Why wow is no longer enough

States Mills, "I don't think anything is impossible anymore and clients don't want to hear you say that something isn't possible. In fact, what they want is for you to continuously come up with better ideas to blow away their target audience - and the operative word(s) are 'better ideas', not necessarily bigger... blowing away the adage that big is always better!"

"We are living in a world where you can buy something somewhere to do anything - if you look hard enough... And everyone is saying something to anyone about everything, trying to get them to part from their hard-earned buck. We are living in an age of over-abundance and overtalk. So how does the marketing voice stand out?

"Sure, repetition plays a role. Some may even still believe the louder you shout, the more you're heard. But once you cut through all the BS, we all know it's not what you say, it's how you say it. It still all comes down to the big idea. And in the eventing game, this is becoming more and more evident"

Both science and art

These days, organisations approach event production companies with a vague idea and a budget in mind. It is then up to the event company to develop and innovate and turn the idea into a successful communication platform. But putting an event together is no longer simply a question of logistics management and co-ordination wrapped around some 'arb' production plan - it has become both a science and an art.

"Nowadays, clients presume we can do almost anything they can dream of, and with the help of technology, they are not that far off the mark - obviously with budget being the limiter... Since besides budget, there are basically no limits to what we can do, the client in turn, has none either, and expect us to outdo ourselves continuously," adds Mills.

Out of the ordinary

With daily media bombardment and saturation, the average consumer is becoming blasé to certain ideas and experiences, and the definition of "The Big Idea" can no longer be hidden behind convention. What sticks out of the ordinary sticks in the mind!

It makes sense then that people who were previously very good at implementing the logistical side of event planning, now have to become completely focused on creative thinking, using their ideas as the selling point to clients and impressing them with larger-than-life concepts.

What makes events stand out, for instance, is often the way the platform is leveraged. "People who attend events want more with each outing. What blew me away last year leaves me high and dry today... The client knows that. This means that if you want the effect, you better have the goods - and nothing short of spectacular will do," says Mills.

"Great ideas, driving amazing events, influence people and, just as importantly, change the world of event production, and if you want the business and to be perceived as a leader in the industry, you better have some pretty creative thinking driving your product".