Creative Problem-Solving Skills for Event Hosts

If this isn’t the view from my seat, I’m not interested in attending your event. Many of us are DONE with sitting inside dirty carpeted, windowless rooms that all look the same… with the same neon letters spelling out your event title and tacky balloons that pollute the environment. We’re done sitting and listening to people talking 𝘢𝘵 us. Done sitting through all the mid speakers to get to the 𝘰𝘯𝘦 good keynote. I mean how different 𝘪𝘴 your event 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺? ▪️Everyone has a segment on AI. ▪️Everyone is saying the same things in slightly different ways and calling it “insight.” ▪️Everyone is trying to impress and overestimates how much they actually impact. "𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘐 𝘧𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘭 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮… 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢?" If you’re hosting events right now, people are bored. You need to start shifting things if you actually want them to show up. →  𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 If your venue looks like every other event, expect the same lame results. People think differently in different settings. Use that. → 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 Especially the ones who think they’re too good to talk to attendees. 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯… 𝘸𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦. No one needs a lineup of egos. They need better conversations, real-time problem solving, and rooms that actually challenge them. → 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 Not 10 average segments to fill space. One experience that hits so hard it stays with them when they go home. → 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 Not forced networking. Real conversations. Smaller groups. The kind where people can be transparent. And if you’re not ready to make big changes yet… Start small. Take your event outside. Cut your speaker list in half. Replace one panel with something interactive. Raise the standard before you scale it. People remember what they feel. They’re not looking for more stale content… they’re looking for something that actually moves them. And once they get a taste of that… they’re not going back to the ballroom.

Gianna’s Gem: 5 Ways to Transform Your Events from Basic to Best in Class I’ve gotten several requests from clients this week about how to to make their events stand out in a crowded space. Having also just presented on Experiential Events and their ROI at a tech summit hosted by The Four Seasons, it felt timely to share a few key strategies and frameworks for what it takes to move a basic event to the best in class gold standard. Here's the thing: your event can be flawlessly executed down to the last cent of your budget, but if your audience is bored, disengaged, or worse—disappointed—then a real opportunity has been missed. So: Don’t make your event just another meeting! Lead with The Why through every touch point from pre-event to finish, and make sure you’re taking your attendees from → to a better place as a result of attending your event. I like to say - your attendees should experience a range of emotions at your event, and ideal experience catharsis and/or transformation by the end. That is true experiential excellence! Gianna's Gem: You have all the creativity you need to become a standout in an industry that thrives on originality. The difference between good and legendary is the willingness to surprise and delight attendees rather than settle for safe and ordinary. Pro tip 1. Master the Art of Surprise and Delight I want to challenge you: for every event you plan, from the smallest birthday party to the biggest corporate conference, try to surprise and delight your attendees at least once. The most memorable experiences are novel, different, surprising - In fact, I learned a stat just today that attendees are 3X more likely to remember a hotel when it incorporates fun / delight rather than nice amenities. That's why you never forget your first visit to your favorite city, but you probably can't distinguish your fifth and sixth trips. The element of surprise and novelty gives your events that prized place in people's memories. An example from my Google days: When Google's self-driving cars were brand new, I negotiated with the team to offer test drives at an event. But we only had a few cars and limited time. The solution? Golden tickets hidden under random seats, Willy Wonka-style. Nobody got upset because it was completely random, and for those lucky riders, it was unforgettable. For the Google Home Mini launch, we created a pop-up where people could ask questions to showcase the product features. When they left, they'd receive a box containing either a delicious donut OR a Google Home Mini. The slogan was "size of a donut, power of a superhero," and we made countless brand advocates that day plus the campaign went viral. Pro Tip 2. Eliminate Pain Points Like a Pro Remember Maslow's hierarchy of needs? If you eliminate pain points by replacing them with delight, you can create brand evangelists for life and retain attendees at your event and beyond. Read the full post here: https://lnkd.in/gswyPK2i

