All Successful Cocktail Events Have This Key Component - Does Yours?

Here's one of the most important things I've discovered in 30 years of entertaining at business and golf events:

All of my clients would call me up and say, "Mike, we saw you at another event, and it was fantastic: people were crowded around you six or seven deep, slapping each other on the back. You've got 40 or 50 people laughing together. That's the experience we want to create for our event. How can you do that for us?"

I say, "Well, why would you want to do that? Why not hire a local guy?"

They say,  "No, no, no. We've seen other magicians. We've seen the guy that walks around with the same three tricks he does for everybody. He works for three people at a time. He doesn't get to everbody, doesn't make any impact on our event, he might as well have not been there at all. We don't want that. We want those crowds."

"But what's so important about having the crowds?"  

Here's what my best clients know:

People do not start conversations with strangers. In fact, they generally do not start conversations with anyone outside their immediate inner circle of friends and colleagues.  

That means people naturally isolate themselves with people they already know. They feel most comfortable talking with the other people in their department or business area and the people they see on a regular basis. They also gravitate toward people with the same business status.

My clients know that if they don't overcome this natural tendency, their guests will not fully engage in their event, share their ideas, and accomplish the event's objectives.  

My clients figured out—consciously or otherwise—that the crowds are the "activating component" of the event, breaking down the natural barriers between people and helping them engage.

So, how do you engage the wallflowers and create these critically important crowds?

As a magician, I discovered that if I walk up to the people on the edge of the party and get a couple of them laughing and shouting, then other wall flowers near them will think, "Well, I want to be part of the fun thing too." Their curiosity will overcome their fear of strangers, and they'll gradually join in.

Once I got them laughing, my group of four people turned into maybe eight. More laughing and applause attracted the more extroverted people who were naturally more willing to engage, and now I had a friendly crowd of people laughing and having a good time.

Remember Robert Cialidini's "Liking" pillar? In Influence, Cialdini said that people like people who are like them. Everyone in my group watched a few magic tricks together and had a common experience of magic and fun. They naturally tend to "like" one another, so it's easy for them to start conversations with the other people in the group.

That connection is powerful stuff. Not only is it easy for the people in the group to start that conversation when the magic stops, but it's also easy for them to start conversations with the other people in the group throughout the event, the next day at breakfast, and even throughout a two- or three-day conference. When they see someone they recognize, they say, "Hey, weren't you holding the bottle when he knocked that coin through the glass?" and the conversation goes from there.

That's why my clients wanted crowds at their events. They knew the crowds lowered the formality and helped people break down the natural interpersonal barriers so their guests could feel comfortable fully engaging and participating in the event.

Unfortunately, there's some bad news.

First, only some entertainers understand this. The magicians who entertain two or three people at a time obviously don't know this. The contortionists and jugglers who stand in the corner and do their thing aren't thinking about it. The band playing so loud your guests can't talk is actively preventing crowds from gathering and working against your success.  

Second, many popular trends in the event planning industry make it difficult for crowds to form during your event. Event planners mean well and want to help you, but they don’t necessarily notice the damage they’re doing.

How can you ensure you're not creating a "crowd prevention department" at your events?

Well, join us for future issues of The World's Most Interesting Email, where I'll describe the five key elements required for successful crowd formation and five popular event trends that are ruining your crowd potential.  

Until next week,

Mike Duseberg

Mike

PS: By the way, we’re describing the five key elements required for successful crowd formation in this month’s issue of our print newsletter for clients, Reading Mike’s Mind. If you’re interesting in receiving the newsletter, give us a call at (561) 596 3877 and give us your mailing address.

PPS: If you see the value of crowds at your event, and you’re open to a conversation give a call at (561) 596 3877 or set an appointment at the button below. I’ll ask a bunch of questions about what you’ve done in the past, what worked, what could be better, how you measure success, and what you hope to accomplish next year. Based on what you tell me, I’ll tell you what other people have done in your situation.