22
EXPERIENTIAL
ISES in Disneyland
The International Special Events Society
UK Regional Educational Conference
decided to practise what it preaches and
added some Disneyland stardust to their
own event this spring, 50 delegates
experiencing “a mix of education,
networking, inspiration, insight and,
above all, fun. ‘Edutainment’ indeed,” as
outgoing UK ISES president Will Broome
terms it.
The special eventers experienced a trip
from St Pancras International terminal,
via Eurostar, to Disneyland Paris where
‘imagineers’ are bringing all sorts of
experiences to life, including a 200 ft
snow-capped mountain with internal
rollercoaster and the largest animatronic
creature ever created, in the form of a
giant Yeti.
Broome, with his CEO of
Londonlaunch.com hat on, is convinced
the special events industry can stay
‘special’ in a downturn. He says there are
heightened expectations and events are
scrutinised more than ever, and with so
many venues and suppliers jostling for
pole position, the common goal is to
stand out.
“In the web 2.0 age,” says Broome,
“bookers no longer accept a list of
‘semi-suitable’ venues, supplemented by
‘any old’ suppliers. Our research tells us
that they demand a community driven
experience.
“Special events these days are not
worth a bean if they do not incorporate
significant related marketing activity
during the build up in the form of a
pre-event interactive campaign and a long
lasting legacy to follow. The event is the
middle portion of a high impact, and
preferably potent, promotional sandwich.”
Organisers are increasingly demanding
CONFERENCE NEWS JUNE 2009
instant gratification via a quick, easy, fun,
informative and opinion driven experience
at the planning stage. This not only gives
them confidence in the medium but also
makes the process exciting.
Broome’s www.londonlaunch.com site
relaunches this month with new data and
promises a series of ‘Web 2.0’
capabilities.
“The event is the
middle portion of
a high impact, and
preferably potent,
promotional
sandwich.”
“As well as marrying-up member venues
and suppliers with strategic bookers with
as much attention to detail as the best
dating agency sites, we have also
developed more specific technology to
enable members to pitch for work online,
to discuss topical issues or ask
questions via our new blogging and voting
systems,” says Broome. “Members can
also be sourced through video clips,
reviews or even customer and
eco-ratings.
“Indeed, the internet age is already
making way for the mobile age where
instant, on the move, gratification in
highly specific and accurate detail is not
considered to be everything, it’s
categorically the only thing!”
Let us not forget that some pioneers of
the experiential in events have also been
forced to make job cuts, including
Concerto Group’s agencies the Ultimate
ISES’ magical kingdom experience
Experience and Business Pursuits.
Redundancies have been made in
response to clients reducing spending at
events such as parties.
The message seems to be, where there
is frivolity and unproven ROI, beware
before you RSVP.
Wyboston Lakes, situated on the
Cambridgeshire/Bedfordshire border,
however, is to offer clients full
experiential training suites at its Willows
Training Centre, having detected demand
by corporate and training organisations
looking to reduce their fixed asset and
training delivery costs.
Shop interiors can be recreated in the
suites, for example, to allow ‘hands-on’
retail training.
Sales and marketing director Clive
Bache says companies can contract hire
space and build replicas of their own
environment, “at the same time as
reducing their fixed asset and training
delivery costs.”
Sampling the experience of saved
financial resources is surely the best
justification of all for embracing the
‘experiential’ and its true acid test.
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