Here are some of the top highlights we found in Chapter 3:

• “Design” – in reference to meetings and events – is really about:
  • Content
  • Emotions
  • Impact
• The chapter began with this quote, which I think really drives home the importance of the “emotions” and “impact” factors:
  • “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
• Design includes the following:
  • Creating an agenda and content that will maximize the impact of the meeting/event through attendees’ emotions
  • Identifying what you want the attendees to learn and take away from the meeting/event in the context of larger organizational goals/messaging
  • Communicating with attendees in a way that maximizes their engagement – before, during and after the meeting/event
• Emotion is really the most important part of the meeting/event. To leverage emotion to get the biggest impact, you need to ask the following questions in the design phase of your meeting/event:
  • How do you want the attendees to feel by the end of the meeting/event?
  • What do you want them to remember?
• To design a successful meeting/event, you need to be able to define and describe what that meeting/event is/should be. In the case of an incentive trip, there are three key elements to understand:
  • Attendees should not be able to put a monetary value on what they are experiencing
  • Create contrast throughout the program in order to keep the attention of attendees and ensure that the level of excitement stays high
  • Create unique moments that will stand out not only within the trip, but when compared to other trips the attendees have experienced

Stay tuned for a chapter 4 recap about how to execute a successful meeting/event!