The psychology of event design
The Swiss population loves attending events and functions. A survey conducted by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office revealed that concert and event attendance ranks high on the list of favourite leisure activities. According to the statistics, 72.3% of the population attended an event.
Events are also popular in our neighbouring countries. In 2023, approximately 2.2 million events took place in Germany. Before the Coronavirus pandemic, the number was nearly 2.9 million—a staggering figure making for a highly competitive market. That means, if you want to stand out from the crowd and attract participants, it’s not enough to just run any event marketing campaign or put up random posters.
Today, psychology plays a significant role in event design, starting with how you address your audience and extending to potential post-event surveys.
In this blog post, we will examine the psychology of event design, focusing on what’s important in this context and how you can win over your target audience and get them to attend your event.
Perception and attention
Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching—human perception is a complex process, especially since our perception is usually triggered by more than just one sense. Generally, multiple senses are involved when something grabs our attention. Our brain processes external stimuli, compares them with prior knowledge, and forms a perceptual experience.
Since our memory is also involved, processing is subjective and selective.
An example: Two people look at an event poster depicting a festival scene with people dancing in the rain.
Person A attended a festival last year and immediately recalls the fantastic atmosphere and feeling of summer rain on their skin.
Person B has never been to a festival but recently ruined their shoes in a rainstorm. This person doesn’t see people having fun on the poster. Instead, they focus on the trampled, muddy ground under their feet.
In this example, person A is much more likely to attend the festival advertised on the poster, while person B is not. That means the challenge lies in guiding the perceptions of different representatives of your target audience in the right direction. And that doesn't just apply to promotional posters.
When designing events, it’s important to combine visual, auditory, and tactile elements to grab all participants' attention. Colours, lighting, sounds, and even scents can be strategically applied to create specific moods and draw attention to key aspects of the event.
Emotional appeal
Emotions and experiences are at the centre of every event. They thrive on them.
A successful event design manages to evoke emotional responses that inspire participants and, at the same time, connect them directly with the function. Carefully planned elements, such as music, decoration, and activities, can elicit joy, surprise, curiosity, and even nostalgia. This emotional appeal ensures the event is remembered as a genuine, impactful experience.
Memory and recollections
As previously mentioned, our memories plays a role in how we interpret what we perceive. They are deeply influenced by emotional experiences. An event that provokes strong emotions sticks longer and more vividly in the minds of participants. By creating memorable highlights, unexpected twists, and interactive experiences, you can make your event unforgettable for your target audience.
Souvenirs have a particularly lasting impact on emotional memory. We often bring back keepsakes from holidays to remind us of the good times. You can leverage this effect in your event design as well.
The same goes for photographs. We love taking them and revisiting those captured moments later on. By setting up designated spots at your event, you can ensure participants take plenty of photos they can later associate with your event.
Event marketing and psychology
Participant retention through psychological event design
With a psychologically well-thought-out event design, you can turn your participants into loyal customers. How? By creating memories that are directly and specifically linked to your events.
Let’s revisit selfie/photo spots:
Last year, your participant took a lot of beautiful photos at various selfie spots during your event. When they look at these photos, even years later, they will remember how great the atmosphere was that day or evening. If they then see an advertisement for your upcoming event, there is a high likelihood they will attend again. This is driven by the desire to relive a great event experience.
It’s important that your follow-up events also meet the needs and expectations of your participants.
Emotional connection and recognition
This example makes it clear that emotional connection and recognition can greatly contribute to the successful execution of your event. It’s important to ensure you create a consistent and authentic event experience that evokes positive emotions. This helps participants remember the event and the brand behind it in a positive light, making them more likely to attend future events.
Audience interaction and engagement
Experiences in which we actively participate are especially memorable. Incorporating audience interaction and engagement is key to a successful event. Interactive elements, such as workshops, discussion panels, and games, are ideal for actively involving your audience in the event. This motivates participants to engage and, since they feel like an integral part of the event, increases their satisfaction.
Experiential marketing: The emotional side of event design
The role of the senses
We can prove that the targeted use of visual, auditory, and other sensory impressions makes a lasting contribution to creating a complete event experience with a simple self-test:
Imagine you are visiting the cinema. The doors swing open and what do you smell? Freshly popped popcorn, of course.
Think back to your first party. What do you think of? You can probably see the club or disco right in front of you—the lights, the people dancing.
What comes to mind when you think back to the last time you danced without a care in the world? It’s probably a special song that got you up and dancing.
These examples show how visual elements like colours and lighting, auditory stimuli like music and sounds, and olfactory impressions like scents can significantly influence your event’s atmosphere and create a deep, emotional experience.
Storytelling in event design
Stories have the power to penetrate deep into our consciousness and evoke strong emotional responses. In event design, storytelling can be used to create a narrative structure that guides participants through the event and captivates them emotionally. A well-told story is memorable and makes the event unique and unforgettable.
Especially good examples are 70s, 80s, and 90s parties. These types of events are aimed at a specific target audience and work so well because they remind participants of their youth and the events of that time.
Event planning and preparation
Planning and preparing an event with a psychological focus requires a thorough analysis of your target audience and their needs. As a first step, you should accurately define your intended demographic and analyse what interests they have. From the advertising and programme to the features of your event location, if you take the needs and sensory impressions into account, you can create a sustainable and coherent experience.
Realisation and implementation
The successful realisation of psychologically designed events requires a high degree of flexibility and attention to detail. It is important to constantly monitor participant reactions during the event and make adjustments where necessary to ensure the event evokes the desired emotional responses.
Follow-up and feedback
Follow-up is a crucial step in measuring the success of your event and improving future ones. Feedback from your audience provides valuable insights into the experiences they had during the event, allowing you to identify strengths and weaknesses.
The future of event design and psychology
Personalisation, immersive experiences, and the integration of technology are just some of the developments that will shape the future of event design. Regardless of new event elements, however, participant psychology will remain the guiding principle for all event planning.
Technology and psychology
New technologies offer numerous opportunities for revolutionising event design. Virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and interactive platforms can be used to create immersive and personalised experiences. With that said, psychological aspects always need to be considered to ensure these technologies elicit the intended reaction.
Sustainability and psychology
The environment and environmental protection are highly emotional topics. We are constantly reminded that our planet is suffering from climate change. As a result, sustainability is becoming increasingly important in event design.
Participants want to attend functions with a clear conscience. To ensure your audience feels truly comfortable, you should integrate sustainable and environmentally friendly approaches into your event planning. This way, your event will be positively embedded in the minds of your participants.
Conclusion
People enjoy attending events—not just in Switzerland, but in neighbouring countries as well. This has a major influence on competition in this sector. Successful event design needs to offer far more than just appealing advertising. The targeted use of psychological principles is becoming increasingly important for attracting the attention of the intended audience and leaving a lasting impression.
Perception is a central element here. By skillfully combining visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli, event planners can appeal to participants’ senses and direct their attention. Emotional engagement also plays a key role. Experiences that evoke joy, surprise, or nostalgia will be remembered for much longer and create a strong bond with the event.
Memories of an event are reinforced through emotional experiences and physical souvenirs and photos. Impactful moments ensure participants remember the event in a positive light and want to return. Through targeted audience interaction and engagement, you can also promote guest participation and increase their satisfaction.
In the future, modern technology and sustainability will join the consideration of participant psychology to determine event design. Personalised and immersive experiences, supported by virtual reality and artificial intelligence, will set new standards.
All in all, integrating psychological insights into your event design is crucial for event success. A well-thought-out design creates emotional connections, increases participant loyalty, and ensures your events are remembered in a positive and lasting way.
Extra Info:
https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/233136/umfrage/veranstaltungen-und-teilnehmer-auf-dem- veranstaltungsmarkt-in-deutschland/
https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/kultur-medien-informationsgesellschaft-sport/kultur.html
https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/kultur-medien-informationsgesellschaft-sport/kultur.assetdetail.17464015.html
https://www.doreenullrich.com/2021/08/12/wie-funktioniert-unsere-wahrnehmung
