Should corporate meetings feel more like festivals?

Festivals help brands connect to attendees on a personal level.

According to Skift, one megatrend defining travel in 2017 is the festivalization of meetings, and we're breaking down exactly what that means.

In this article by Skift's Greg Oates, he states, "Conference organizers are developing more multidisciplinary programming that pulls from both the business and creative industries, creating a new convergence of experiences that help brands plug into business events in more ways."

In short, just because it is a corporate meeting doesn't mean it has to feel like one. As it turns out, your organization's overall objectives can be met by connecting to attendees on a personal level through the memorable, meaningful experiences brought on by the festival atmosphere.

We touched on this recently with concept of corporate field trips- strategically assigning teams to a select list of creative, out of the box experiences that help achieve a specific end goal rather than forcing generalized content on all attendees. The "festival theme" is also based on incorporating creativity and innovation, but does a better job of affecting the masses simultaneously.

Think along the lines of adding an inspiring variety of TED-like talks instead of the usual celebrity keynote speaker or giving attendees opportunities for one-on-one interactions with impressive new technologies that work toward brand advocacy, like drinking your logo in a latte or printing selfies with event hashtags.

Seek out moments that are new and memorable- the more unique the better. "The silent disco is hands down my favorite activity," says Tracy Judge, Senior Director of Cadence Meetings + Incentive Travel. "After hours (or days) of networking and interaction, attendees are given headphones to various music options and a space to dance silently as a group. The outcome is this unexpected yet perfect balance of having time to yourself while bonding with others. And it is hysterical."

If your mind (like ours) is spinning with inspiring ways to add festivalization to your next corporate meeting, let's chat. We love taking events to the next level.