Thomas Serrano is the Founder and CEO of Exclamation Group.
From Fashion Week to Madison Avenue, New York City is home to extravagant events for the trendiest and wealthiest clients from all around the world, all year round. In a city where people can find luxurious experiences almost everywhere, the challenge is creating an event that stands out from the crowd, draws in attendees and leaves them with lasting memories of your brand or their experience.
This hurdle can be insurmountable without curiosity, creativity and mental flexibility. Anyone can plan an event, but all of the elements must come together as meaningful and memorable in order to create a truly distinctive experience. You want your guests to arrive curious and walk away excited, buzzing about the brand. Whether they learned something new, witnessed an incredible performance or had a distinctive gourmet dinner, or a combination of all three, these impactful moments create a long-lasting connection to the brand or host that they won’t soon forget.
Executing a large-scale event, connecting the dots and ensuring each detail matches are easier said than done. For anyone in the business of event management, here are five tips to ensure your event stands out while delivering against the client’s objectives.
1. Start with a strong foundation.
When creating an event, I always begin by thinking about the goal of the event and my client’s brand values. With this concept as the foundation, I build up from there by adding in the experiential aspects as supporting pillars that always lead back to the main goal. You may have the most lavish decorations, unique menu or flashy performance, but if each detail does not connect to the foundation, or goal, then you are missing the mark. Guests should leave the event with an authentic connection to the brand, not wondering about what they just witnessed.
2. Keep luxury at the center.
Many people working in the luxury space don’t realize that the definition, understood globally, of luxury is “handmade” or “craftsmanship.” Not all expensive items are necessarily luxury items. The term describes something that is hand-crafted and shows dedicated artisanship at every stage, from conception to the final product. The series of craftspeople working together and the accumulation of hands, each with a specific job, is what creates a final, luxury product. The event manager’s job is to not only design the event but also take this unique, luxury product and bring it to life with a story that is crafted through an immersive experience.
3. Give your guests goosebumps.
In my experience, luxury clients want to experience an event with a variety of emotions. They want to be surprised and delighted and leave with memories that will last a lifetime. According to VeryWellMind, emotions can also motivate us to act. In most cases (if not always), we are hoping to motivate guests to purchase something.
Start with mapping out the stages of the event and then attaching an emotion to each stage. Where should the guests be surprised? When should they be excited? Eliciting specific emotions from guests can be achieved at each stage with a combination of entertainment, gastronomy and visual and sound design. If a guest tells you that a specific musical performance or a bold cocktail gave them goosebumps, then you will know that you are on the right path.
4. Expand your guests’ knowledge.
When guests learn something new, whether about the craftsmanship or about the cultural significance of a product, they should leave with a better connection to the brand. According to Conductor.com, “consumers are over 131% more likely to buy from a brand immediately after they consume early-stage, educational content.”
We see many brands educate through online content, such as blog posts, but I believe in-person events can create a more memorable impression. The beauty of teaching during an event is that the clients will learn firsthand—something that can’t be taught with a film. If you want your guests to talk about your event and engage with your brand after it is over, teach them something new that they will be interested in sharing. Since your event is highlighting craftsmanship, being able to participate and engage can be priceless.
5. Continue to challenge yourself.
This one is obvious, but it’s worth exploring. In an industry as competitive as luxury event management, it’s tempting when you find the right execution to continue to use the same plan. If it isn’t broken, why fix it? But this can be detrimental in the long run.
However, when you continue challenging yourself as an event manager to incorporate new practices into your events, it increases the likelihood that you will create something completely unique and, therefore, the likelihood that guests will want to attend. Staying flexible and on top of the newest advancements in art, gastronomy, entertainment and technology can help you stay competitive, surprise your guests and keep your clients happy, too.
While the industry still has a long way to go, a great example is sustainability. For example, events such as Watches and Wonders (subscription required) have made sustainability a priority by banning single-use plastics, requiring “sustainable suppliers” and providing public transportation. Today, customers can easily recognize when a brand is being authentic, and they are asking more questions and challenging brands to take steps that align with their values. These efforts, when executed correctly, can also illustrate the values of your client or business, deepening the connection to the brand.
The luxury event landscape in NYC and around the world is always becoming more and more competitive. Event managers increasingly have to balance the needs of their clients and their vision for more audacious luxury events. The goal is always to create an event that not only stands out but also keeps guests talking, sharing on social media and remembering it even after the event is over.
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