the number one rule of improv comedy? What can you expect from every improv performance from every troupe around the world? You guessed it—they’re all going to “Yes, and” each other’s offerings, and no matter how wild things grow, they’ll prioritize the scene over their individual considerations.
That’s a great model for your team. (And improv classes wouldn’t hurt.) Get everyone aligned around the vision repeatedly, for you are the keeper of the story flame.
Takeaway: Never stop repeating the story and if people get into conflicts, ask them to reset around the fact they all want the best for your attendees.
It’s essential to get all your stakeholders to align around the purpose of the production—and using “Yes, and” can help.
6. Make a launch plan that fills the room
If a stranger shows up at a bar and asks you to draw a map of her home country, and offers to draw yours, you’ve probably met my friend. And you probably recall how essential it is for you to know your own event’s “map” front to back.
Think through that event with others and visit the location. Try to get inside the heads of your attendees so you do everything possible to remove friction from them having a great experience.
Those details will make your marketing unforgettable—and true.
Takeaway: Leave few details up to chance; this creates room for spontaneity where it’s needed—between talent and audience, or between guests.
I believe event promotion starts with the singularly obsessive sense of all the details and works outwards from there.
And with that, I’ll leave you with one final story.
Most event attendees have it hard. They march like defeated soldiers through a confusion of disco-themed receptions and nonprofit galas each season, wondering why they’re even there. They stumble through crowds of pitiless strangers and find themselves white-knuckling a champagne glass looking to escape the monotony and awkwardness of corporate events. Each event ends, ejecting them into the rainy street, newly self-conscious about why they can’t seem to connect.
But it’s not them. It’s their surroundings. It’s the event. It’s the fact the planners and producers forgot to include the one thread that could have transformed the space and the people:
A story.
Only those people who haven’t been to one of your events. Because your events do. Yours leave attendees buzzing, and they may need time to process. They felt it in their nerve endings. They got goosebumps. They laughed nervously. And wondered. What the heck was that?
And they wonder and wonder for weeks and it sears itself into their memory, and they never forget.
And all it took was taking the time to tell a story.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this course and we’d be thrilled to hear any of your ideas or feedback. And please send me examples of your events! I’m here and my team is happy to hear your event stories.
Good luck storytelling!
You’ve just completed the course Searingly Memorable Events. If you found this one useful, consider our other courses:
