The event experience for an attendee begins not at check-in or registration, but when they encounter your event for the first time, perhaps in an email or on your website. This first impression either lingers with them or leaves no trace. If your event branding conveys the right vibe, the first impression piques their interest, captures their attention, and dwells in their mind. This first encounter with your event is the beginning of the attendee journey.
Missed Part I of Crafting the Event Experience Workshop w. Ryan Costello?
First step in crafting an event experience: create a resonating event brand
During our recent workshop, Crafting the Event Experience – Part 1, Ryan Costello, co-founder of Event Farm and Chief Strategist for MemberSuite, used the word ‘crafting’ intentionally. You are crafting—designing and building an event experience—not merely having or hosting an event.
In his 20 years of creating event experiences, Ryan has never been obsessed with selling tickets and getting butts in seats. He always thinks about the subtleties of an event experience for attendees—how to engage their senses, wow, and inspire them. Event Farm clients like Nike, NBC, Facebook, Spotify, and Google, are known for pushing the level of event creativity and they push technology partners like Event Farm to think about new ways to craft a memorable event experience.
The event design process starts with thinking about the attendee journey from that first touchpoint to the post-event thank you email. What’s going on when someone encounters your event for the first time? What does your branding convey? What kind of vibe are they getting from your email or website?
When planning your event, you are building a brand—and that starts with naming the event. Ryan compared the name ‘Holiday Party’ to ‘HoliDazzle’—the name of our holiday event last year. The name alone feels different. Combine that with inspired branding and you are on your way to creating a definite vibe.
The first step in crafting an event experience is to figure out the branding and look and feel for your event. Express it in your email invitation and event website—the first touchpoints in the attendee journey. This branding must make an impression and convey a feeling. It sets expectations for what the event experience will feel like.
The event branding in your email invitation and website makes an emotional impact on your target audience. It makes them feel something. You know your target audience. What would resonate with them? What would catch their attention, hold their interest, make them think, “I want/need to go,” and compel them to RSVP or register?
Event branding and design for average humans
People always say, “But I’m not a designer.” True, but you can think like a designer. You can discern good design versus lackluster design. You have that ability. When faced with two advertisements, you know which one is more appealing, which one feels right. You can also share your design ideas with colleagues who can tell you if the branding conveys the tone you seek.
Every event has a vibe—whether it’s a roll-up-your-sleeves workshop, elegant sit-down dinner, product launch, trade show client reception, or trade show after-party.
- What would attendees dress like?
- What would the event sound like?
- What would it feel like to be there?
- What would attendees expect from the experience?
Every attendee touchpoint before, during, and after your event contributes to crafting an experience. The branding must be consistent across touchpoints so you can spark the intended emotions and outcomes.
Tools that will help you create the right vibe for your event
Ryan shared some tools he uses and websites he visits for inspiration when developing an event brand.
YouWorkForThem is the first stop for design inspiration. Browse through the fonts, graphics, photos, and videos, all of which you can license for your event. Dramatic changes are possible with font selection; they can quickly change the vibe your event projects. Ryan suggests only using web-safe fonts that can be rendered on email clients and web browsers.
Dribble is a hiring platform for artists but is also great for getting inspiration. Coolors is a color palette generator that can help you find the look you’re going for. Unsplash offers free, Creative Commons-licensed, high-quality images. You can play with images you find by using RemoveBG to strip out the background.
Sketch is where everything starts taking shape. This affordable, novice-friendly art design tool is like a lightweight Photoshop. It’s a series of panels or artboards on which you paste images, play with them, see all iterations, and let your inner amateur designer go crazy.
Treat every event as its own brand. Take the time upfront to think about the look and feel of the experience you’re trying to create—that’s your design inspiration.
To learn more about how event technology can enable you to bring your branded event websites and invites to life, check out Event Farm’s registration solution.