How and why you should incorporate all five senses at your next event
A successful event is one that remains in ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ minds of its attendees long after – but how can you ensure a memorable experience for all in attendance?
ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ science suggests it’s all down to ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ senses. Multi-sensory events – events that aim to incorporate all five senses into one cohesive experience – have blown-up in popularity in recent years, and isn’t difficult to see why.
According to ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ , 78% of meeting planners say that a multi-sensory event creates a more memorable experience for event participants and 42% believed multi-sensory events help make ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØir company stand out from ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ competition.
Put simply, when all senses are tied into an event properly, it can keep guests thinking about a brand for weeks or even months afterward.
Creating a cohesive multi-sensory event can be challenging though, especially when it comes to finding ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ right ways to incorporate ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ different senses. After all, 24% of those surveyed said ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØy found it difficult to find ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ right sensory content for ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØir client or event.
ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ importance of incorporating all five senses at your event shouldn’t be underestimated, so here’s how you can do so for your next event.
Sight
Arguably ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ most important sense of all, what your attendees see while attending your event defines ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ vast majority of ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØir overall experience.
Sight is also ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ most important sense when it comes to nailing that first impression – consider what you want people to see when ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØy first enter your event and how you can ensure attention is drawn to it.
Lighting is also key when it comes to sight, as it can help create ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ correct ambiance for ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ event depending on its intensity. ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ colour of ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ lighting used, as well as ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ use of colour in general, also plays an important role in helping attendees feel specific emotions, so ensure it complements ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ type of event you are hosting.
Smell
Smell can often be ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ most difficult sense to utilise, but it can also be ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ most powerful. According to ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ Sense of Smell Institute, people only recall about 50% of ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ visual images ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØy see after three months yet can recall more than 65% of what ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØy smell even after a year has passed.
You want to incorporate smells subtly to help add to ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ overall feel of your event. Too little and ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ smell will get lost, but too strong and it can overwhelm attendees and end up being distracting.
If your event has multiple areas, it can help to only utilise smells in specific spaces to help elevate ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ experience for that specific area, raÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØr than trying to incorporate one smell across ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ entire event.
If your event offers catering, ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ food on offer is also a great way to utilise smell, with ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ food’s distinct smells helping to add to ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ overall experience.
Taste
Speaking of food, it’s ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ obvious way to ensure you’re incorporating taste into your multi-sensory event.
Alongside ensuring ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ food tastes as good as it looks and offers enough variety for all in attendance, it can be helpful to try and subvert expectations when it comes to taste for a truly memorable experience.
One such way is to change how something looks compared to how you would typically expect it to taste. Changing ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ colours of ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ food or adding differing flavours than one may expect can help make ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ food-tasting experience even more exciting, and importantly, even more memorable. Don’t be afraid to work with your catering team to help ensure ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ food on offer helps add to ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ overall multi-sensory experience.
Hearing
What you hear at an event can be just as important as what you see, so you want to look for ways to incorporate sound to help enhance ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ event experience.
Incorporating background music throughout ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ event can help add to ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ overall mood and ambiance of your surroundings, but you want to make sure it fits ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØme of your event. It’s also important to get ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ sound right – too loud and it can distract attendees and make networking difficult, too quiet and it won’t be heard amongst ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ hustle and bustle of ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ event. Ensure ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ sounds used contribute to ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ event, not detract from it.
Touch
Event attendees want more than just a standard sit down and listen affair at an event, with more and more looking for interactive elements when attending.
From quizzes on smartphones to interactive booth games, ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØre are many ways touch can be incorporated to help make your event memorable.
Touch extends beyond just ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ interactive though – think about ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ flooring at your event, is it carpeted, wooden or something else entirely? If you have breakout areas you might also have furniture throughout ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ event, so you want to ensure ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØse feel comfortable to use and don’t detract from ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ experience.
For more information on hosting events and how we can help ensure it’s memorable for all in attendance, view our venue pack, or get in touch with a member of our team.
Host an event at Burlington House
In ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ heart of London’s Piccadilly, ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ Royal Society of Chemistry at Burlington House is a prestigious event venue full of discovery, offering stories around every corner.