Embrace uncertainty
Freelance creative director and concept creator Robert Dunsmore says uncertainty is the key to opportunity for creatives.
Robert Dunsmore
Robert Dunsmore
At the beginning of her track Cross My Mind, American R&B singer Jill Scott muses on a cologne she bought for an ex. A repetition of the same scent on her next boyfriend fails. The song is blunt: “It stunk on him”. Then she concludes, “You know what they say, everything ain’t for everybody”.
I get that. Uncertainty is an integral part of the creative process and should be leveraged to create opportunity. Uncertainty is a discovery tool, a filter that can be used to mitigate risk.
Successful businesses have forever played the art of turning uncertainty into opportunity. In the event world these story-playbooks become case studies of mythological pretentions, easier to reflect than repeat.
We are awash with predictions, top ten lists, cookie-cutter formats to fill the cracks of our uncertainties, but ultimately actions are the key. Success and resilience lie in a more creative discourse with your own event.
Get it right quick, get it wrong even quicker. Make beautifully human ideas that work and unmake the ones that don’t. We live in a fast-paced world and that is how we should create. Focus on aspects and experiences most meaningful to attendees and avoid features that don’t drive your event or have a clear and intentional fit.
Community
Earlier this year I ran a prompt-based learning journey workshop for MPI at EMEC. Community-centricity attracted the most responses around the softer inner-architecture of the human event participants.
Human-centric means following your event community from one step ahead. Where do you want your event experience to start? Where does your event responsibility and accountability begin and end?
Think about granular pre-meeting communications, universal access and expectations. Get involved and use AI to boost bonding and belonging in partnership with your attendees. Your community is a zoomable asset.
Do everything in your power to cultivate your relationships. Use your insight to build inputs and inform your experience design. Analytics can act as shareware across the community for better understanding and better inputs.
We need to learn more, as learning is the key to understanding our communities. We need to do more, as actions are the key to success.
Photo by James Baldwin on Unsplash
Photo by James Baldwin on Unsplash
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Identity
Identity is everything today, it cuts through the noise, through the complexity of our always-on existence. It is your superpower. If your event has a solid identity - like a trusted brand - it becomes a constant in a world of change, a safe space where it is easier to inspire action.
Identity is about making sense of your purpose. Your purpose is in your event DNA, a roadmap to develop and grow. A direction of travel, a shared purpose that feels right to you, employees, attendees, industry colleagues and clients in partnership as a shared bond.
More advice from Jill Scott; in her uplifting anthem Golden she sings of taking her freedom and “putting on my chain - wear it round my neck”, before declaring “wherever I choose to go - it will take me far”.
Any event has the opportunity to become golden, one of those case study legends. Take the creative leap and build golden events with freedom, intention, and community. Shine loud, proud and wear it on your chain.
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