Event Management Needs Both Innovation And Evolution

Organizations run a variety of different events every year. Some are quite effectively organized with great results, while others have far less than stellar performances. While many factors are involved in the potential success and viability of a particular event, two areas that event managers should continuously examine in depth are innovation and evolution.

Innovation refers to how the event can be unique and attractive for people to attend. What has been done routinely by other organizations as well as yours, that is becoming "stale" and/ or "tired"? Are potential attendees getting bored with all these events, and do they need to be lured by something a little more intriguing, interesting and perhaps exciting? Does your event's invitation stick out? An event manager has to "step back" and ask himself, "If I was a potential attendee, would this invitation grab my attention?"

However, innovation has to be balanced with fiscal reality. Organizations must do things differently with a thinking outside the box mentality, while also considering what can be done within a realistic budget. If the purpose of the particular event is to raise funds, what can be done to make it seem to be different, and not just another appeal? How might social media be employed to whet people's appetites, and how might audio visuals be used to create an unique feeling for this fund raiser?

Organizations should look at what many lotteries do, changing the type of scratch off games, etc., so that people don't get bored. Most people, while often creatures of habit, still enjoy a certain degree of uniqueness, and individualism. Don't just go through the motions, but events should commit to a theme, and create an aura or atmosphere that drives attendees attention and participation. For example, recently, in order to create a feeling for attendees to a Welcome Event at a Convention, I realized that the hotel's "ballroom" was inside a permanent tent or pavilion. This gave me the idea of using a Circus Theme, with stilt walkers, face painters, clowns, balloon artists and close magicians. When you add to that certain themed items like popcorn makers, hot dog stations, etc., in addition to usual food items available, you create a feeling of friendliness and joy, and hopefully create a welcoming and interpersonal, warm tone at the beginning of the Convention. While this was somewhat innovative for this group, it would not be innovative if done every year.

Organizations and event managers should evaluate what works and what does not appeal when it is done from event to event. While many organizations must stick within certain parameters for certain of its events because of items that need to occur or be performed (for example, meetings, conferences, seminars, etc.), an organization can slowly adapt some of these functions and especially the structure in an evolutionary manner. When change is done gradually, it is generally well tolerated, and over time becomes the new norm, as opposed to when draconian or dramatic changes are made in a somewhat revolutionary manner, and event "regulars" resent the changes made.

Event managers that remember to be both innovative and evolutionary almost invariably have better long term solutions than those that just continue the "same old, same old."