Today, the smartest organizations have moved their event planners into the C-Suite. Being an event organizer for a company, association, nonprofit, or the government is now one of the most visible jobs in any organization. It’s undeniable that events mobilize people, but there’s also a risk if they are not handled with smart strategy and precise execution.
Collaboration artists
Event and meeting professionals need to be strategists and what I call “collaboration artists.” They need to truly understand how people gather, learn and stay energized to interact and spread ideas. “Event thinking,” the organized gathering on a temporary basis, is a primary key to amplification, and commerce can be at the heart of both innovation and organizational pride. Those elements lead to enthusiasm and energy, and become the key to unique selling propositions for everything from commerce, ideology and entertainment.
Scientific proof
BizBash has become the largest website for news, information and resources for the event industry, and we’ve watched as things that planners and marketers instinctually understood became supported with scientific proof. With the use of techniques like sociometric studies that map patterns of communications from places like MIT’s Human Dynamics research group, definitive statements that “the most valuable form of communication is face-to-face and that email and texting are the least valuable” are now the standard way to look at our industry. Events work when they impact how we feel, set the stage for learning, or create cues to allow us to interact with others.
Changing industry
With the morphing of the event industry, today’s pairings are not just food and wine but event types. Conferences are recognizing that what happens in the hallways may be as important as what happens in the meeting rooms; galas and fundraisers are being infused by more participation; companies are creating training events and adding on events like concerts. What is happening between the sessions, on the buses, in the hallways, at the dinners, in the airports, and before and after the event is part of the magic of face-to-face events.
Empowering an effective event organizer can be the secret weapon for everyone.