The 5 step guide to planning transformative events

There’s no sugar-coating it: if you can’t change something about your attendees, people won’t remember your event. Successful events have a powerful impact on people, reshaping the way they view themselves and others.

Most of us think that flawless logistics, powerful communication, and good content (or impressive speakers) are enough to run high-quality events. While these elements are necessary, they still don’t quite add up to an event that people just can’t stop thinking about afterwards.

“Am I missing something?” you must be asking. Well, if you think that designing and delivering event experiences alone is the essence of planning, then yes. Attendees are changing, and demanding more meaningful and immersive experiences that will somehow alter their worldview. This phenomenon is signaling the shift from experiential to transformative events.

As Donald Getz argues in his book Event Studies: Theory, Research and Policy for Planned Events, “Many event designers seek to facilitate or guide such transformations, specifying outcomes in terms of health and well-being, learning, self-actualization and happiness.”

And according to the Skift Report's The Trends Shaping Luxury Meetings and Events in 2017, “Because of rising competition, brands are now percolating toward the top level of Maslow’s pyramid: ‘Self-actualization,’ referring to achieving one’s full aspirational potential beyond status symbols, including creative expression.”

In other words, attendees aren’t passive consumers anymore. They want to engage with the content and co-create their own event experiences. Thus, your responsibility as an organizer is to create an environment that leads to your attendees exploring new opinions, experiencing different feelings, and trying things they wouldn’t otherwise seek out.

The events you plan and run should positively influence your guests, making them understand that their participation made a difference.Taken as a whole, that's what makes an event transformative. Here's what you need to start doing to make your events transformative:

Step 1: Evoke strong emotions

Emotionally engaging your attendees is a crucial step to making a transformative event. Are you aware of the range of emotions attendees usually experience during your event? From curiosity before a big reveal, to joy when a favorite celebrity makes an appearance, to pride when a speaker at a fireside chat praises them for asking an interesting question.

As Getz notes, experiencing intense emotions helps guests achieve a deeper level of transformation. Use storytelling (in the way you communicate the event, during the speakers’ presentations, etc.) to inspire genuine emotions. Apply some gamification tools (digital and analog) to foster a fun environment.

You can evoke strong emotional responses from your attendees and encourage them to shift from one state to another by combining fun, awe, and a sense of belonging. Help your attendees develop a strong bond and make them feel part of a big community.

Step 2: Encourage self-actualization

According to the Skift Report, “transformation speaks directly to self-actualization.” One of the most powerful examples of events that promote self-actualization is Burning Man, an annual gathering of people based on self-reliance and self-expression. During the festival, people engage in activities such as art performance, theme camps and villages, displaying unique fashion, and attending concerts.

By doing so, they are able to tap into a sense of their own full potential, which is gratifying and memorable. Attendees also tend to achieve a higher level of creativity and learn how to solve problems efficiently on the fly. No wonder people such as Elon Musk, Larry Page, and Sergey Brin are regular Burning Man guests.

Considering this, provide your guests with experiences that can lead to self-actualization moments through self-development, learning, and creativity. Design a set of activities (Lego Serious Play, city tours, think tanks, etc.) that will engage them creatively. Combine self-expression, creativity, and awe to help your attendees achieve a powerful self-actualization.

Step 3: Design dynamic activities

The era of passive content consumers is over. Attendees no longer sit quietly in their chairs, taking notes about the things they hear or see during your event. Nowadays, they want to actively participate in co-creating the event itself and shaping their own experiences. You can help them do that by providing a setting that responds to guest interests and actions.

Replace the traditional 45-minute boring speeches (plus fifteen minutes of rushed Q&A sessions) with fireside chats, TED-type presentations, Ask Me Anything sessions, etc. Encourage your attendees to interact with the content and facilitate their own transformative experience.

Step 4: Provide both analog and digital experiences

The temptation to digitize everything and encourage attendees to communicate through an app is big. But if you want people to connect with your event in more than one meaningful way, you need to create an environment that fosters both the digital and analog experiences of your attendees. You may want to go fully paperless, yet think about the memories and impressions you want to leave in your attendees’ minds.

For example, you could prepare small mementos for your guests, such as an event notebook or a beautiful personalized accessory. Even if the agenda is digital and forgotten, people will still have a token that connects them to the memories and experiences they formed there. The secret is to combine amazing design with practicality. Check out these Pinterest ideas for some corporate inspiration.

Step 5: Encourage active participation

Are you doing everything possible to help your attendees actively take part in the event? Are they willing to partake in all the activities, interact with each other (or with the speakers), and design their own experiences? Focus on promoting engagement and self-expression. You can accomplish this by organizing live polls, collaborative dynamics, contests, or live quizzes.

Katapult Future Fest is an example of what could easily be a 'traditional' conference that found a distinctive approach. Katapult organizers offer atypical activities for the expected setting to challenge their attendees and help them explore creative collaboration. In their words, the activities range from "panel debates, hackathons, keynote speakers, workshops, fireside chats, yoga classes, dinner parties, concerts, pitching competitions, DJ's, mass meditation and more."

While encouraging active participation, it's also essential to keep guests safe. Use our 9-point event safety plan and integrate it seamlessly.

Put your ideas to work

Take a piece of paper and write down all the transformative elements your next event could provide. Focus on listing the activities you can plan to encourage attendees’ engagement, enhance their well-being and self-actualization, evoke emotional responses, provide tactile experiences, and set up different dynamic activities.

Brainstorming ideas is easy enough. Now choose three of these activities, and incorporate them in the event design. This is your first step toward planning and running truly transformative events.

‍

‍BY VICTORIA RUDI

‍Victoria Rudi is a professional content creator & strategist for event magazines, startups, and apps. She covers topics such as event logistics & technology, attendees' psychology, event communication & marketing, gamification, etc. Stay in touch by connecting with Victoria on Twitter.