Are We Event Planners or Experience Producers?

February 2, 2019 Susan Serena

In a city that doesn’t sleep it has become more and more challenging over the years for NYC Event Planners to deliver an “experience” to guests that are used to constant stimulation and “insta” everything.

So, does that mean that over time our titles as NYC Event Planners has somewhat transformed into becoming Experience Producers? In part, yes. That’s exactly what that means.

Just like any other industry the events industry broadens by the year and with technology advancing at the speed of light, it’s vital for NYC Event Planners to stay up to date with the advancements. We no longer have the luxury of sticking to the blueprint that once was or we will fall short of building a successful event business.

NYC Event Planners have all learned the ins and outs of planning, organizing, budgeting, decorating, and hiring vendors for events. But what EXACTLY goes along with designing an event experience? Creativity, engagement, and participation. That’s what.

Here are some examples of how NYC Event Planner can take a creative idea and turn it into an event experience.

To deliver an experience, you must know your audience

No matter how innovative NYC Event Planners are, if they don’t deliver a constructive customer experience for both the guests and the client, people won’t book them again. In an event niche you work in, from corporate to social, delivering a positive and memorable event experience has always been the key to growing your brand as NYC Event Planners. If you make your customer’s experience your main priority, it will have a major positive outcome on your long-term growth.  

It’s not so much the new idea but more so talking to your customers and asking questions that is critical. 

  • What do your guests or client want to get out of the event? 
  • What’s their ultimate goals? 
  • What, if any, are their concerns? 
  • What type of people are they looking to please or attract? 

As NYC Event Planners you must know the answers to these questions above because it is your starting point to delivering a positive event experience.

3 Steps to Designing an Event Experience

Step 1. Make it a point to have the following initial elements in place way before you cross over to the next stage of designing your event:

  • Guests can enter quickly
  • People can purchase tickets onsite without slowing up the entry line
  • Event-goers can easily pay for goods onsite using simple payment methods
  • Not one area of the event map will be overcrowded

Step 2. Give guests what they want

Now that you’ve constructed your foundation, it’s time to get to the good stuff: what your guests want.

  • A tailored event experience, via artificial intelligence or customized event apps
  • Exclusive content that is shareable on social media
  • Event experience videos that can be shared and shown off to friends

Step 3. Make attendees love your event

The final step of designing an event experience is what many NYC Event Planners overlook: knowing what your guests love. If you nail this layer it will make your events stand the test of time.

  • Deliver entertainment in unique parts of the event like the entrance
  • Utilize art to bring out your guest’s playful alter ego
  • Expand the experience beyond the event

Conclusion

The most vital part of your designing an event experience is knowing who you are designing the experience for. “What makes or breaks an event experience is having a deep understanding of the community you’re creating — and being intentional about it,” Goodwin says. “Because you are creating a community. I don’t think every event organizer thinks about it that way, but the good ones do. And for the best ones, that’s their goal.”

This year at The Event Planner Expo you will have the opportunity to learn more about creating event experience and transform your outlook as NYC Event Planners to NYC Experience Producers. Make sure to block your calendars off and network with the best in the events industry.

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