Designing Events for Energy, Emotion & Impact with Dahlia El Gazzar

So it's, it's interesting because, for example, we were just at Unbound, which is the biggest marketing conference.

You know, I think there was maybe 13,000, 15,000 people there.

And talk about regulating nervous system, especially for first-time attendees that like, you know, just land in the middle of such a big show with so much going on, et cetera.

But, um, but what was really, really lovely about it is that I think, you know, from an event perspective, it had something for everyone.

So whether it was trying to have like not big breakout sessions that are 400, 700 people attending, which, you know, if, if it was you and me and we're not regulated, we'd sit in the back so that we can see how we can, you know, skedaddle if, if need be, right? Um, but there was also rooms that were designed where it was on purpose 25 people with a facilitator, I mean, I was one of 'em, where it was peer-to-peer discussions and very vulnerable topics, not only about marketing, not about ABM, not about ROI, but like leadership styles, thinking styles, judgment, how you kill an idea, and, you know, what would you have said? What was the real reason behind the no? And so the idea here is when you design, you design around the energy of like what the journey is, as if it's different type of participants.

And the beautiful thing is even in the registration area, and yes, there was challenges, there was so many people, there was lines, obviously.

Next day, they, they learned and they, they listened, and they, you know, did some social listening and saw the pictures and everything, and they corrected it.

But the most beautiful thing was there were more people on the other side of the registration desk just asking, "Jenny, how are you? What did you do?" I mean, "What was your commute like here?" You know, et cetera.

That diffuses friction or anxiety or distress or like, Jenny just dropped off two college kids, what is her mindset like, you know? And then she just dropped herself in a five-day conference hall.

Like, what does that look like? And I think we have to really think of when we design the elements that we're designing, how is, how is the reaction? Not only because you need it for a program or, w- uh, you know, what, what do the sessions look like, the format.

Is it gonna be boring? Someone on stage that's not able to deliver, you know, et cetera.

But it's also like, who are you gonna be able to have on stage that can shift it, so to shift the energy in the room quickly, right? And so there you go.

And so, like, you know, in the sense of, I mean, you've been there.

You've been in sh- sessions where you know you walk in, you're gonna be on your, on, on your computer.

You know just by looking at the speaker what kind of session that's gonna be.

Have you ever been in that kind of room?

Oh, I have been in that kind of room, and I was on stage one time, and it was a room where I was really hoping everyone would keep their laptops up, and I started talking, and they closed the laptops, and I was like, "I just said something impactful." So yeah, I, I know exactly what you're talking about, that moment.

It can go either way.

[chuckles]

Yep.

Absolutely.

It can go either way, but I think right now if you are designing just for the sake of designing a program-- I just got off the phone with, uh, a client who does event management for an association, and she's like, "Dalia, there's no white space in the program.

It's all committee meeting, committee meeting, breakout, breakout, breakout, maybe lunch," you know, all of that.

There is no white space at all.

I'm like, "You're not letting them breathe.