There is such a thing as a “good problem” in events. For example, when many of your guests arrive hours before the scheduled start time. Logistically, it creates pressure, but it also reveals something important: the event clearly matters to them. You may be tempted to start earlier than announced. However, that can disrupt speaker schedules, affect international participants in different time zones, and create an awkward situation for guests who arrive at the official time. Broadcast teams covering the event may also be working with fixed timelines. So how do you protect the official start time while managing the energy in the room thoughtfully? That is where careful planning and a skilled Master of Ceremonies make a real difference. Here are 10 ways a team can prepare for this kind of “good problem”: 1. Design a pre-event experience, not just a waiting period. Music, light and intentional ambience should immediately set the tone for every attendee. 2. Create a networking lounge or cocktail area. A networking area with light refreshments naturally encourages early attendees to connect and start conversations. 3. Curate visual storytelling. Screens can run short films about the organisation, sponsor showcases, impact stories or highlights from previous editions, that keep audience engaged. 4. Do soft welcomes. From time to time, the MC can warmly welcome guests, appreciate their punctuality, and remind them of the official start time. 5. The MC can facilitate guided networking. A simple prompt from the MC such as “please meet two people you did not come with today” can turn waiting time into valuable connections. 6. Activate sponsor or exhibition spaces early. Encourage the guests to visit the exhibition booths and engage with exhibitors. 7. Capture content while the energy is fresh. Short guest interviews, expectation clips and social media moments can be recorded before the programme begins. 8. Create visual interaction points. Photo walls, poweful quotes, red carpets and branded installations and give guests something to engage with. 9. The MC can facilitate pre-event audience engagement. The MC can ask a few quick questions or invite short responses that keep the room lively such as “What are your expectations for the event?” 10. Protect the energy of the room. From start to finish, ensure that the energy of the event doesn’t diminish and that the entire experience is worth the time of your guests. Remember, when people show up early, it usually means one thing: they believe the event is worth their time. This is one of the best “problems” any event organiser can have. Did you enjoy reading this? Let me know. I remain your Presidential Host, Temi Badru #temibadru #presidentialhost #eventhost #mc #event #events

If you want to burn through your budget and get poor results, just do things the way everyone else does. (This applies to every industry, every category, and every vertical.) Here’s a perfect example: Most people planning an event: 🏨 Book a hotel 🎤 Hire a celebrity headliner 👥 Form a committee What happens next? 💸 The hotel charges $10k for WiFi. 🍱 Boxed lunches cost $100 per head. 💰 The headliner takes $200k off the top. ⏳ Your committee bombards you with questions, requests, and conflicting opinions, eating up your team’s time. At the end, you don’t even want to look at the margins—because all you have left is the “validation” of pulling off another event. Now, let’s compare this to the Catholic Creatives summit my team threw in 2018. 🙌 We used volunteers (they got jobs and free tickets, not opinions). 🏛️ We hosted the event at a local church and rented a nearby retreat center for $5,000. 🍽️ A Filipino family catered the banquet—finger food, served on banana leaves, $30 per plate, no rentals for silverware or centerpieces. 🚫 No celebrity speakers. Literally the best speaker of the event David Kang called in on a phone. Instead, we spent our money on experiences we knew would surprise and delight every attendee. For example: ☎️ We placed an old phone in the event space. When picked up, it rang up a volunteer who arrived in a top hat and tuxedo to serve the attendee's favorite popsicle flavor. 🎶 We hired the best musicians, lighting, and decor money could buy. 💃 We even paid dancers to choreograph and perform a dance based on the event’s theme. And more. The result? We kept ticket prices low, sold out, delighted every attendee, and met or revenue goals while doing it. The lesson? Do things differently. It’s how you win. 👊 Photo: One of the most moving performances I've ever witnessed, choreographed by Kate Caputo. Photo cred: Bradley Santos. #catholiccreatives #eventplanning #creativity #thinkdifferent

When organizing an #event, it's essential to go beyond the ordinary and provide a memorable experience for your attendees. Here are some innovative ideas to ensure your event is anything but basic: ⭐️Think Outside the Box Unique Venues: Choose a venue that sparks interest. Consider art galleries, botanical gardens, or rooftop terraces instead of traditional conference halls. Interactive Experiences: Incorporate interactive elements like workshops, live demonstrations, or VR experiences to engage attendees actively. Theme and Atmosphere: A well-executed theme can transform the ambiance. Think about colors, decor, and even attendee dress codes to enhance the theme. ⭐️Be Fun and Engaging #Entertainment: Hire local artists, musicians, or performers to add excitement. Surprise elements like flash mobs or improv acts can also delight attendees. #Networking Opportunities: Create fun networking activities, such as speed networking or themed group discussions, to encourage interaction among attendees. #Gamification: Incorporate games or competitions with exciting prizes to encourage participation and engagement. ⭐️Get Creative with Food and Drink #Interactive Food Stations: Set up build-your-own food stations or live cooking demos to provide a unique culinary experience. #Signature Cocktails: Offer themed drinks or mocktails named after the event or its key elements. #Diverse Cuisine: Cater to various tastes by including a mix of traditional and exotic food options, including vegetarian and vegan choices. ⭐️Challenge the Status Quo #Sustainability Initiatives: Incorporate eco-friendly practices, such as digital invitations, recycled materials, and waste reduction efforts, to appeal to environmentally conscious attendees. #Tech Integration: Utilize cutting-edge technology like event apps for real-time updates, interactive maps, or augmented reality experiences. #Inclusive Programming: Ensure your event is inclusive by considering accessibility, diverse speakers, and content that resonates with all demographics.