In this Next Gen Edit, Holly Masterson, event director at Seven Events, asks a simple but important question: would you attend your own event? She shares why giving guests space, challenging a brief and knowing what to leave out can be just as important as flawless logistics.
We spend months planning events for other people. We obsess over venues, menus, timings, transfers, production, branding and budgets. We build detailed schedules, contingency plans and spreadsheets covering almost every eventuality.
But there’s one question I think we should ask ourselves more often:
Would I actually want to attend this event?
It sounds obvious, but when you’re deep in the planning process it’s surprisingly easy to lose sight of what the experience actually feels like for the person attending.
And I think that matters more than ever because people’s time is precious. Whether we’re asking someone to give up a day, an evening or several days away from home, people are increasingly conscious of how they spend their time. They don’t willingly give it up unless they feel there is something worthwhile in return.
That means every part of an event needs to earn its place.
On paper, an agenda might work perfectly. Breakfast at 7am, meetings from 8am, lunch, straight into an activity, 45 minutes to change, drinks reception, three-course dinner and then entertainment until midnight. Operationally, the flow works well. For a guest, however, it’s exhausting.
One of the biggest things I’ve learnt working in events is that creating a memorable experience doesn’t always mean adding more. Sometimes it means knowing what to take away.
Does every gap in the agenda need filling? Does every evening need another piece of entertainment? Do guests really need another three-course dinner after a long day? And, after a late night, is that 8am start genuinely adding enough value to justify asking for another hour of their time?
We naturally want to give clients as much as possible for their budget. There’s always another restaurant, activity, activation or ‘wow moment’ we could add. But more doesn’t automatically mean better.
Some of the best moments at events happen when guests have space to actually enjoy them.
Sometimes it’s about doing less but doing it brilliantly. Rather than trying to create lots of separate smaller ‘wow moments’ across a programme, sometimes I’d rather invest the time and budget into one truly standout experience that guests will still be talking about afterwards. Give that moment room to breathe and give guests the space around it to enjoy the destination, connect with each other and experience the event without constantly thinking about where they need to be next.
I also think this is where our role as event professionals becomes much more than simply delivering a brief. Sometimes our job is to challenge it.
If we know something won’t work from a guest perspective, we should feel confident enough to say so. We’re asking people for something incredibly valuable: their time. Our responsibility is to make sure the experience we create deserves it.
For the next generation coming through the events industry, I think that mindset is increasingly important. It’s not enough to deliver flawless logistics and make sure everything runs to plan. We need to look beyond the operational side and think about how the event actually feels for the people experiencing it. Ultimately, we should be advocates for the guest experience.
So, before you sign off your next agenda, close the spreadsheet for a minute. Read it again as if you’ve just received the invitation.
Is this an event you’d choose to give your time to?