When delivering a corporate meeting or event, there are always two costs that must be considered. The first, which is obvious, is the price tag associated with having the tangible elements included in the actual event: transportation, accommodations, sound, light, video, entertainment, décor, food and beverage, swag, etc. These are the costs that meeting and event planners often look at when considering how their event will be delivered… and typically how their budget is defined.
However, the second cost is just as important and considerably less obvious: How much work is being lost just by having your attendees not sitting in their office doing their jobs? This intangible expense emphatically drives home the need for your attendees to retain the actual message being delivered. If you spend $100,000 on a meeting or event, and no-one remembers the message, you’ve lost twice that amount!
Reinforcement is at the heart of message retention. Delivering the message, repeating the message and delivering it again are simple activities that can help in message retention. But there are other, more subtle ways to do so. Hiring entertainment that supports the message is one example. If your message is the need for more flexibility, why not hire a Cirque Contortionist to support it, or if you want to talk about the need for better coordination, hire Rhythm Extreme or a different dance troupe to demonstrate it. The bottom line is that the message itself, delivered with a single presenter using a slide show will not have the same impact as using visual, audible and tactile stimulation.
It is called experiential marketing, and it is the experience that creates long-term retention. When you plan your next meeting or event, think about how your audience will receive the message. Are they simply taking up space in the audience, or are they active participants in the way the message is being delivered? Do they have a voice and is it an experience? The answers to these questions will determine the success of your program.
Steve Honingford












