Time: Our Most Valuable Resource
We have a deep recognition that we are looking for Returns on Investment, Engagement and more recently Time (RoT) has been coming up. I could not agree more and in this excerpt I offer up simple but critical considerations in intentional event design. Excerpt pg. 29 from Our KPI is Joy: How live events catalyze, happiness, productivity and trust. Available on Amazon March 21, 2025.
We all must make choices and prioritize what is most important to us when we spend our time. For every event you design ask: How are we designing time and space, flow and function, to ensure everyone maximizes the available time while still meeting the event owner’s goals? This will differ depending on the type of event. But whether it is a corporate-hosted event, an incentive trip, an association event with continuing education credits, or an event the participant has paid to attend, these considerations remain true.
When designing event time, consider:
- Not everyone can spend 18-hour days immersed in an event, often for multiple days in a row
- Sitting in session rooms without the opportunity to engage is boring
- Connecting is the real reason people attend events
- Every person has different capacities for focus and presence
- Rest and reflection must be provided for
Guests may be arriving from a variety of time zones. In addition to jet lag, they may be trying to support projects or people in entirely different time zones. Ensure the wi-fi works and consider quiet work zones and open time. Offer flex time that gives participants the ability to connect with their home or office with a minimum of stress.
Don’t waste my time. Human-to-human connections are the primary reason we attend events.
This is where (planned) serendipity comes into play.
- If you are offering transportation, consider how to introduce people on the way to their destination.
- Work out where there will be lines and enhance the line experience (or see how you can reduce the lines).
- Consider turning coffee and tea breaks into conversation cafés.
Right now, in this time where we are feeling constrained, and cancellations for events are at a rate nobody could have anticipated (March 2025), more than ever being together in ‘time well spent’ matters. If you are being impacted and feeling alone, know there is a huge community here to spend time with and support you.
