TOOLBOXEVENT DESIGNERS

EXPERIENCE DESIGN PROCESS

DECONSTRUCT

EIGHT PHASES OF THE GUEST EXPERIENCE

1Announcing

Capture Attention

2 Attracting

Woothe Audience

3Anticipating

EliminateDisappointment

4 Arriving Travel to

Destination

5 Entering Reset theIntention

6 Engaging

Environments ofEngagement

7 Exiting

SignatureMoments

8Extending

Recall & Relive

Post EventDuring EventPre-Event

WORKBOOK PAGES 7-9

Here you are capturing insights

on current state of the event.

Look at the most recent event

and identify what elements were

working, not working as well as

you’d like them to, and what

elements are failing short. Chart

them across the 8 phases

DESIGN TOOL: DEFLECTION POINT EXERCISEUse this design thinking tool to provide input into your redesign. This is a structured way, to collaborate, prioritize, and agree on specific action plans.• Expected Outcomes:

• Insights into the way things are and how they might be (deconstruct)• Identification of useful ideas that might be leveraged to improve your program (rebuild)• The people and partners involved in the exercise get emotionally and functionally engaged• Action items defined with owners to move them forward

• What you will need:• Large empty area on the floor or wall• Sharpies/Markers• Post-it Notes• Blue Tape

DEFLECTION POINT EXERCISE STEP ONEInstructions:

1. Introduce the Deflection Point Drill

2. Ask the team to make a horizontal line on the wall with blue tape. Have the team write on it “Predictable Path” with a sharpie. Explain that this line represents the status quo of the event experience.

3. Using Post-its, ask the team to describe “The Predictable Path” (e.g.: the program components that are typical for you). Then categorize the post-it notes based on similarities. The input can be broad or specific. You can use different colored Post-it Notes to designated elements which are positive or need reinvention or further discussion.

Adopted from the book “Think Wrong”

DEFLECTION POINT IN ACTION

The Predictable Path

Current elements

First step is for the team to

identify all of the “predictable”

elements of the event experience

and chart those. Try combining

this with the eight phases to

provide a frame of reference.

From Segmentation to Personalization

The process of dividing something into parts or

segments.

DemographicsSegmentation PersonasArchetypes

A specific segment of a population having shared

characteristics.

Someone who exists that fits a set of known characteristics

A collection of guests that share the same attitudes, behaviors and

motivation usually identified through observation, tactic

knowledge and/or interviews.

Target 20 No PercentagesAttitudes,

Behaviors & Motivations

No Names or Photos Construct-a-Name

Aim to create 20 personasin order to elimination generalizations and avoid segmentation.

Don’t break anything out into percentages.

Use identified attitudes, behaviors and motivations not demographics or segments.

No proper names such as Bob or Jane. No real-life photos.

Use persona’s primary behavior to construct a name.

Maritz Personas Principles

How do people behave at “The Creative Alliance”?

Single Focused Strategic Viewer

Simply Wasting Time Sponge

ELIM

INAT

E

INCLUD

EThe empathy map is a great way to bring

the persona to life while identifying

tangible ways to improve the experience

for them by uncovering which elements

you should exclude or include to make

their journey more rich.

REBUILD

The Strategic Event Framework is the core

road map which links the event experience

to the organizations’ brand and business

objectives for running the event. The

Organizing Principle acts as the event’s North

Star and the shared values express and

activate the intimate link between the

audience and the organization.

DEFLECTION POINT EXERCISE STEP TWOInstructions:1. Using blue tape, have the team create a new line coming off “The Predictable Path” at a 45 degree angle, and

label it “The Bold Path”. Using Post-its, ask the team, to brainstorm “The Bold Path” ideas. Advise them that there are no-limits to the big bold event element ideas. Then, prioritize them and identify which of these are the best departure from the predictable.

2. Next, with Post-its, have the team work together to identify how to transition from “The Predictable Path” to “The Bold Path”. Place these Post-its in the space between “The Bold Path” and “The Predictable Path”. Assign owners to the transition ideas and capture in an action plan.

Adopted from the book “Think Wrong”

DEFLECTION POINT IN ACTION

The Predictable Path

The B

old Ba

th

Current elements

Bold Path Ideas

Transition Ideas

Have the team generate Bold Path

ideas which will be organized and

prioritized into like groupings. As a

team, identify which bold path ideas

to focus on and generate how you

will transition.

REFINE

Use emotional mapping to refine the

experience once it has been designed. This

can be done at the macro or micro level –

consider the emotional state of your guests

during a break after a pivotal keynote, or

placement of an evening reception to offset

the longest day of learning.

(example on next slide)

EXAMPLE

Personalize your Event marketing

Persona Jobs

Persona Profile

• Jobs = What does this persona do? This can be functional, social, emotional

• Pains = What annoys, prevents, limits the persona in accomplishing their Jobs (Negative Outcomes the persona wants to avoid)

• Gains = Positive outcomes, Concrete results, Benefits, Aspirations – Describes how the persona measures a job well done

Persona Jobs

Event Value Map

• Pain Relievers = How does the event features and experiences eliminate the persona pains – making their lives better?

• Gain Creators = How does the event features and experiences help the persona improve on what they care about?

• Products & Services = What features and experiences does your event offer the specific persona? Do you have gaps?

Create Fit!

Fit is created when a clear connection is made between what matters to your personas and how the event’s features and experiences address pains and create gains.

Addressing extreme pains?

Addressing essential gains?

Persona Jobs

WHAT STORY WILL YOU TELL?

THANK YOU!