I've been organizing events for a couple of decades now, and the excitement of planning a new event is still there, and I wouldn't have it any other way.  

20 years ago, events were simpler and company traditions, expectations were different. Event formats have also changed over time. For example, it was traditional to hold multi-day corporate summer retreat events, and theme parties were also popular. Most popular were nostalgia or fairy tale themed events. At outdoor events, employees were willing to perform on stage themselves with something cool and compete in sports games.

Nowadays, however, the most preferred activities at outdoor events are fine arts workshops or listening to great speaker. Now also people expect that "something special" that has not been seen by them before.

At festive gala events, it is no longer recommended to play social games, but rather to see new artists, fresh programs, interactive activities, enjoy tasty surprises, and find special solutions for side activities (for example, instead of taking pictures in front of a regular photo wall, you can take pictures in an special upside-down room).

Over time, both ligh and video technical solutions have improved. There are many options for making the venue or performance on stage more attractive. From an organizational perspective, several steps have also been taken forward over time. Artists have their own managers who are responsible for their well-being. Stars have their own riders, where the organizer can easily access all the information about the artist (for example, agents do not always send new video material to our agency's email). I have also seen some new and cool creative groups that stage performances based on the event theme or needs. All agreements can be made via email, and there is no longer any need to use fax or snail mail, which was practiced a couple of decades ago.

On the other hand, the last two years have shown us that events can also be made virtually. In the case of company internal events, it does not fulfill its purpose 100%, but it is still an opportunity to exchange information. There is a small ray of hope that everything globally will be fine soon and we will be able to meet at a live physical event. I am grateful that this Corona time has shown it is possible to approach things from a different angle.

As time goes on, the events have become more compact, and most importantly, the purpose of the event is formulated more precisely. It is understood that the event is a means to achieve the goal. Client expectations for agencies have increased, which is of course a good sign. Over time, the involvement of agencies in planning an event has increased. Clients have realized that the time they invest in organizing it themselves is greater. Realization that when organizing an event without the help of an agency, several artists and various elements must first be examined to see if there is still quality behind it, not to mention the idea concept to the script of the staged event. It is now understandable that all of the agency's knowledge, experience, creativity and skill, i.e. professional project management, is the work of a professional agency specialists, who do this on a daily basis. Our agency has maintained quality and has been organizing excellent events for 23 years.

What has not changed over time and what remains the same is the need to perceive an event through all five senses. Human eye-to.eye contact in a pleasant atmosphere, eating delicious food, listening to good music and seeing fabolous performances. If all of these mentioned components are set to the appropriate rhythm and time, and are also served with a sufficient dose of surprise, then this is the key to a successful event.

Happy Organizing!

Anne-Ly Ridal