The art of letting go

When I read about event trends there is a lot of talk about co-creation, audience involvement, peer-to-peer sessions, whitespace, unconference sessions, sharing of ideas and so on. 

I wonder: how do we all feel about this trend? For sure it sounds great to have visitors and exhibitors a say in the way the event evolves, but how about the goals and strategies of the organizers? Are they ready to share their ideas about growth, development, content and formats? It will be hard to let go of the driver’s seat….

However, if the meetings industry does not give more stakeholders a voice in its development, it might end up empty handed. It is not about the brands we create, but about the opinion others have about our brands. An opinion that used to be hidden in post-event surveys, and now is shared on social media for all to see. Real-time, as the event takes place. It’s up to the event to turn this into a true conversation – and embrace the invitation to build the future …. together.

Just this week the company that I work for, RAI Amsterdam, started to let go – a little bit.

We started a blog on our website that will enable a lot of RAI employees (chef, event supervisor, sales manager, marketeer, CEO , and more) to share their own thoughts on aspects of the meetings industry. A brave idea that will, hopefully, turn out to be a multi-facetted view of the world of events. Written from an organizer/venue perspective maybe, but always with an open invitation to all stakeholders to join in our conversation. And co-create.

Scary? Maybe. Interesting? For sure. New discussions? I hope so. To be honest…I can’t wait!

(I kicked off the series, my first official blogpost can be found here: http://bit.ly/1LmpZ8P . About trends, what else? :-) )

Off season

I don’t have that much china.

Plates, cups, bowls and serving dishes are all from different eras and households  and together they form the daily set we use. 

Fifties memorabilia, a strange small plate with cowboys on them, plain white ones from my grandmother, Chinese  ones: some are nice, some are not so nice.

Never mind, we eat our dinner with all kinds. Everything is functional.

And then there are my three Christmas plates. Special gifts for special days. Do I treat them as such? No. They are in the stack with all the others. I figured, why set them apart and use them only on special occasions? I can use them year round, every day.

So there you have it: no matter which season, I use the Christmas plates we have. I can serve summer antipasti on them, Easter bakes, autumn roasts, and, of course, seasonal cookies  in December.

Sometimes just seeing these Christmas plates makes me happy. Reminding me of winter days, Holidays, seeing old friends and sharing time, watching old movies of trying out new hikes.

OK, so here’s the thought.

Think of these Christmas plates as if they were an event. A live event, only a few days a year. Then think of them as an event community. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Having actual items that remind you of something you like. Just like the community you share thoughts and ideas in, before, during and after the event.

My plates present themselves at random (depending on the dishwasher and whoever empties it), but they never fail to remind me of those few days in December. In February I don’t care so much about them, in the summer they are interesting and funny, and when October and November come, I get anxious for the next month: longing to see them in full swing, in season. Never fails.

In short:

Keep your event relevant year round

Accept the fact that nobody keeps you on top of mind all the time

Surprise your delegates when they least expect it

Be there when you are In Season – big time!

Make sure that you have a basis that is functional

….and share at least one item that we really can use year round. It works!