XDP or Xperience Design Project, the re-invented event created by American Society of Association Executives, creates a forum for association pros to dig into the “hows” and “whys” of design thinking. Addressing why design thinking matters and how it can impact events, exhibits and trade shows is leading The Expo Group and many of our clients and prospects to new, reinvented experiences.
Discovering new ideas, new looks, and new ways to bring buyers and sellers together are how many smart meeting professionals are finding or recovering revenue streams and advocacy channels to make a big impact. Here are three takeaways from XDP you should consider as sparks for your own experience designing:
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| Derek Lotfi shares insight at XDP |
- Gamification – People want to compete. Whether it’s beating a competitor or the computer, the drive and excitement of winning a game will always attract an audience. How Candy Crush designers engage, hook, and create mobile phone addicts isn’t any different than how exhibition organizers (experience designers) should be engaging attendees and exhibitors. Present attractive choices based on knowledge of the target market and entice them to dig for more – thereby gamify the experience.
- Marketing – Target markets are key to design thinking. Understand deeply and appreciate the challenges of those you are trying to serve with the experience. Their top shared quality? They are humans. And humans do not like to be sold to. “PREsuasion” is a tactic to deploy in marketing efforts, grab their attention before a relevant action and entice them a bit at a time.
- Measurement – Games engage, marketing engages, spaces engage, everyone is talking about engagement. But that’s too broad of a term to measure when it comes to business outcomes. Break down engagement to specific interactions that can be measured in order to inform experience designing and operational execution, such as time attendees spend at sessions, dwell in community spaces or events, or on the show floor.
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