Chapter 6 Designing the Event Experience

Chapter Objectives 1.Clearly define the characteristics of the event experience 2.Recognize the importance of designing an event experience that creates meaning 3.Understand how to develop an event experience 4.Appreciate that stakeholders will have varied experiences 5.Identify how the unique elements of an event impact the experience

Introduction Good planning and implementation are only effective if the event is attractive and compels an audience to attend (Morgan, 2008). The competition, atmosphere, expectations, and entertainment create meaning; meaning creates and experience. Experience Economy: Consumers desire occurrences beyond the goods or services alone (Pine & Gilmore, 1999).

Creating the Sport Event Experience Experiences are meant to be memorable and to engage in a personal way. Experiences are subjective and heterogeneous. Sport event design is meant for the guests (usually considered to be the fans and other spectators), but there are a number of other key stakeholders whose experiences matter greatly: – Athletes, volunteers, staff – Sponsors and media – Local residents

Characteristics of Experiences Experiences cannot be designed and delivered like products due to the subjectivity and heterogeneity of the individual (Petterson & Getz, 2009). Generic experiences: – Occur at any event – Relate more to the individual’s state of mind and expectations for the event rather than the theme, concept, or setting – Can be staged to meet the more customary expectations

Characteristics of Experiences (cont.) Specific experiences: – Are specifically related to that event, and what makes it unique – Specific expectations for stakeholders include: Intensity: strength of the event experience Duration: length the experience stays present for the attendee Meaning felt by the attendee

Experience Dimensions Mannell and Kleiber (1997) posit three dimensions of experience: conative, cognitive, and affective. – Conative dimension describes an experience as actual behavior. – Cognitive dimension relates to making sense of the experience through awareness, perception, memory, learning, and judgment. – Affective dimension concerns the emotion or feelings associated with the experience.

Experience Economy Pine and Gilmore’s (1999) Experience Economy, the authors discuss two dimensions of experience: customer participation and connection. Participation is anchored by: – Active participation – Passive participation Connection is anchored by: – Absorption – Immersion

Four Realms of Experience By incorporating the two dimensions, four broad categories of experiences can be illustrated according to where they fall into the spectra: – Entertainment experiences – Educational experiences – Escapist experiences – Aesthetic experiences

Designing Experiences: Theming Theming an event is not merely decorations; it should alter the attendees’ sense of time and reality through tangible and memorable cues that leave lasting impressions (Getz, 2012). To create impressions that foster meaning, the theme should convey a story using symbolic elements like logos, flags, color schemes, and displays. These elements should be layered throughout the event spaces and places the attendees gather.

Designing Experiences: Theming To further immerse the attendee in the event theme, the design efforts should: – Maximize positive cues and minimize negative cues – Use memorabilia to further enhance the theme

Designing the Experience: Creating Liminality A sport event tends to elicit a sense of something more important that transcends sport itself and creates an energy in the atmosphere that can be shared by all (Chalip, 2006). At the core of an experience is a zone that creates meaning that transcends the person and creates meaning outside of normal every day life: – Liminal: zone created by ritualistic or spiritual event – Liminoid: zone created by secular events – These zones defined by spatial and temporal term that can be engendered through the event design and programming

Designing the Experience: Engaging the Senses The theme can be enhanced by stimulating the senses. Engaging the senses is a balancing act, and the event design should immerse the attendees in the experience, thereby drawing them in, but avoiding sensory overload. When creating areas for socializing, music and other sounds should not be set to a volume that disallows conversation.

Co-creating Experiences Co-creation is a design tool that provides additional value to an event, by allowing the attendee high quality interactions with the event (Prahalad & Ramaswamy, 2004; Van Limburg, 2008). For co-creation to occur, the attendee and event must work jointly. The goal of co-creation is to move the attendee from passive-absorbed participant to active-immersed participant within the Four Realm Experience dimensions.

Meanings Attached In sport, meaning is conveyed through the symbolic elements used to create the liminoid zone: ceremony, ritual, logos, flags, banners, and color schemes (Chalip, 2006; Getz, 2012). Meaning attached to an experience; it is highly dependent on the interaction between the event theme and the interpretations by the attendee. Sport event managers must address attendees’ need for meaning by understanding the role of meaning and how to evoke meaning through the event.