Different Budgets, Same Result: What Makes an Event Experiential

DuckTales Gold Coin Pit - D23

I recently was reviewing images from a D23 event my team helped produce video segments for in 2017. The event supported the DuckTales show reboot for Disney Channel. Fans were given an opportunity to jump into a pit filled with 30,000 plastic gold coins. Participants stood on a platform designed like the coin vault door and performed a "leap of wealth" into the soft foam coins, after which cameras captured a 180-degree GIF of their jump that could be emailed to them for free. I remember being surprised by how long the lines were for the opportunity to make the jump. To say it was a hit would be an understatement. Fans walked away with more than a GIF to share. For a brief moment, they were given an opportunity to participate in a nostalgic memory. They didn’t just learn about the reboot of the show, they got to be part of it. They had a reason to share the story of the DuckTales reboot.

Fast forward to a recent friend’s birthday party I attended, and it was its own little event. The person’s spouse went all out and had a selfie booth and a 360 video booth. Much like the DuckTales relaunch, people lined up to have at least one chance at the 360 video booth, with most making multiple trips. I was amazed at the fact that at no point in the night was there not someone waiting to give it a try.

Two completely different events, different budgets, different intentions, but similar outcomes. People lined up, participated, created a memory, and left with something to share.

Not every event is the same, nor is every event experiential. But you know an event is experiential, and successful, when your audience stands in line, over and over again, and that does not diminish the experience. What I love most about these two examples is scale. The Disney event had a significant budget, while the birthday party was a fraction of that, yet in both cases participants left the experience with a story to tell.

Not every event needs to be experiential in nature. In fact, most traditional events are valuable even without an experiential component. Traditional events can introduce a product, share information, gather customers, bring partners together, or put a brand in front of an audience.

An experiential event comes with a different level of intent. It requires a deeper dive and a better understanding of the audience and a strong plan built on the story you want your audience to walk away with. As the birthday party analogy aptly proves, bigger is not necessarily better. Well planned is better.

Also, a large event is not a guarantee of success. Events of all sizes have the potential to add experiential components. The key is intentionality. A strong event plan should connect brand goals, audience needs, messaging, and the specific takeaway you want people to leave with.

What is your story? What story do you want your audience to tell others later?

The key to a good plan is to start with answering a few basic questions:

How do I want people to see my brand?

What do we want people to understand?

What should they feel?

What should they remember?

What actions should they take next?

And, most importantly, what was the story of the event and why does it matter?

When discussing the birthday party later, I always talked about the 360 video booth and how every single person at the party got involved. Everyone was having a good time. Everyone left that party with a happy memory, and in this case, something they could share with others.

When incorporating an experiential element into your marketing plan, keep in mind that it is not about presenting your brand to the audience, but building the brand into the experience. With the reboot of the DuckTales show, fans got to enter the DuckTales world by jumping into a pit of gold coins. Disney Channel created the event story, then invited fans to participate. The brand was the experience and the experience was the brand. Every fan who walked away from the experience had their own story, but more importantly a story that mirrored what the show’s marketing team wanted them to tell.

There is no better way to encourage word of mouth than to create a shared experience that feels authentic and personal.

The size of the event is not what matters. What matters is the feeling your audience walks away with. The diving board, the pit of gold coins, and the 360 video booth were tools used to tell the story. These were nothing more than elements that transformed what could have been a typical event into an opportunity to tell a story. The real question is whether your fans and guests were part of your story.

After more than 20 years working in the entertainment industry, one thing has always proven true: the best events and activations are not accidents, but the result of thoughtful planning. They are built with intentionality and the goal of having your participants walk away with a story to share.

An experiential event creates a shared story. That story can build brand loyalty because people remember what they were invited to be part of, not just what they were told. The strongest brand experiences start with the audience in mind and give them a reason to carry the story forward.

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