Have us facilitate or speak at your meetings and events
We present, faciltiate and engage globally in person and online virtually to various cultures and industries. We support you where and when you need us.
We are comfortable engaging in boardrooms, event stages, and break-out sessions. Even amusement parks and mountain tops. You’d be amazed where we have been…
Thank you to North Star Meeting Group,
the team at Pendry Park City & everyone who participated.
Reimagining Small & Boutique Events
Leading with Strategic Experience Design
1. Escaping the Logistics Trap
The challenge for event professionals, who are masters of logistics, is the “Flawless Event Trap.” They get trapped working ‘IN’ their events (coordinating the present) and struggle to work ‘ON’ their events (consulting for the future).
Experience Design is a holistic approach to creating meaningful and seamless human experiences across all touchpoints (physical, digital, sensory) to drive positive change.
2. The Experience Designer’s Mandate & Mindset
Analyst: Data to Insight
Turn Data into Actionable Insight. This aligns with the Discover (Research) and Define (Synthesis) phases of the Design Thinking model.
Strategist / Architect: Design the Future
Design what happens next. This involves the Develop (Ideation) and Deliver (Implementation) phases & structured, repeatable methodologies are key.
Mindset: Hare and Tortoise Brain
Effective design requires operating in a Divergent and Convergent Cycle: using a “Tortoise” brain (relaxed, playful, creative) for generating new ideas, and a “Hare” brain (purposeful, focused, action focused) for implementing them. This is the foundation for innovation.
3. Foundational Methodology: Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD)
“People don’t buy a quarter-inch drill bit; they buy a quarter-inch hole.” – Clayton Christensen
To design meaningful experiences, you must understand the deep-level jobs attendees are “hiring” your event to do. These needs go far beyond simple logistics:
The practical, tangible tasks (e.g., acquire knowledge, achieve a certification).
How they want to be perceived by peers (e.g., be recognized as a leader, network successfully).
The desired state of feeling (e.g., feel inspired, feel connected, feel secure).
The next step is to Map the Jobs to the Experience/Moment to ensure every touchpoint addresses a core functional, social, or emotional need.
4. Gaining Trust through Layered Communication
The Helix of Layered Communication
Use the right language and approach based on your audience (The E-M-T Model) to maximize impact and secure buy-in for new ideas.
Executive Level (E)
Focus: Alignment on overarching aims, status related to aims.
Method: The “Executive Fast 15” (Project Status, Victories/Opportunities/Challenges, What the Executive Might Do). Validate business value.
Middle Management (M)
Focus: Alignment with operational best practices and short-term Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Executing Teams (T)
Focus: Right information at the right time, with sufficient lead time to deliver on long-term and short-term outcomes.
15 Innovative Design Ideas to reinvent Small & Boutique Events
These concepts focus on addressing the Functional, Social, and Emotional Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) for attendees, ensuring a holistic and strategic experience.
Aligning Minds – Strategic Mindset & Methodology Exploration (Analyst/Strategist)
| Idea | Principle Applied | Description |
| 1. The “Idea Mash-up” Lab | Divergent (Hare Brain) | A rapid-fire workshop where two unrelated topics relevant to the event (e.g., “AI” and “Gardening”) are deliberately combined using the SCAMPER methodology to generate new, innovative solutions for attendees’ businesses or challenges. |
| 2. Real-Time Vibe Check | Analyst (Data to Insight) | Implement a simple, anonymous two-question digital poll after every session: “How do you feel?” (emoji scale) and “What is your main takeaway?”. This allows the event team to immediately adjust lighting, music, and the next break’s atmosphere. |
| 3. Post-Event Action Tracker | Strategist (Design the Future) | Replace the traditional survey with a “Commitment Tracker.” Attendees commit to 3 actions they will take based on what they learned. The event platform sends them check-in reminders (not surveys) 30 and 60 days later to measure long-term impact (the ‘hole’ they actually bought). |
| 4. Executive Fast 15 Huddle | Gaining Trust/Communication | Adopt the “Executive Fast 15” structure for internal team check-ins and stakeholder updates. Focus conversations strictly on status, key Victories/Opportunities/Challenges, and clear requests for resources or decisions. |
Getting Jobs Done – Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) Focus
| Idea | Principle Applied | Description |
| 5. Interest-Based Micro-Dinners | Social Job | Instead of large, random networking receptions, automatically match 4-6 attendees based on highly niche, pre-submitted interests (not seniority). Use reserved tables with a small, printed discussion prompt to kickstart the conversation. |
| 6. Micro-Consulting Hot Seats | Functional Job | Dedicate a time slot for 15-minute, private, 1:1 consulting sessions with keynote speakers or industry experts. Attendees must submit their top challenge in advance, ensuring the 15 minutes are hyper-productive and yield a clear functional output. |
| 7. The Emotional Vault | Emotional Job | Create an anonymous digital board or physical box where attendees can submit the biggest fears or vulnerabilities they face in their industry. The closing speaker then addresses these themes generally, making attendees feel heard and less alone without exposing individuals. |
| 8. Intentional Seating Design | Functional & Social Jobs | Pre-plan seating charts (especially for meals or workshops) that deliberately pair individuals whose stated “functional jobs” (e.g., need help with sales) align with another attendee’s core expertise (e.g., a sales expert). |
Holistic Experience (Physical, Digital, Sensory)
| Idea | Principle Applied | Description |
| 9. Personalized Journey Guides | Holistic Experience | Assign a dedicated ‘Journey Guide’ (a vetted team member or veteran attendee) to 5-7 new attendees. This guide is tasked with meeting them once and providing three personalized, pre-researched recommendations based on their JTBD registration data. |
| 10. Decompression Zone | Physical/Sensory | Designate a small, quiet, aesthetic space away from the main traffic for introverts or those needing a mental break. Include comfortable seating, low light, plants, and noise-cancelling headphones—a true physical touchpoint for emotional regulation. |
| 11. Thematic Sensory Cues | Sensory Touchpoint | Introduce a specific, high-quality, non-offensive scent (e.g., cedarwood, citrus) and a custom instrumental playlist that is played consistently during main sessions to create a strong, memorable, and unique anchor for the learning experience. |
| 12. The Physical Memory Kit | Physical Touchpoint | Instead of branded swag, give attendees a beautifully designed, high-quality journal with prompt questions related to the event’s themes. This encourages thoughtful engagement and serves as a physical reminder of the ideas generated. |
| 13. Pre-Event Digital Immersion | Digital Touchpoint | Start the experience 7 days before the event with a personalized, short digital task each day (e.g., “Answer this single question,” “Watch this 2-minute video”). This builds anticipation and primes the attendees’ minds (Divergent phase) before they arrive. |
| 14. Shared Problem Prototyping | Convergent (Tortoise Brain) | Dedicate a workshop to solving a shared industry challenge using low-fidelity materials (Legos, post-it notes, pipe cleaners). The goal is not a perfect solution, but a rapid, tangible prototype that forces a convergent focus on implementation. |
| 15. Narrative-Driven Session Titles | Communication & Culture | Rename generic session titles (e.g., “The Future of Marketing”) to narrative-driven, question-based titles (e.g., “How Do We Beat the Algorithm: A Marketer’s Guide to the Next 5 Years”). This aligns the content to the attendee’s intrinsic motivation and curiosity. |
Connect with you online and don’t forget to get your seat at the Strategy Table…