Events: Planning for All Possibilities
Nov 17, 2008 Branding, Consumer Brands, Event Marketing, Family and Friends, Marketing & Communication, PR
As a marketer, I have planned and executed a number of events. So, I know the importance of:
-
(a) a contingency plan (planning for all possibilities)
(b) not getting your hopes up
But, I have to add something else to think about for next time:
(c) what happens if it goes too well?
I know that this should be in the “planning for all possibilities”, right? But it seems we tend to expect the worse and then be pleasantly surprised if it goes well? We bring two microphones, we take extra press kits just in case someone forgot to RSVP, we go over the seating chart 100 times to ensure there are no major blunders, and we consider the possibility that no one shows up.
I added (c), to my list of important things to remember the next time I run an event, on Saturday after I took my three year old to Playhouse Disney’s first anniversary party at Yorkdale Mall. I saw first hand that sometimes an event can go beyond our wildest dreams, and cause troubles just the same!
Let me set the scene, here is a picture: 
Make note this is mid- November in one of the busiest malls in the Greater Toronto Area, Santa Claus IS in the building, and it is raining*. * For the non-parents out there: When it rains kids go certifiably nuts. There is something in the air that makes them go berserk unless they are let out of the house to rampage with other little unbalanced erratic wing-bats in trainers.
Needless to say the mall would have been busy with the (early) Christmas shoppers and Santa viewers. Add the sanity seeking parents and you have a zoo. On top of this add those of us who specifically made a trip to the mall to see costumed characters – and you have something far worse…maybe a circus? Tigger, Poo and Darby were set to make an appearance for the little ones, it was advertised on Playhouse Disney, and on their website for the past two or three weeks. We arrived around 1:30 to find a stage surrounded by kids, parents and a parking lot of strollers. A sea of people set up in the middle of the mall. The Disney folks in their red T-shirts were desperately trying to corral the guests into a small space so that other mall visitors could get by – but their efforts were in vain. Parents wanted their little ones to be as close as possible, so they weren’t interested in following orders.
The celebrities came on and sang Happy Birthday and the Hokey-Pokey with the kids and the host, then they waved and said their good-byes. My son was pleased, he saw Tigger, Pooh and Darby. He received a colouring page, a poster of “Cars”, and his very own DVD. As we were walking away I saw the host and I felt inclined to speak to her. I realized by the look on her face that she was not only the host, but likely the planner and executioner of this event. She looked relieved, anxious, exhausted, exuberant, and beat down all at once. I knew that feeling. The “phew its over, that went well, but oh-my-god this part went wrong, and that part was totally off, my boss is going to kill me because why didn’t I think about that, and what if customers complain…but really I didn’t fall flat on my face so it isn’t so bad. Maybe…” I stopped and told her it was a great event and that my three year old was as happy as can be. She thanked me and told me they hadn’t imagined that this many people would have shown up. The plan had been to allow the kids to get their picture taken with the characters and essentially have some one-on-one time with them. But, they didn’t expect the onslaught of kids. So, they went to Plan B, which may or may not have actually been “planned”. They stopped doing pictures, and stuck with doing just the stage show.
Either my fluke or by plan – on all the ads and on the website they never promised pictures, or hugs, or one-on-one time with Pooh, Tigger and Darby. They simply said “come out and see Tigger, Pooh and Darby”. Under promise, over deliver. Kids arrived, saw their favourite characters and were happy. Imagine if kids came expecting a handshake from Tigger and then couldn’t get closer than ten feet, there would have been tears and screaming for sure!
The lesson here: Have a plan for your event going horribly (the microphone breaks, missing pages in press kits, and no one shows up), AND plan for the event going really well. Playhouse Disney got this right. Of course, the marketer I spoke to would have had hopes for her original plan, and when that didn’t work, it was likely rather disappointing.
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Tags: disney, Event Marketing, event marketing, events, family, kids, Marketing & Communication, playhouse disney
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