This August we were in Italy, with our ten year old son. We were in Tuscany and planned to visit some of the great cities and works of art. I was a bit worried about that. I am a former art historian and can be in churches and museums all day, but my son likes to run, hike, swim, game, and do all kinds of activities that do not include old buildings (unless there is a tower to climb).
He is a child of the 21st century, fully online, used to the internet, You Tube, building games… His school lessons are crammed with digital images, TV and online quizzes, and I guess it won’t be long until he is on Facebook or something similar.
But there we were, looking at a beautiful fresco in one of the Sienese churches, and he said: “Is this a famous old picture? Because you know, if this picture is really that special, and this is the only place where you can really see it and almost touch it, and I am the one looking at it, IT MAKES ME FEEL SPECIAL, TOO.”
Wow. Just like that he nailed a key ingredient of the meetings industry for me. Feeling special. I never thought of it from that perspective.
Feeling special. More so, knowing that the encounter you have, looking at a real thing or talking to a real person, or having a real experience, cannot be duplicated in exactly the same way. No matter how many copies you make. It is in the here and now, and totally involves the personal experience of the attendee. An experience, by the way, that does not need to be “original” all the time (which was another key takeaway for me, looking at my son). After all, we all like to do the same thing, sometimes. It does not mean that the experience is less genuine.
So when do your attendees feel special? With a keynote speech and personality that leaves them with a personal goal and an upbeat attitude? With a balanced meal that gives them brainfood for thought AND a satisfied stomach? With an open discussion that gets their adrenaline going and truly connects with other attendees? With an app for their event that starts when they leave their front door?
And when do your hybrid attendees feel special? With a programme inside the physical meeting that allows them an experience that truly connects them? With pop up international Google + hangout discussions that suit their schedule and timezone? With a virtual emcee that acknowledges their questions and gets the answers?
Making people feel special. Core business for venues, suppliers, planners, exhibitors and organizers. Feeling special inspires involvement, engagement, learning, ROI. Getting the most out of an event.
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The rest of our trip to Italy we sort of alternated between the swimming pool , hikes and works of art. He made numerous photos with his Nintendo DSi and tried to capture all the main sights digitally. In that respect, he did not care about being original himself. And that was OK. The main attraction were the real things, the “live events”. Because they made him feel special.
