Recently, the TK team planned an event for an international audience. There were some stand out components that led to it being nominated for two Canadian Special Events industry awards and winning in the corporate teambuilding category. You can find the event featured by scrolling on over to page seventeen here in this issue of Canadian Special Events Magazine.

In a debrief, our team pulled together the five key features that will make your event a memorable one with that secret sauce to instant Instagram sharing.

1. Know your assets and then flaunt them
We selected a bucket list venue. Through an international site selection process, we helped our client choose the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, after their team wowed us with the possibilities at the location nestled in the Rocky Mountains. Then we set out to take attendees on an unforgettable journey. Utilizing the majestic mountain backdrop and frozen Lake Louise, we designed plenty of opportunities for our audience to experience a true Canadian winter through immersive experiences, networking opportunities and play.

2. Know your audience
The event was an employee kick-off and our number one goal was to make them feel special. That meant building a community feeling for an international audience from North and South America.

No one wants to feel like they’re just a number, or any old attendee. We set the stage by creating A Very Canadian Welcome. If the jaw-dropping drive through the picturesque Rockies wasn’t enough to set the tone for the Great White North, we made sure our attendees were greeted at the registration desk located right in the hotel lobby. Meeting planners, you know how special this was – no going to the conference area for our guests. A check-in gift included gear to get them through the planned outdoor winter activities. Keeping in mind some attendees had never seen Snow before, it was our mission to ensure they were prepared: Toques, mittens, dare we say…. long underwear, and honorary Canucks they became!

3. Beyond business
Find the shareable moments. In this case, we had multiple ones we knew everyone would want to share. This included an enchanted evening event that had guests arriving by sleigh ride at a secluded forest venue. We won’t lay claim to producing the softly falling snow that began as we departed, but it was certainly an added touch as the horse-drawn sleighs wound through meandering trails to the Brewster Barn for an authentic cowboy-style evening with a classic BBQ, live music and line-dancing.

For the awards night, we transformed the room attendees had been in only hours before. Who doesn’t want to watch guests pull out their phones to capture the details? Here are some highlights:

• A giant snow globe that allowed attendees to climb inside for a photo opportunity
• An Ice Luge bar for a themed welcome drink
• Faux fur throws served as a ‘bling’ accent on dinner chairs
• Ice sculpture centrepieces with a snowflake insert as an added touch
• Winter vignettes scattered throughout the room included a ‘campfire’ with chairs and cozy blankets

4. More than average content
While Business is a conference must-have, making sure it’s good business makes a good event, a great one. Here’s how our production team built a next level approach to content:

• A noteworthy guest speaker
• A fun Jeopardy game
• A dynamic stage design with LED screens interchanging local mountain landscapes with business content

5. Building to the Fun Finale
Remember the winter gear our registration team handed out to each attendee? Well of course we put them to the test in a fun teambuilding event finale that brought the entire group outdoors where guests were encouraged to Experience the north as your playground through activities on snow and ice. There’s nothing like a frozen lake and snow to bring out the kid in everyone.

All in a Days Work
Keep these tricks in mind planning your next event. Use your location’s greatest assets. Make every event moment count to create a sense of community. Balance business with plenty of camaraderie and play and you’ll have your guests pulling out their phones to share their experience.

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