Page 57 - DMGT304_EVENT_MANAGEMENT

Event Management

Notes historically has been linked with a strong sensual experience. Play the taste card for all it is
worth and you will transform guests from spectators to fully engaged participants who will
long remember the succulent event you have designed.

Notes Blending, Mixing and Matching for Full Effect
Make certain that you carefully select those event design sensory elements that will support
the goals and objectives of the event. Do not confuse or irritate guests by layering too many
different senses in an effort to be creative. Rather, design the sensory experience as you would
select paint for a canvas. Determine in advance what you hope to achieve or communicate and
then use the five senses as powerful tools to help you accomplish your goals.

2.8 Bells and Whistles: Amenities that make the Difference

Once you have established the atmosphere for your event environment and satisfied the basic
needs of all guests, you have the opportunity to embellish or enhance their experience by
adding a few well-chosen amenities. An amenity is best defined as a feature that increases
attractiveness or value. In today’s added value-driven business environment, amenities are
more important than ever before. These amenities may range from advertising specialty items
given as gifts at the beginning or the end of the event, interactive elements such as virtual
environments, and even child care.
A popular way to stretch the budget is to transform the guests into décor elements. This is
accomplished by distributing glow-in-the-dark novelty items such as necklaces, pins, or even
swizzle sticks. As guests enter the darkened event environment, their glowing presence suddenly
creates exciting visual stimuli. Firms such as Liquid Light in Los Angeles specialize in customizing
these items with the slogans, logo, or name of the sponsoring organization. Another effective
amenity that is growing in popularity is the virtual event environment. Using virtual reality
software, guests are able to experience many different environments at the same time. Wearing
specially constructed goggles, the guest is propelled visually to the top of a skyscraper, where
he or she does battle with evil demons or may stroll casually through a virtual trade show
environment pausing to visually inspect a variety of different booths. These systems have
become integral to the success of high-tech industries and are gaining in importance in assisting
guests in maximizing their time while at an event by providing the opportunity to visit several
different environments in a short time period.

Whether dealing with glow-in-the-dark jewelry or virtual reality software, the needs, wants,
and desires of guests must be evaluated consistently to determine if the communications media
you are using are effective and efficient. Using feedback from specific populations will help you
achieve this purpose rapidly.

2.8.1 Identifying the Needs of your Guests

Once you have gathered all the quantitative data from the site inspection, it is time to analyze
your findings and determine what implications emerge for your event environment design.
Most important considerations include the legal, regulatory, and risk management issues that
are uncovered during site inspection.
2.8.2 Implications of Size, Weight and Volume

Let us assume that your design requires massive scenery and that the ingress to your venue is a
door of standard width and height. How do you squeeze the elephant through the keyhole? The

52 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY