EMEC
in the bar.”
at EMEC 2020, says: “Our design goal for
the opening experience of EMEC was to
set the tone of the conference and engage
participants with its theme – ‘Push Your
Boundaries’. Additionally, like all of
Sherlocked’s productions, this experience
was designed to blur the line between
reality and fiction.
“The city of Seville became the setting
for an epic story in which they played the
central role. We wanted participants to
have fun, get to know each other, and also
reflect on what it means to have
boundaries and to push them.”
Brain tattoos and Star Wars
EMEC 2020’s ‘Push Your Boundaries’
theme was also expressed in the opening
ceremony, where MPI partnered with
Dear World – a company which provides
personal storytelling keynotes.
Dear World founder Robert X. Fogarty
explained the premise: each delegate is
given a pen and a booklet, which asks
them to reflect on some key moments and
experiences in their life. These are turned
into a “brain tattoo” – a short phrase
written somewhere on their body with an
easy-wipe marker, hinting towards a
story. A team of professional
photographers then capture these stories
in dramatic portraits, which delegates
receive after the event via email.
It is a wonderfully simple idea, and one
that led to much more meaningful
conversations than can be overheard at
most networking events. As we walked
around the opening drinks reception,
people were sharing stories of overcoming
cancer, or recounting their wedding day,
while making new friends and business
connections.
The next morning, these new
connections were carried into the
conference sessions. CMW sat in on one
delivered by Ask Agger, CEO of Danish
agency Workz. He spoke about how the
concept of the ‘hero’s journey’, integral to
many big-budget movies such as Star
Wars, can be applied to event design.
“Good storytelling is about what you
don’t tell,” said Agger. “Great movies and
books know that they can engage the
audience more if they allow them to fill in
the blanks with their imagination. The
same can be true in events. Instead of
bombarding your delegates with facts, get
across your core message and then give
them some time to reflect. Let them have
their epiphany later that evening in bed, or
Building a community
Drew Holmgreen, Vice-President of
Brand Engagement at MPI, says: “My
highlight from EMEC 2020 has been
watching the engagement between
attendees. It’s such a great community
and happy family. I love seeing people
come together for the first time or 50th
time and share experiences that MPI is
able to facilitate. It’s great to watch and be
a part of that.”
Holmgreen says that MPI’s
partnerships with third parties like Dear
World and Sherlocked have added a lot of
value to EMEC: “Their involvement is a
biproduct of the event design - we involve
partners who can deliver and then tailor
programming to ensure it aligns with the
macro experience being created for our
community.”
It seems fitting that MPI’s willingness
to embrace its partners should be a big
part of EMEC’s success. The conference
asked its attendees to let their guard
down, and in doing so provided ample
opportunity for delegates to connect -
with some surprises along the way.
Above:
The Brighton EMEC
2021 team
Below:
The Plaza de
Espana
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