If you talk to any chef, they’ll tell you every dish they create is aimed to please the five senses of their customer: touch, sight, smell, taste, and sound. For example, think of a crème brûlée – when the waiter puts the decadent dessert on the table it might be garnished with fresh fruit, a sprig of mint, or a dollop of whipped cream making for the perfect eye-catching presentation. Then, move on to the smell – etherial notes of vanilla and burnt sugar whisper through the air to your nose thus making your mouth water. Finally, you pick up your spoon and crack that top layer of burnt sugar creating the perfect “snap!” sound. Then you get the perfect bite of custard, sugar, and fruit, all combining into the ultimate texture for your palette.
The five senses have been fulfilled and you have just enjoyed the perfect SWEET experience. Just like that crème brûlée we believe an event should have five key elements in order to make it the ultimate experience. We always incorporate this mix of components into our event planning in order to optimize our success and create a lasting impression. Let us explain…
1. A Baseline Introduction
It’s important when planning any event that you introduce the idea in a simple and basic way for everyone to understand. From media outlets to older attendees, you need to make sure that you have listed out the who, what, when, where, and why of your event. We suggest putting this information first and at the forefront in a media release so that reporters and those glancing at the description know exactly what the event is, without having to read paragraphs of text. From there, you can go into more descriptive details in order to truly capture the public’s attention and entice them to attend the event. You should also use these reporters as your brand ambassadors – equip them with the information necessary to help spread the word of your event.
To go along with this, we also recommend having a clear, concise graphic to be paired alongside a full description of your upcoming event. Now a days, there is so much content being put out there that it has become a challenge to get someone to stop scrolling, pause and actually read your post all the way through. A way to solve this problem is to create something eye catching yet informative in order to stop your target audience in their tracks. A well thought out and designed graphic deliver your important details in a quick yet informative manner while also being appealing to the eye. Once you have this perfect mix, you’ll be able to convey your message even more to a wider audience.
2. A Strong Social Campaign
Once you have sent out your initial press release, it’s time to utilize one of the strongest tools in your belt – social media! Over the past decade it has become apparent that the quickest way to get your message out to the public is through various social platforms. If you really want to make a splash, we recommend posting everything all at once, across all of your platforms – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Instagram stories, blog, email blasts, website inclusions, etc. You should also encourage your community partners and those involved with the event to post on their own social platforms at the same time so that you are taking over the digital world with your event and thus creating a ripple effect.
It’s also just as vital to maintain the momentum of your social campaign up until the moment your event begins. For instance, we like to ‘countdown’ the days to the event with different types of social posts. This helps highlight the various elements of an event and create a buzz. For our Sweet Sunday farmers markets at The Henderson, we highlighted all of the vendors on one day, the activities the next day, food and beverages the next, and the resort who was hosting on the final day. This helps maintain that momentum without sounding repetitive and stale. We also try to post organic content, and not repeatedly share the same event graphic or promotional images. To further increase your reach, we also encourage to budget for Facebook and Instagram Advertising, that way your event will be promoted to people who may not follow your page, along with your followers and their friends.
3. Food and Beverage
While you could have Kelly Clarkson singing on stage or The Rolling Stones performing, what will make people stay and enjoy an event centers around what they’re eating and drinking. We speak to our guests throughout their taste buds and it’s been proven how extremely important to serve some sort of refreshment or light bite at every event we host. Guests are much happier when they are fed and will end up staying at your event for a longer period of time. As we all know, people love to connect and socialize over a meal. While we don’t think you need to serve a Thanksgiving feast, we do see the value in serving something to tempt their taste buds to your attendees. This also gives you a unique opportunity to partner with a local restaurant or catering company who could then promote your event with vested interest as a participant, thus increasing your overall reach. Those who are loyal customers to that restaurant or eatery will then want to come to your event in order to support their favorite place. For our Step One Automotive Group events, we brought in an award-winning local sushi chef, Yoshie Eddings, from one of our favorite Destin restaurants, Harbor Docks. We also incorporated Dan Pettis’ local food trucks and Signature Catering of 30A in order to bring in other culinary delights that would align with the theme of the event and crowd size.
4. Interactive Elements
Continuing on the topic of social media, it is important to have interactive elements throughout your event in order to give influencers and attendees something worth posting! Whether it’s a photo opportunity or a full-blown interactive activity, find a way to get people on-site to get involved and collaborate. Interactive elements also give you the chance to introduce something new to an event year after year. We introduced an interactive photo booth to our annual Blood Mary Festival at The Market Shops. Throughout the years, we have introduced new features to the photo booth including sponsorship opportunities, props, and a virtual background. If you already have interactive elements at your events, think of out-of-the-box ways to transform those traditional elements into something new and exciting for your guests.
5. A Story
Most importantly, every event is more than just a party, celebration or gathering. There is usually a deeper meaning behind the people passionate enough to put it together or the people traveling far and wide to be a part of it. It’s important to find your event’s story to get the attention of the media and then utilize your skills and avenues in order to amplify that message.
People with similar passions will resonate with your story creating loyal, repeat attendees. Whether it’s raising money for a good cause, banding together people with similar interests, or introducing new ideas to an area – the passion behind your event will show through and through. Café Thirty-A’s Christmas Charity Ball is hosted year-after-year showcasing a large silent auction and raffle benefitting Caring & Sharing of South Walton. Each year, we always see strong attendance due to the wonderful cause, the loyal customer base of the restaurant, and the give back nature of the holiday season. Each of these aspects creates the perfect story which ultimately makes for the perfect baseline of any event.
So, as you can see, events are just like crème brûlée! While the elements and components may differ, they each take five key elements in order to craft the best experience for the guest. Even if you aren’t the “Executive Chef” of events, slowly incorporate each of these elements into your event planning and before you know it, you’ll begin to see true change in your engagement, attendance, and overall interest. Happy Planning!