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Saturday, September 10, 2016

Plato and Event Planning

I agree with Plato's observation!  You'll find out what that is and why a little later.  Why do I feel so at home in the events Industry?  To me, my industry represents the opposite of personality traits in people that I prefer not to be around. You won't find me hanging around glass half-full people any more than necessary.  If a person cannot enjoy a good brainstorming session, I'm out of there.  If someone is satisfied with the status quo, I'm not their type of person.  If you can't have fun in whatever you want to endeavor, I'd rather be of help elsewhere.  In the events industry, we take fun very seriously.  Is that similar to an oxymoron? No.  We are all about our clients being able to cash in on the Return on Experience (ROX) as much or more than Return on Investment.  You can read more about experiential marketing being an absolute must if you are marketing to Millennials.

                                       


The events industry requires people who:

1.  Believe any idea can come to life!  They will dare you!
2.  Believe that stupid questions are required to come up with the best ideas.
3.  Believe if something has been done before, there has to be a more spectacular way to do it now or next time.
4.  Believe that each event is the most important day in their client's life no matter what the event is.
5.  Can anticipate problems before anyone else even dreams of what can happen.
6.  Thrive on turning on a dime.
7.  Thrive on converting problems into solutions that look intentional with spectacular results that will knock your socks off.

Do I get bored at events I attend for business?  Except for my industry's hosted events and meetings, I cannot even  b e g i n  to tell you how bored I've been sometimes.  If a topic is about the nuts and bolts of business, I can't wait to get out of there and do something creative.  I've found that cut and paste solutions will not work for me.  If I hear the sound of numbers crunching, it's like nails on a chalkboard.  You might ask, "How can you run a business without all of that?"  Here's why those don't matter as much to me.  If I am not in a creative, inspirational, fun space, there will be no numbers to crunch.  

It all boils down to being either right-brained or left-brained.  Creativity, or having a positive outlook come easier for some than others.  We are predominantly right-brained in the events industry.  I think everyone is a bit of right-brained and left left-brained in different situations, but people are predominantly one way or the other.  I have to share this link with you that will also explain right vs. left brain.  (I want you to pay particular attention to the name of the website!)  The current job market seeks people who can be both.  Employers prefer that someone have a degree in the humanities (Arts and Sciences) and then teach them about an industry. They want people who can create, think and solve.  If they have people who can make projects fun, just think of the abundance of ideas that would overflow!

I love it when someone says to me that planning or designing an event gives them nightmares.  Those are my dream jobs.  You know what is even more amazing?  It's showing that same person that they absolutely are creative!  It's my responsibility to bring it out of them.  Granted, it's somewhat like being a mid-wife, but creativity can be born.  "You can do it!  Just breathe. Not too much longer now! Push! Aaaah!  It's beautiful!  I'm so proud of you!  Good job!  What are you going to name it?"  They will never doubt their creativity again and will be rewarded time after time.

As promised, I want to impress upon you this thought.  That guy named Plato summed it up very well (yes, he did that a lot).  He said, "You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation".  So here's to "if you can't have fun doing something, don't do it!"  Aha!  I bet we know why people have been conducting business on golf courses forever!

I get some flack for using too many exclamation marks.  Do I care?  No!  However, I would describe my industry as an exclamation mark industry!  Don't be afraid to put exclamation marks in your life or business.  Your customers will appreciate it and remember you.  Your students will learn and remember more.  Your audience will listen and remember you.  You'll feel better ‼️‼️ Period.  End of sentence! 



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