We believe a successful event is more than just getting people through the door. If they leave unchanged, uninspired or having checked their phones all day, the event absolutely hasn’t done its job!
This is something our Managing Director, Dan Bardgett, spoke about recently in his feature with M&IT Magazine, and it boils down to one simple idea:
“Engagement first. Format second.”
Here are some article highlights:
Start with what you want people to leave with
Too often, event planning starts with the format. Conference or exhibition? Ballroom or breakout spaces? Live or virtual?
But the better question is: What do you want people to think, do or feel differently afterwards – Change their behaviour? Feel more connected to a brand? Remember the event weeks later?
Once you know that, the format becomes much easier to figure out.
We saw that shift clearly during the Covid pandemic – some virtual events were getting greater engagement than live ones. Not because they had bigger budgets or better production, but because they were designed around participation.
When the numbers didn’t stack up the way the industry expected, it forced us to question some long-standing assumptions about what makes an event ‘successful’.
The format should fit the audience – not the other way around
Not every audience connects in the same way, and not every event needs to be huge to be effective.
Dan explains “It doesn’t really matter whether it’s a golf day, a conference, an exhibition or an overseas incentive – the format needs to best serve the audience and their needs.”
People are much harder to impress than they used to be – and that’s probably a good thing. Audiences can tell when something feels generic. They know when they’re being talked at instead of involved.
Not every event needs huge production or endless tech, sometimes the strongest engagement comes from doing the opposite – stripping things back, making it more interactive, and creating something that feels genuine.
Measuring what actually matters
For years, success in events was judged by their attendance, but a full room doesn’t automatically mean people care.
The more important questions are: Did people engage? Did they participate? Did the experience leave a lasting impression? Did it influence behaviour once the event was over?
Those are the things that matter most.
As Dan puts it: “The future of events is measurable engagement.”
That belief now underpins how we approach every experience, because lasting impact doesn’t come from turnout alone, it comes from measurable engagement.
