Chapter 8 Event Design Learning Objectives ■ Know the meaning of design and how it is applied to planned events. ■ Be able to apply principles of psychology, sociology and other disciplines to event design. ■ Understand how to use various design tools in terms of the event: – setting (site and venue) and atmosphere – theme and programme (including performers, participants and programmic elements of style) – services (service quality; staff and volunteers as ‘the cast’) – consumables (gastronomy; gifts). 208 Event Studies What Is Event Design? ‘Design’ is neither pure science nor art; it is both a technical and creative act.
The chap- ter starts with definitions of design and the meaning of Event Design, addressing the basic question of whether or not planned event experiences can be designed, and if so, how. When it comes to the tools of event design, we can draw on a number of prin- ciples from psychology, environmental psychology and social psychology in particu- lar. The opinions of a number of event designers are also presented, in order to ground the discussion in real-world professional practice. Because creativity is an integral part of design, we look at its meaning and tools that have been used to foster creativity or innovation.
This takes us into the arts, but sur- prisingly also draws from science and engineering. Detailed discussions are presented on the event setting (the site, venue and atmosphere), the programme, including elem- ents of style, and services that have to be managed for quality and experiential impact. Definitions Nathan Shedroff (2001) wrote Experience Design and co-authored Making Meaning: How Successful Businesses Deliver Meaningful Customer Experiences (Diller, Shedroff and Rhea, 2006). This definition of design is taken from his website (www.
Design is a set of fields for problem solving that uses user-centric approaches to understand user needs (as well as business, economic, environmental, social, and other requirements) to create successful solutions that solve real problems. Design is often used as a process to create real change within a system or market. Too often, Design is defined only as visual problem solving or communication because of the predominance of graphic designers. Shedroff distinguishes several fields of design applications including ‘environmental design’ for structures or settings, and ‘experience design’.
Experience, to Shedroff, is: The sensation of interaction with a product, service, or event, through all of our senses, over time, and on both physical and cognitive levels. The boundaries of an experience can be expansive and include the sensorial, the symbolic, the temporal, and the meaningful. Steve Brown is an event designer in Adelaide, South Australia. To him event design requires an audience orientation.
Event Design is the creation, conceptual development and design of an event to maximise the positive and mean- ingful impact for the event’s audience and/or participants. Event Design 209 Brown and James (2004: 59) argued that ‘Design is essential to an event’s success because it leads to improvement of the event on every level.’ The ‘core values’ of the event provide the starting point: Why is it held, and for whom? What is its substance and intended outcomes? They discussed five design principles for events that are incorporated into the ensuing discussion: ‘scale, shape, focus, timing and build.’ Also emphasized is the need for creativity and uniqueness in event design, as generic events offering the same benefits are unlikely to endure. This can be accomplished, in part, by incorporating the rituals and symbols of the host community. Julia Silvers (2004: 5), in her book Professional Event Coordination, expressed it this way: Remember that you are packaging and managing an experience.
This means that you must envision that experience, from start to finish, from the guest’s point of view. Graham Berridge, A UK event professional and lecturer, has written a book devoted to the subject. In Event Design (2006) he discusses the field of ‘experience design’ at length, saying it is in its infancy. Unfortunately, the term is being used to describe the design of everything from websites (digital media) to storytelling, theme parks and corporate ‘brand events’.
He argued that the purpose is to create desired perceptions, cognition and behaviour. Building and maintaining relationships is at the core, and stimulating emotional connections through engagement is the vehicle. Berridge also advocated ‘experience engineering’ through the application of design principles to all aspects of event planning and production. This requires event man- agers and other key stakeholders to engage in conscious experiential design, market- ing and delivery.
He employed the theatre metaphor to suggest that both the stage (setting) and performance (the entire experience) must be designed. We often associate ‘design’ with fashion, aesthetics or visual graphics. Events do require aesthetic design, particularly to create the right atmosphere, but there is much more to it. Think more about industrial design, with its emphasis on problem solving.
A chair has to be designed for efficiency and comfort, plus be pleasing to the eye. An event, both its tangible setting (the site and venue), the atmosphere (with sensory stimulations of all kinds) and its programme (together these are the ‘experiential com- ponents’) also have to be designed, both with the producer’s goals in mind and the needs, preferences and desires of the audience or customers. If design is separated from goals and real-world needs, we are left with art for its own sake. Can Experiences Be Designed? Go back to the previous chapter and re-read the definitions of ‘experience’, look again at how meanings are attached to experiences, and think about that long list of 210 Event Studies stakeholders (much more than guests or the audience) who are experientially influ- enced by planned events.
