08 Sep 09 Is Design Really Important?

Event design is one of those things that may seem dispensable in these days of bad economies and bailouts. Many are afraid the public will scrutinize everything from the front door sign to how many post-it notes the company goes through a month; consequently they may question the need for good event design.

Your answer is simple but may be difficult to present. A company shows its colors with an event. While it may not need an appearance by the full performing lineup of the Cirque du Soleil, proper and aesthetic design of events will tell the world what it truly is.

As a planner, you have choices to help the client make. Is she going to go so cheap that the schedules will be hand written and photocopied, then left in a stack at each door? How about the reception? Will it be a cash bar with two kinds of drinks available, or will the client spring for something nicer?

Okay, so there is not a lot of money to play with here, so perhaps you can axe the reception in favor of an informal networking session. Instead of booze offer a small dessert cart with shot-glass samples of to-die-for confections. It may be a lot cheaper than the disastrous reception and will serve a better purpose. Observers would rather see a networking session than a bunch of drunks at a reception anyway.

That is just one example of how important design can be. Your job is to take it out of the handwritten schedule realm and make it look important, relevant, and productive.

Tags: Aesthetic Design, Appearance, Axe, Booze, Bunch Of Drunks, Choices, Cirque Du, Cirque Du Soleil, Cirque Soleil, Colors, Dessert Cart, Glass Samples, Important Event, Informal Networking, Job, Kinds Of Drinks, Lot, Networking Session, Observers, Shot Glass, Stack, Two Kinds