Why the organiser of Glasgow’s Willy Wonka experience was a genius, actually

Nah, we’re kidding, happy April Fools Day. In reality, we had a laugh at the memes that were floating around social media, and we’d advise any promoter to look at the Willy Wonka experience as a primer on what not to do when putting on an event. 

With that being said, keep scrolling to read our thoughts on what we can learn from such a catastrophic event.

Don’t over-promise and under-deliver

The promotional materials for Willy’s Chocolate Experience depicted a magical land where, for young children, dreams could come true. 

However, the only experience attendees had was a vastly underwhelming one. This understandably led to anger from eventgoers, who had paid money for tickets only to be ripped off upon arrival. 

Promising something big and not being able to deliver it is a surefire way to alienate the people who attend your event. After all, the crowd make the day or night special, so you should do as much as you can to make them happy and make them want to attend your event in the future. 

Be mindful when using AI

We’re not against AI. It’s undoubtedly going to be part of everyone’s life in the future, so ignoring its existence entirely would be silly. 

However, you have to be mindful when using programmes like ChatGPT. They aren’t ready to replace the human brain just yet. So if you’re using something like ChatGPT to write a long description, make sure the copy it gives you isn’t jammed full of spelling and grammar mistakes. 

Glasgow’s Willy Wonka experience used AI to generate an event poster, write promotional text and write a script, but the text and script were littered with errors, and people noticed. 

If potential eventgoers look at your long description, for example, and see that it is full of mistakes, they’re going to think your event is unprofessional. This lessens your chances of securing those all-important sales. 

Don’t reinvent the wheel

When it comes to events, creative thinking is crucial. A new or unique idea can be the difference between your event lasting years or fading into the background. 

However, sometimes you need to stick to the script, especially when it comes to family-oriented events. Willy’s Chocolate Experience introduced a new character, The Unknown, to proceedings. It didn’t turn out to be a great idea, as it terrified the children and angered the parents. 

So, stick to recognisable characters. After all, kids aren’t looking for a gritty reimagining of their favourite cartoon. They just want to see Peppa Pig or Spider-Man in the flesh.