Using the 5 Senses to Bring Your Event to Life: Touch

Over the last few weeks we've provided tips on how to utilize the senses of sight, sound, taste, and smell to create a well-rounded event. The final aspect you need to take into consideration to provide a total experience for guests is the sense of touch.

Touch elements can be brought into your event in two ways: 

1. The physical sense of touch 
2. The feelings that you create in your guests.

The first interaction your guests have with your event is touching the invitation (or clicking their mouse if you provide online registration through a site like ezEvent!). Spend time carefully planning the invitations to make sure they're the best possible introduction to your event! 

As guests enter your event space they'll feel the temperature of the room. If it's too hot or too cold, they'll engage in your sense of sound because you're definitely going to hear about it! When guests take their seat they'll feel the chairs and linens, the china and the glassware they handle, the food and beverages that are served, as well as any intriguing decor within reach. These many things could feel wet or dry, clean or dirty, comfortable or uncomfortable, hot or cold. When putting together your event, carefully plan for these things to ensure the feelings will be pleasant.

In terms of the second dimension of touch, guests are going to have feelings created in anticipation of, during, and after your event. It begins when they get your invitation and decide whether or not they feel like attending. When they arrive, they'll decide whether or not they feel welcome at your event. Early on they should feel the energy and excitement of the room. If you've chosen the right music, they should feel like dancing.

What you should hope for at the end of the evening is that guests will feel like it's too soon to go home. Will guests reach out to touch and shake your hand or pull you in for a big hug to show their appreciation for the invite? Will you have touched their hearts? Will they have touched yours? If yes, then you've probably given them a total experience and you can pat yourself on the back for a job well done!

Using the 5 Senses to Bring Your Event to Life: Taste and Smell

Over the last two weeks we've given you tips on how to effectively incorporate sight and sound elements into your event. This week, we're giving you ideas on how to appeal to your guests' senses of taste and smell so you can continue to improve your events!

Taste and smell may be separate senses, but they work together very closely. Think of the last time you smelled something that was just really gross. I bet you didn't think to yourself, "I should go eat that." On the other hand, try to remember the last time you picked up the scent of cookies baking in the kitchen or a steak on the grill. Did it make your mouth water? It probably did! If something smells good it activates your taste buds. Keep this in mind when planning events, as food and beverages are an important element in creating a total experience. Any food you serve should smell and taste great!

A great way to add in a pleasant scent to your event is flowers. People expect flowers to smell good, and you know guests will inevitably sniff them to take in the aroma. Flowers please our sense of sight, but it's our sense of smell that they really take hold of. Just be sure you don't overdo it! Having too many flowers or heavily scented flowers can be overpowering and after a while unappealing. You also don't want them to compete with the smell of the food. Your nose will get confused and then nothing will smell good. Work on keeping all of the scents in the room balanced, or keep them in separate sections of your event space.

Planning for unpleasant scents is also important, as one bad odor could ruin the mood of the event. Picture an outdoor event where the smells from a local cow farm drift over. It may sound silly, but sniff out the event site when you first check it out. Even indoor events can have bad smells. Always be sure someone will be changing the garbage cans frequently and that the bathrooms always smell fresh. Planning ahead can prevent a foul situation!

We've now covered four out of the five senses, so your event should be looking pretty good at this point. Next week we'll show you how adding in elements of touch will round out your event!

Using the 5 Senses to Bring Your Event to Life: Sound

Last week we offered tips on how an event organizer should appeal to guests' sense of sight to ensure that guests have a total experience at your event. While having a visually stunning event is great, you also need to take into consideration sound elements!

• What guests hear as they enter: As you walk into an event, the change in sound from the outdoors to the event space can be dramatic. If you walk in and you hear silence, you may think that no one has arrived yet or that the party is dull. The chatter and laughter of guests indicates that people are interacting and having a good time. Special effect sounds that match up with the event theme can add a playfulness to the event. Spend time planning out the sounds guests will hear at your event and use them to get guests excited!

• Music: Music has a way of luring people in. When used properly, it can set the tone for the event and put your guests in the appropriate mood. All of your music selections should be event appropriate. If you're having a formal gala, it's probably not the right time to play the Chicken Dance. The timing of when music is played is another thing to consider. If you're having a big speech, you want to make sure the music is playing very quietly or not at all so that it doesn't distract guests.

• Audio systems: One of the worst things that can happen at an event is making a speech or announcement that the back half of the room isn't able to hear. Plan out your audio system so that sound will be properly projected in every area where guests will be. Test everything ahead of time to make sure it's working the way it should and sound levels are at an appropriate level. Don't forget to turn the microphones on before your event begins!

• Competing sounds: Even if you've meticulously planned out the sound for your event space, you may not have considered the sounds coming from surrounding areas that may take the attention away from your event. Noises coming from other rooms, such as utensils banging around in a kitchen or cars noises from a nearby road, can ruin the atmosphere you're trying to create for your event. When selecting a venue, always keep this in mind to ensure that you are in control of these competing sounds and that guests are kept far enough away so that it doesn't detract from your event.

With all of these tips, your event should now look and sound perfect! Next week we'll explore the sense of taste.

Using the 5 Senses to Bring Your Event to Life: Sight

If you're beginning to plan an event, the best way to create a total experience for your guests is to incorporate elements that appeal to all five senses! Today we're offering tips on how to appeal to a guest's sense of sight!

