Why the Smartest Brands Elevate their Events with Design Thinking

The pundits and gurus have long observed that the marketing industry is shifting from being event-centered to being data-driven, but this isn’t the whole truth. While there’s more pressure than ever on marketers to lead with analytics and prove ROI, there is another wave of change that’s affirming the importance of creating positive, transformative and memorable experiences through design thinking.

Brands of all types (and sizes) are being asked to create better experiences, whether that's a routine touch point in the customer journey, or a special event. And though it can be tempting to create events according to habit or precedence, there is a tremendous value in taking a step back and tailoring the design of the event according to user-driven insights.

In-person experiences matter

As digitally savvy as we might be, we still depend on in-person encounters and contact. After all, 90% of millennials prefer to work with a realtor when purchasing a house, despite the fact that the entire process is manageable without a proverbial middle man. Statistics like these point to an easily overlooked opportunity—the connected consumer may be enmeshed in their social networks and smart phones, but they still want and need physical structures and experiences to anchor those virtual worlds in.

Event and trade shows are great opportunities to put this principle into practice

For brands and businesses, events and tradeshows can provide critical windows for establishing a more enduring connection with their customers. In those spaces, they can think beyond the transactional and inspire, motivate, and engage their audience in a way that will ultimately support customer loyalty and retention, as well as position the brand as an innovative and thoughtful industry leader.

What is design thinking?

But, what is design thinking, and how do brands design experiences that feel relevant and on-point? Though design thinking has its visual elements, its roots are more pragmatic than aesthetic. At its core, design thinking is the radical, yet intuitive, practice of considering people’s behaviors, tastes, and interests — the totality of their experience — when creating products, spaces, and activations.

What are examples of design thinking in action?

It may mean using the observation that when participants are walking a tradeshow floor, they are distracted by their phones, to create a second screen experience where attendees receive notifications and exclusive content about the tradeshow through a special app on their phone.

Or, as we did for a tech startup client of ours, observing that it’s tiresome for attendees to have to lug their conference swag around as they walk and explore, and translating that observation into building-in private lockers at their booth where people can store their stuff, and in the process, feel both gratitude and curiosity about the brand offering the complimentary service.

Both the above examples are brilliant in their simplicity, and though brands can go bolder in the experiences they create, and craft more immersive experiences, such as a rock climbing wall, AR test drive, or Instagram museum, the principles are the same: understand the participant’s mindset, take context into account, keep it on-brand, and offer real value.

The link between standing out on a tradeshow floor and standing out in a crowded marketplace? A well-designed customer experience.

How these principles are applied will look different, depending on the brand, the venue, and the target audience, but when combined and put into practice, they have the potential to help a brand, or organization stand out, whether in a noisy and crowded trade show floor, or in an even noisier and more crowded marketplace.