Are Your Events Like Movies?

When was the last time you laughed out loud, while watching a movie?  Or said, “I’m not crying . . ” while you looked for something to wipe the tears from your eyes?  

Did you do those in the same movie? 

Did you notice the hero’s journey in the movie, or did it capture you so completely that you were transported inside the movie, and when it ended you found yourself wondering what happens next? 

I recently watched a few that made me do all of that . . .

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  1. I laughed and cried.
  2. Kevin is funny
  3. And yet he was able to show us the pain and journey he went thru losing his wife and raising a little girl and finding love again in another partner, while also raising a little girl to be true to herself.

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  1. I love Channing,
  2. It has a DOG in it, and a German Shepherd, which we used to have growing up,
  3. The bond animals and people have, the trials we can all go thru and relate to, the PTSD the dog had from war and the road to recovery for her and Channing's character post-war, the reality of our world that most people don't know about for our military and when they come home. I laughed and cried.

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  1. I love Helen Mirren,
  2. It is English (and if you know me, you know why . .. )
  3. True story
  4. Everyday people trying to make a difference in their corner of the world, being true to themselves and defending family.

 
And, the producers tell the story with the music selection, the imagery, the camera shots, and the perspective of the story teller.  It is never just a one-dimension experience.  We are all in!  Every part of us!  

So, of course, I think about how an event should feel like a movie!

A well-produced event, has all the same roles:  a producer, a storyteller, a protagonist, and a hero that just happens to be the audience.  Unlike a movie, an event takes the audience on their own hero journey.   It takes them from watching, and saying “awe that was a good movie” to “I am the lead in this movie and now have a plan to move thru my own journey and be my own hero!”
 

We want our hero to feel hopeful.  Or Excited? Maybe Curious? Or Nervous? Connected? Committed?

Those feelings are exactly how you want your audience to be leaving your event!   We want our audiences to be excited about the next steps they are about to take with you!   Maybe that makes them nervous or hopeful.  Maybe audience members really connected with each other or members of your team and that makes them excited to continue to be in your community. 🙂

Maybe they left the event curious about your offer but need some time to fully commit. That’s okay too!

We want audience members to have an emotional reaction to your event so that when they think back to your event they are connected to those emotions.

Now how do you as the host/speaker and we as the event producers create those opportunities for them to have these feelings?  With careful, detailed planning, that starts with you, as the host/speaker.

Creating your story arch and vision for your event is the difference between a hugely successful transformational event, and just another event.  Creating an emotional connection with your audience before they even enter sets the stage (think movie trailers!). This can be accomplished through your social posts, emails, or lives on social.  

Once they enter the event, it is vital that they feel seen and heard by you and your team! It means the stories you share, the music you use and the images your share all need to be aligned with the emotions you want your audience to feel in any given part of the event.  And they should shift and change, just like the story arc of your favorite movie.  

It also means that you need to be connecting with your audience when you are speaking, not worried about technical pieces.  You should not be worried about AV, stage set-up, the chat feed, food, internet connection, or any other technical piece! Those are the pieces that Grace and Ease Productions is worried about! We are there to take over the nitty-gritty details so you are solely focused on connecting with your audience.  We are there to coordinate with the AV team, caterers, hotel staff, other speakers, and your team so that everything runs smoothly and if there is a hiccup it is resolved before you even know about it!

What questions do you have about creating an emotional connection with your audience?  Do you think events are like movies?

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