• The first impression: When you're on your way to an event, what's the first thing you do? Most likely you're keeping your eyes open to find an address or a building and, often, a parking spot. Things like the building exterior, outdoor signage, and parking area make the first impression for your event, and you only get one chance to make that good first impression! The outside of your venue is a perfect opportunity to appeal to your guests' sense of sight and heighten expectations of what's waiting for them inside, so it's important not to neglect this area during planning!

• The entrance: As guests enter the event area, they'll pass through an entrance of some kind. Entrances should be warm and welcoming. When guests reach this point they should start to be teased about what's awaiting inside. If your event has desk staff, registration staff, and/or coat check attendees they should be friendly and helpful. Many planners overlook the potential of entrance areas, so don't fall into that trap! Decor of some sort in the entryway should be present for a total experience.

• The event area: Your main event area is your last chance to excite or disappoint your guests, depending on the preparations you've made. When guests enter they'll visually take it all in. They look around at all of the people—guests, hosts, entertainers, and wait staff. They look for the bar and all of the delicious food. They look at the tables and chairs to determine where they're going to sit. They look at the stage and dance floor to see if they have a good seat for all of the night's activities and entertainment. They see your lighting and the beautiful decor you've put together. An eye for detail during the planning process will ensure your guests are visually stunned by what you've put together.

At this point, the fantasy you created is starting to have its effect, and your guests will begin to get into the experience. If all goes to plan, they'll mingle and have fun. When that happens, you know you've effectively appealed to their sense of sight!

Check back for part two - Sound!

Say Cheese! Add a Photo Booth to Your Next Event

There's something about being at an event that makes guests love to jump in front of a camera, and the photos make for SUCH great memories afterwards! Whether you're hosting a wedding, a trade show, or a home-based event like a birthday party, photo booths are a perfect and easy addition to get guests engaged!
 
Having a photo area escalates the fun of the event to a whole new level. Throw in a themed backdrop or a prop bag filled with silly hats and mustaches on a stick, and your guests will flock to it! If you can't afford to rent a photo booth, make your own photo area. Hang up a king size bed sheet in a solid color or choose a printed curtain that reflects the style and theme of the event.

The great thing about a photo booth is that guests get to take the photos home with them. This makes them feel like they're walking away with a gift, and it provides a visually stunning record of your event. When the photos inevitably end up on Facebook, it will make everyone who wasn't there jealous when they see what they missed out on, and they'll be far more likely to attend one of your future events.

Photo setups are also a great way to promote a business or a product. At last week's Comic Con in San Diego, A&E series Bates Motel used the authentic bedroom set featured in the show, where guests could recreate the campaign image. If you're hosting a fundraiser or trade show, add your company name or logo to props and backdrops for the photo area. After the event guests will share their photos, which gives you free publicity!

If you've never been to an event with a photo booth you would be surprised how quickly it becomes a destination and event within itself! Not only does the photo booth capture moments, it helps to create them as well!

The Power of Golf

"The power of golf?" you might ask. Indeed, I insist. The game of golf has a lot of pull in the events industry. Golf is a great activity for networking, fundraising, and team building. Professionals and amateurs alike can participate in golf events that bring people together for entertainment, education, and many different causes.

You may attend a professional PGA tour event with coworkers, industry colleagues, or potential clients for a day of networking and bonding. You could also opt to play a round of golf in the same circles to boost camaraderie and communication. Golf outings are great activities during conferences and educational seminars to get everyone talking and provide a welcome break from indoor sessions and lectures.

Human resource departments and other groups interested in team building have long understood the power of golf. It is an individual activity that yields teamwork as if by magic. You are scored individually, but everyone can bring something to the course to help each other improve. In golf, helping and learning from others means building on strengths and overcoming weaknesses for better performance. The dynamics of the game promote analysis and objectivity -- as well as strong character, humility, and a sense of humor.

Golf benefits and fundraisers are popular to bring together people to play and observe the game and sportsmanship associated with the sport. Families, professional networks, and various other communities are brought together to enjoy time interacting in the beautiful setting of a nicely manicured golf course. Golf has also become a popular activity for bachelor and bachelorette parties and other pre-wedding activities. Golf is a sport that people of all ages and abilities can appreciate, so consider integrating this activity into your next big event.

Quick Planning Tips to Minimize Weather Worries

Spring and summer are popular times for many events from graduation parties, to community festivals, to family reunions, and concert series. Unfortunately, mother nature is not always cooperating. Having worked many, diverse events at an up-scale banquet facility, I can tell you that nothing puts a damper on festivities like inclement weather.

For most events, well-intentioned people put in months of planning to coordinate the facility, invitations, catering, and decorations. They invest their hopes and often reputations into organizing event logistics so that everything will go off without a hitch. Violent, seasonal weather has the power to destroy all of this planning in short moments.

Here are a few simple strategies to minimize the inconvenience of seasonal storms:

1. Plan for power! In case of a power outage, check that your event location has back-up generator power available. 
2. Be flexible! It is wise to include a 'rain date' whenever possible for events that take place partially or completely outdoors. Another option is to have weatherproof tenting or indoor locations on standby in case of bad weather. These accomodations may be slightly less than ideal, but this is where event planners should work in some flexibility for the safety and comfort of guests. 
3. Consider event insurance! You can purchase an event insurance policy to cover the loss and expense associated with cancelling and rescheduling an event. This can go a long way to minimize grief and aggravation when things don't go exactly according to plan.

At any event with an outdoor venue, always be sure to provide adequate relief from too much wind, sun, and precipitation with stable shelter and adequate refreshments. Another practical step for your guests' comfort and convenience is to have valets walk guests into the event with an umbrella in the case of rain.Your guests will certainly appreciate the attention to detail!