What Would Walt Do?
Opening Experience Design...the Disney Way.
Close your eyes and dream with us for a moment while we drift back into the not so distant whimsical yesteryears of live events. Your heels are high, your patent leather loafers shine and there's a little swag in your step. Cocktail glasses clink all around you and the stage is alight with song and dance. Your dear friends are to the left and right of you. Magic.
Now open your eyes.
Today, our design constraints are different than they once were. Guest comfort level is different. But the magic that our guests expect, the magic that our industry wants to create, THAT magic hasn't gone anywhere.
So let's dream together about the magic we will create in the future of event design. The answers might be closer than you think, perhaps they've been right under your nose all along. So, we ask:
"What would Walt do?"
Well, Mr. Disney happened to create the most magical place on earth and, long before COVID19, created safe and spectacular experiences for people of all ages. He not only faced challenges head on, but he explored every nook and cranny of a challenge until he turned it into a magical opportunity to whisk people away to discover exciting and new experiences. Do you remember? Tomorrowland. Frontierland. And most recently, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.
Today, it is our job to embrace the challenges we face, to integrate safety into the events we produce and to bring the magic of events to the forefront in adaptive and unique ways - maybe even with Walt guiding and pushing us along.
So where do we start? We sat down with Keri and Trevor, magic-maker extraordinaires, to discuss their perspectives on how we design the future. Spoiler alert: it'll be quite the ride!
Q. In the interest of dreaming of the future, Trevor, what comes to mind when you think of being immersed back into a live event?
A. So many things. What excites me most about gathering together in person once again are the limitless possibilities to create new experiences that are even more meaningful than before. It’s been awe-inspiring to see how we have all adapted over the last year and I’m intrigued to see how live event experiences come to life in new and unexpected ways. It’s going to be a challenge, but never boring that’s for sure. Admittedly, I’m also looking forward to seeing people indulge in ways they hadn’t before. I hope guests will walk into events with more excitement than ever before. There will be a lot of anticipation alongside a bit of fear for some people . . . it is our job to make people feel as safe as possible while experiencing the unimaginable.
Q. Yes! - we are all craving that excitement again, while still understanding there will be differences in the design approach. In your opinion, how do we bridge the gap? How do we begin to wrap our head around designing spaces in this new way?
A.
We will all need to ease back into live events in our own way. There will not be a one size fits all solution for sure. But . . . we already know there’s a way to get a certain amount of people together in a safe and extraordinarily memorable way. We sat down together as a team and started discussing theme parks, then asked each other:
“What would Walt do?”
Immediately, I thought of the Haunted Mansion experience at Disneyland. When I was a youngster, I remember a trip with my family to the Magic Kingdom - one of the most wondrous places on earth for people of all ages. While you might not realize it, every attraction in the park is hyper-controlled, built by master architects and created with safety and ultimately, a timed and strategically executed user experience in mind. Not many people forget their first time in the Haunted Mansion. Even the lineup conjures up feelings of chilling anticipation for what’s in store and is an experience in and of itself as you pass by manicured gardens and a pet cemetery.
The experience starts when you line up.
Once you enter the Colonial styled building (inspired by the Harry Packer Mansion in Pennsylvania) you are given your restriction and instructions, are corralled together safely with a specific number of people and the pre-show begins. Sound familiar? Experienced event producers are well equipped to create once in a lifetime experiences that are not only safe, but as memorable as your first time at Disneyland.
Q. That is a really interesting perspective! It helps visualize how we might move through a space - especially being able to relate to an experience the majority of us have already experienced.
A. Yes! In Canada, we have theme parks across the country complete with gravity defying roller coasters and other more subdued attractions. Not as elaborate as Disneyland, but many of us are used to these types of controlled experiences.
Fly Over Canada
in Vancouver is a great example of a multi-sensory experience that literally takes its guests from coast to coast to coast complete with scent machines and misting water emulating nature (Niagara Falls). Sound familiar again? We really can learn a lot from these types of attractions and transfer the techniques they use to the new era of events.
