Creative Concepts to Improve your Event Design

Want to improve your event design but looking for innovative ways to do it? Luckily, you’ve come to the right place! We’ve got five creative design ideas to improve your next event.

1. The Right Venue Layout: Whether hosting a small event or planning a large corporate dinner, creating the right venue layout is key. Designate different interest areas like a lounge area for more relaxed social interactions, or food and drink displays and interactive exhibits to create distinct interest points. This will keep the event engaging and entertaining.
2. Incorporate lighting, color, and textural variety: These days, event designs use colorful textures, prints, and unique lighting to create visually enticing themes. Rather than stick to uniform or traditional color-coordinated designs, eclectic styles and focal points create the cohesiveness linking design items. For example, making each centerpiece colorful and unique by using vintage or non-traditional items with similar textures and colors will pull design elements together while still keeping an eclectic feel. Another great idea is to incorporate varied light sources with different shapes and sizes. For example, include repurposed light bulbs with votive candles or mini lights inside and use multilevel/colored traditional lighting to create ambiance and intimacy. Incorporate different textures and patterns for seating, tablecloths, napkins, and decorations. Include colorful live plants for floral displays, or use biodegradable paper, cloth or wood in place of balloons, plastic, flowers, and Styrofoam to keep the event displays visually enticing and eco-friendly.
3. Incorporate Visual & Social Technology: A common hurdle event planners encounter is holding event-goer interest over smart phones and social media shares. Rather than fight social media distractions, our advice is to use them! Create a live feed of tweets and shared posts during the event that appears on large screens throughout the venue. Or, take advantage of video mapping to create visual interest juxtaposed objects and display items. Plan a “selfie” scavenger-hunt or mini “geo-cashing” activity with clues for different points of interest to uncover. Have prizes at the end of the night for new geo-cash discoveries or top selfie-posts of scavenger-hunt finds. Or, create your own version of technological and social media engagement. It will help to stay current without having to compete with cell phones or distracting social media tweets.
4. Fun Drink Alternatives: Tired of watered down well drinks or basic wine and beer service offered at most open bar events? One fun alternative is to set up different tasting areas with an expert to lead wine tastings or create interesting beer pairings. Or create self-host drink bars with multiple beverage options and condiments like ginger beers, regional spirits, and unique wine varietals. Have lemon, lime, salt, mixers, olives, onions, fruit juices and whatever else you can think of readily available. Create an event cocktail with a unique name and recipe, or encourage guests to experiment and come up with their own from the ingredients on hand. Nonalcoholic options using different coffees and teas work, too. The idea is to keep things interesting and create opportunities for engagement with other guests.
5. Tasty Food Options: Instead of providing typical appetizers before a meal have bite-size portions of your tastiest dishes available when guests arrive. This is a great way to create interest for the meal to come and satiate hungry guests rushing from work or other events. Set up a dessert display with sweet treats to try throughout the night. Pair foods and desserts with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink options to stimulate the taste buds, and the appetite!

For more in-depth ideas or for professional event planning, turn to the experts at elm Planning. Our comprehensive team will turn all your design ideas into reality, making your next event a huge success!