Plan Your Meetings

By Christine Born

Award-winning event designers all offer the same advice: Look everywhere for fresh ideas, e.g. current movies, home décor and fashion magazines, store displays, museum exhibits, etc. A recent press release from Excitations, an online gift-giving company, suggested some new twists on top Valentine’s Day gifts and reinforced the continued emphasis on offering “experiences” as opposed to items.

Savvy planners can borrow and adapt these alternatives for meeting incentives or activities (Note: Substitute “attendee” for “loved one” below):

• Skip the box of chocolates in favor of a chocolate-making experience. Indulge your loved one’s passion for chocolate by letting her be a chocolatier for day.
• Flowers are a nice gesture, but take it one step further and let your loved one put her petal power to work with a flower arranging party.
• Bath bubbles are nice, but sipping bubbly with your loved one is even more romantic. With a champagne tasting experience, learn about champagnes while you sample distinctive bottles and food at an elegant champagne bar.
• Gift him a stock car ride-along instead of a watch. A wristwatch might be practical for keeping time, but he’ll be sure to remember clocking top speeds around an official NASCAR track with a stock car ride-along experience.
• Arrange a brewmaster’s dinner instead of a personalized beer mug. Experience a customized five-course dinner paired with a selection of innovative brews.
• How about a private ballpark tour instead of a team jersey? He’ll really cheer for the behind-the-scenes ballpark tour with a truly memorable player’s perspective.
• Consider golf lessons with a PGA Pro instead of a five iron. A brand new club might impress his foursome, but his game will really shine after a private lesson to raise his game a notch with a seasoned PGA pro.
• Skip the cheesy heart-filled boxers in favor of a wine and cheese pairing experience where a wine educator will guide you through fine artisan cheeses and award-winning wines.

“Gifting a loved one an Excitations experience – whether shared as a couple or done individually – is a unique way to create a connection and deliver lasting memories,” said Kim AuBuchon, co-founder and chief operating officer at Excitations. And isn’t that what planners want to do as well?