People love to host events. People spend a lot of money on them.
Millions, tens of millions, billions and trillions. They build tunnels in the mountains, erect ice stadiums in the subtropics, order thousands of servings of salads and hot, erect gigantic stage constructions for a few hours.
It’s not customary to talk about this: far from all the events are real. There are many fakes in the world of event management.
Like the fake Gucci and Louis Vuitton handbags, fake events look almost like real ones. The lights are on, music is playing, the waiters are carrying food, the guests are smiling. And far from right away you can understand that they slipped a fake to you. Already leaving him, you suddenly realize that Gucci is written with one “s”, and although the event has passed, there is no joy.
There are two factors that determine whether an event has completed its mission.
The perceived value of the event in the eyes of the guest is greater than the amount that was spent on the event (per guest).
The event creates a sense of community among its participants around the common values that they all share. They share these values on the grounds that they were invited and decided to come to this event. This is a very important feeling connected with the self-identification of a person in society, in “his” group.
The presence of many people reinforces this feeling many times, making it the main content and result of the event. A result that cannot be achieved with other communication tools. Since other tools do not imply the physical presence of many people in one place, it is this that enhances our emotions.
A successful event is emphasized by the fact that all who came to it are united in some kind of conviction, in the belief that some value is important for all of them. And the presence of hundreds or thousands of such people, strengthens this belief, makes it more durable. This is precisely the task of event organizers.
Here are some hypothetical examples.
Olympics. A common belief is faith in sports, which simultaneously emphasizes and erases national boundaries.
Presentation of a sports car. The common belief is the pleasure of driving a car with sports roots, belonging to a group that can afford it.
Corporate event. A common belief is belonging to a group that is united by a set of values that are close to you. For example, drive, creativity, innovation, friendliness.
Needless to say, events that have this unifying effect are not a common thing. Mostly they sell us fakes. Such events often serve the opposite purpose - they disconnect participants, emphasize their differences, erase the opportunities for communication and the pleasure of self-awareness in the group.
Another property of “original” events is an element of self-organization of participants. They take part to varying degrees in organizing the event - substantively or organizationally. Help with topics, help with logistics, give advice and express approval.
City events
The task of creating a community, an interest group around the brand or around the football team is understandable and a lot of experience in practical solutions has been accumulated in this area. There is a specific application point around which consumers and fans come together. There are more complex tasks when the application point is not so specific. For example, in the case of events for the city.
If we are talking about using the event for urban purposes (or other territorial units), then we are talking about forming a group of residents united by some set of common values. This is an extremely difficult and non-trivial task, because the people in this sample are different social classes. But on the other hand, only an event allows people to not only realize, but to feel like a resident of this city. For many, perhaps for the first time. To feel that you all gathered here have something in common, not just a residence permit, but a set of values, a set of aesthetic preferences.
This experience of belonging to a group is very valuable for people and if it happened it is remembered for a long time. And undoubtedly affects the behavior of each person.
In the sense that he feels responsible for the fate of this group, responsibility for the fate of what united them. Be it a city or a sports team.
Events are a unique tool for the formation of such groups. Almost irreplaceable. If this magic happened, you made the right investment. If not, you just set the stage, brought the sound and ordered the artists.
Beware of fakes in the event area! Buy the original.