Q. I like that you mentioned experiences like FlyOver Canada, and Roller Coasters. Those experiences tend to have some extra steps in the process, safety checks, and the like. Keri, let’s bring your opinion into this question - will these processes translate to live experiences?
A. I love Trevor’s insight and idea of comparing theme park attractions with the opening of live events, and the anticipated constraints we can expect. Attendance could be tiered, they will be in smaller, controlled groups, with the goal of creating big impact with multiple, timed “showings”.
Let’s embrace the constraints of the restrictions to innovate and create awesome experiences that can develop as attendance restraints relax. COVID safety, while #1, isn’t going anywhere. We will adapt with the changes and these will become the new industry standards, which should not drive the experience, but facilitate it.
Theme parks outline the requirements before getting in line, for example, "you must be this tall to ride", or "riders under the age of 8 must be accompanied by an adult". Now translate that into public events. Once in the queue, you are ushered, just like at an airport, theme park ride, or drive in, through a series of bends and turns. What if each “check-point” was entertaining and engaging? A maze...but Amazing!
Once you’ve made it to the main attraction, you are placed in a log, spinning teacup, or car with your cohort, and transported through an experience designed to create anticipation, exude joy, and feel exhilaration, amongst moments of brilliance. We are then eased out of the experience, minds blown, excited and wanting more, often heading straight back into line.
We do not have to attend an event by sitting still, in separated seating and watch bigger content on a bigger screen than in our homes! What if we were moved through an experience, much like a perfectly curated museum, or theme park ride, safely with the event experience surrounding and engulfing us? Think of the
Museum of Ice Cream
- the scheduled crowd movement, the immersive rooms, the engaging and interactive creative spaces - which guests are willing to invest time and money in.
Q. That makes sense - we are all so adaptable! Particularly when information is communicated simply and clearly. Keri, can you think of a project that the team has executed that demonstrates participant movement in this way?
A. I’d like to think that all of our work is designed in a way that creates energy and impact for guests the way a theme park ride does! We write our design stories for the guests with a “walk in their shoes” methodology, with impactful and thought provoking content . We creatively hit all the senses. That methodology doesn’t change in these new circumstances. The physical logistics of gathering people to dance, celebrate and network changes, but the idea of immersing guests in a storyline does not.
One project in particular I recall that did this well and could easily be revised to today’s standards is our celebrated RGO 4.2 Relaunch from 2013. This event was created to move people through a space so they could see, feel and experience each location and its unique product or service offerings.
It was a journey. There were creative installations and engaging elements, featuring the client’s products in cool ways. It culminated in a speech and gathering, but today, that content could have been delivered differently. Today, that event would be a staggered 60-minute timed experience for 65 guests...stretched out over a day, rather than a 4-hour event for 400 people at once.
We would deliver bespoke moments to strategically curated guest groups, all through purposeful, impactful content, rather than it potentially being diluted or missed by people experiencing it on their own. The ROI for the client would be easier to achieve and analyze, really there are some amazing opportunities to rethink past events right now!
Q. Ok, let’s end on a fun one: If you could design an experience like the Museum of Ice Cream, but themed around a theme-park ride, what would it be? Give me an “elevator pitch” of what different rooms would feature.
Trevor: Ooh! Can we just swap out the ice cream for candy? No. Better yet, give us ice cream AND candy. (Our team has a huge sweet tooth. Okay . . . I have a HUGE sweet tooth.) Think Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, but with local confectionery and sustainable items all brought to life with brands from our own backyard. In this economy, we need to support our local partners!
For the after party, people could walk down the “garden path”, pull a carrot juice out of the ground, perhaps pear spritzer from a tree, or snag a spiked lemonade from a lemonade stand, and head into Hansel and Gretel’s gingerbread house, where candy cane dance floors await under marzipan chandeliers.
We think Trevor is hungry...
You get where we are going. The answers have been right in front of us all along. Thanks Walt [and team]!
THE END...or is it The Beginning?
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