MindShift: Understanding Events From The Guests Perspective Improves Event Metrics

Any sales and negotiation trainer will tell you it's essential to know your counterpart. Engaging and influencing another person is much easier when you understand their perspective.

That's a key component to successful events, too. When I'm getting ready to perform at an event, I want to understand what it's like to be a guest or participant.  

• I know that walking into the clubhouse at Augusta National Golf Club was intimidating.  

• Attending "business social events" can be uncomfortable. Will we talk "business" or "social" during cocktails? Will someone be offended if I discuss business?

• Even though I'm in a sea of people at a customer appreciation event during a trade show or conference, I feel a little "lonely in a crowd."

• I rarely raise my hand to comment during a break-out session because people might disapprove of my ideas.

I know I'm normal, too.

That's why I usually start by entertaining on the edges of a party.

I get those people laughing, forming them into a little crowd.

The fun helps them get to know each other.

Now, they're engaged in the event.

I do that in all four corners of the room.

Then I start working to the middle of the event where the extroverted people are.

They naturally laugh louder. They attract people from the edges of the room.

Now, we're all having fun together.

Rinse. Wash. Repeat all night.

That's what turns a typical cocktail party into an event people look forward to attending next year.

Want to see what this looks like in action?

Here are some photos from a 2018 event, where I used the Always Something More strategy to engage the audience, get them laughing and having fun together, and eventually turned the group into one, big laughing crowd.

The first “set” was for a few people who were just arriving…

Then I entertained a group on the other side of the room…

Still another group in another corner…

Then people started to walk over to where I was performing…

Until we collected almost the entire room.

That’s how it works…

Of course, magic doesn’t solve every event challenge or work in every situation.

The best way to figure out if it can help you get the results you want from your event is to have a conversation.

I’ll ask you a lot of questions about the event you’re planning, what you’ve done in the past, and what you hope to accomplish this time.

Based on what you tell me, I can tell you exactly what other people like you have done in your particular situation.

To set an appointment, call (561) 596 3877, or click here to schedule an appointment through Calendly.

What are The Pictures Saying About Your Event?

Great images tell a story about the event - who was there, what happened, and how people felt.

More importantly, they have an impact on your next event by:

• Strengthening the memory of the event for those who did attend

• Developing curiosity among people who did not attend

• Creating anticipation for the future event

But the images I saw after New Year’s Eve 2022 missed the mark.

I saw surprisingly few pictures of performers interacting with the people at the event. Worse, the audience had their back to the entertainment in several images.

Typically, we want to see people laughing, smiling, and slapping each other on the back. Some of the people in the pictures looked a little bored.

These were probably fantastic events, but the images did not tell that story.

Here are three ideas that might help you get better images from your next event:

1. Work with the photographer.  A great photographer knows how to capture “the moment.” 

2. Talk to Your Entertainers.  Experienced performers know how to work with the photographer to create those images “on the fly.”

3. Record a video on your phone. A video is like thousands of still images, so you can select the image you want using the screenshot function.

Of course, events are more than laughs and smiles. Pictures should capture and convey conflict and drama, feelings of frustration and anguish, insightful breakthroughs, and moments of ultimate triumph.

Having all those moments requires experiences that bring people together in an emotionally compelling way. Something has to trigger the laughs, facilitate the connection, and create an experience your guests are talking about for months to come.

Maybe I can help. 

If you are open to a conversation about an upcoming event, what you have done in the past, how you evaluate the success of your event, and what you hope to achieve this year, call (561) 596-3877 or click here to schedule an appointment.