It is possible to get people involved, have them do specific things, and receive desired stimuli, but it is not possible to guarantee or predict what individuals actually ‘experience’ cognitively and emotionally as an outcome. Nor can the event designer know for a certainty what meanings will be attached to those event experiences, or whether they will have any transforming impact. It is true that ‘experienced’ event producers build up an understanding of what seems to work well to make people happy, or at least to say that they are satisfied. And ‘prac- tice does make perfect’ when it comes to both getting the design elements right (i., technically perfect, and in keeping with the designer’s vision), and also in avoiding mistakes.
In these ways the designer’s experience and intuition go a long way to improving event experiences. But whatever the design process, there has to be research and feedback from the stakeholders leading to improvement, otherwise the designer is guilty of either taking a ‘product orientation’ (here is what I offer, its good for you), or creating art for its own sake (with no problem being solved). An experience is so highly personal that it cannot be planned, designed, or even prom- ised to event goers. The purpose of any event is to suggest what experiences might be had (through theming and interpretation), facilitate positive experiences (through design of setting, programme, services and consumables), and to enable everyone concerned, as much as possible, to realize their goals.
On the other hand, design and management also seeks to constrain undesired experiences, including aggression, vio- lence and over-stimulation. Design and Creativity A simple definition of ‘creativity’ is that it is the mental process of generating new ideas or concepts. It can be equated with invention and innovation, as in the engin- eering and entrepreneurial contexts. Creativity not found only in the arts – creativity is a fundamental part of all human endeavour.
Where does it come from, and can it be taught? It does appear that some people are more naturally creative than others, per- haps benefiting from unique mental processes or their upbringing. We sometimes say that creative people show ‘genius’ because their ideas or their art just seems to be so novel or fresh. With whole ‘industries’ now devoted to creativity and knowledge formation, it is becoming more and more unlikely that individuals will spontaneously generate truly original ideas or non-derivative art. So another approach to creativity becomes more important, and that is to actively search for, discuss and refine new associations between facts and concepts.
That is one of the aims of this book – to encourage students, Event Design 211 researchers and policy makers to put things together in new ways. You not only need a lot of information as the starting point, you need some advice on how to proceed. Richard Florida’s concept of ‘the creative class’ is relevant here. The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It’s Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life.
New York: Basic Books. According to Florida, creativity is becoming a driving force in American economic life, and a key source of competitive advantage. Some cities flourish because of their creative class, and Florida argued that creative- class workers choose cities for their tolerant environments and diverse populations, as well as good jobs. The event sector has to be part of this creativity, and is therefore deserving of attention by both cultural and eco- nomic policy makers.
‘Creative capital’ has value, and it has to be attracted, even though the people display- ing the most creative capital might otherwise be viewed as eccentric, at best, or just plain weird. Tolerance, technology and talent go together. Creativity can certainly be taught, at least to a degree. If the social environment is sup- portive, more people will become artists and inventors.
If the learning environment is oriented in such a way, students at all levels can learn to be more creative. Hopefully this book accomplishes something of that nature by encouraging readers to make new associations between ideas, see new problems and opportunities that emerge from a discussion of existing ones, and think up research that can lead to new knowledge. Merely spending a few minutes on the suggested ‘mental exercises’ will get the cre- ative juices flowing. Nickerson (1999) summarized the various creativity-boosting techniques proposed by industry and academics, in the book Handbook of Creativity (R.
Many come under the general heading of providing motivation and a supportive environment, while others are techniques or tools. Also see Wiersma and Strolberg’s (2003) Exceptional Events: Concept to Completion, for tips on event creativity. What Elements of Planned Events Can be Designed? Given that event experiences cannot themselves be designed, only suggested, constrained and facilitated, what is the scope of event design? The EMBOK model (Figure 1.1) lists the following under design: catering, content, entertainment, envi- ronment, production, programme and theme. Lynn Van der Wagen’s book (2004: 26) lists event elements that are ‘designed’: ● Theme (appealing to all the senses).
212 Event Studies ● Technical requirements. The following four general categories of event design elements emerge from the pre- ceding discussion, and will be examined in greater detail in the ensuing sections of this chapter. ● Setting: The site and venue as to layout and décor; the creation of a pleasant and appro- priate ambience or atmosphere through various expressions of the theme including technical elements and sensory stimulation (lighting, sound, smells, touching, colours, flowers, art); access, flow and crowd management measures including information and signage; facilitated interactivity (which is in part a ‘setting affordance’). ● Theme and programme design: The theme (what is being celebrated, or other integra- tive themes); activities people engage in (including interactions and spontaneous action); the scripted program people observe; entertainment; interpretation; emo- tional stimulation and all the other programmic elements of style.
● Services: To the extent that service quality is blueprinted, this is a design process; there is creativity in establishing the ‘servicescape’ and how service encounters occur; technical skill is required for hidden management systems including security, health and safety measures; staff and volunteers are ‘cast members’ helping to create experiences. ● Consumables: Gastronomy is both technical (i., food and beverage preparation) and creative (i.