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Events & Hospitality: Be a storytelling chameleon

Taking something quite uniform like an event or dining experience and turning it into something ‘wow’ requires a different approach.

Take restaurant group Six by Nico, a six week menu, serving six courses aligned to a theme, delivered with inspiration and excitement. Fish and chips, a staple takeaway, but Six by Nico turned the ordinary into something extraordinary. Then after six weeks the menu and dining experience changes again and it’s not just a fancy marketing gimmick with no substance to back it up. The planning, precision, attention to detail and execution is spot on. I think it’s now the Mad Hatters Tea Party experience for six weeks only.

This latest menu experience triggered me to reflect on the events Lemonzest deliver and how we reinvent, inspire, and reimagine the ordinary.

The Alice in Wonderland/Mad Hatters Tea party theme at Six by Nico is a similar theme Lemonzest created for an awards evening. We took the idea and worked with the customer to shape this around an awards evening, that oozed fun, mystery, and excitement. The award winners would have been the same regardless of the theme, but it was the theming, concept, production, and media that enhanced the whole event and elevated the impact. The guests were excited, the atmosphere electric and feedback to the customer was positive and congratulatory. Ten years on and this event is still talked about.

What I’m trying to encourage is to not be restricted by your perceptions of how an event is traditionally delivered.

If you think of a conference, describe it to me in up to 5 words. Maybe, hotel, round tables, networking, buffet lunch, guest speaker? A conference, or corporate event doesn’t have to follow the norm. Sure, a hotel venue often offers the perfect event space. But you can push the boundaries and think beyond the traditional format to transform from a traditional format to a conceptual experience. This will have more impact and leave a lasting impression.

If you add the elements of creativity, challenging the norm and how to reinvent an event, it challenges perceptions and expectations. Delivering an engaging experience. The same can be applied to company briefings, strategy meetings, product launches and corporate events.

Sometimes, we are so immersed in our businesses and the end goal, we don’t do justice to the journey, destination and experience that has a huge impact on how an event is consumed by the audience - and reflected on long after the guests have left.

Varying the format of events and telling stories through content, technology and production will change the ‘same old’.

I’d recommend creating a different environment and delivering authentic content with a revised format - change is essential to maximise on any event and to achieve your goals – and get more bang for your buck.