Have you ever walked into a room and instantly felt that something didn’t feel right? You can’t put your finger on exactly what the problem is… but the energy just feels… well, wrong?!
When you’re planning for your events, you’ll be focusing mainly on the physical aspects of the room set up… but how much time do you give to creating positive energy in the room?
Why is positive energy in your room so important?
When participants enter your room for the first time, they will be building an impression of you and your brand. As I outlined in the first paragraph here, how the room “feels” is just as important as how the room looks… and to give a fantastic first impression both the look and feel need to be positively aligned.
If you get this wrong, people will feel unsettled when they enter the room. Get it right and your room will help your audience to feel safe and secure.
Your room will feel like a comfortable space for your clients to be, and exactly the right place for them to feel at ease with taking the next step with you and your business.
If you follow these 3 tips, the energy and “feel” of your room will be massively enhanced…
#1: Lay out your chairs in straight lines;
Wonky chairs… even if they’re only very slightly wonky, will throw your room into instant disarray. A line of chairs that aren’t perfectly straight sends an underlying message that you don’t care what the room looks like!
If your room looks “thrown together”, then your audience will perceive that your business has no real structure either.
So… when you come to the close in your presentation, there’s a high chance you’ll be facing an underlying resistance from your audience to take the next step – in case your product is sloppy and slapdash too.
A quick and easy way of ensuring the chairs are completely straight is to have one person at the back of the room looking down the sightlines of the chairs towards the stage – this way it is obvious when a chair is out of line. If you find any chairs that are out of line, have a second person go to the out of place chair and adjust it… under guidance from the person with the sightline.
It won’t take long, but it will have a big impact on your room set up.
#2: The right (and wrong!) way to place handouts on chairs;
Sometimes you will want to provide extra information to your clients by placing a flyer… or handout on their seat. If you put them out upside down, skewed, or generally looking like they have just been thrown down on the seat “willy-nilly”, this again is creating the impression of a “slapdash” business.
Anything you place on seats should be centered on the chair in such a way that when the participant returns to their seat, the base of the leaflet is at the front edge of the seat – the part of the seat facing the stage.
It will take very little additional time to ensure this job is done properly… especially if you have a crew member who enjoys getting the details spot on. But again, making the effort to get this right will have a big impact on your event energy.
#3: De-clutter;
Make sure that your crew know not to leave their cups or belongings etc under their seats… and ensure there is NO clutter whatsoever around the enrolments table! When your attendees can see your mess and clutter, it is something else that gives them the impression that you have a sloppy “couldn’t care less” attitude towards your business.
Because don’t forget… when it is your event, your room is the biggest representation of YOUR business!
Make sure the crew seating and the enrolments area is always clear of clutter and looks clean and inviting. If the crew seating or the enrolments area is messy, then, by association the crew/your staff will be perceived as messy and worse, and that affects the level of trust in you and your products/service.
So, there you have 3 simple, subtle but very effective ways of keeping the energy of your event room sparkling positively. Next time you go to an event, take notice of whether they have applied these tips and how the room feels as a consequence.
Do you consciously take notice of the energy in the room of events you attend? Do you make the time to ensure the energy at your events is positively spot on? Please leave me a comment below and share your thoughts
Jo, this is fabulous advice! Just seeing those photos of the wonky handouts on chairs put my teeth on edge – having them straight really does create a professional, smooth impression, one of utmost care. Those little, subtle things seem to work at an almost subconscious level.
I also like it when the lighting is soft (nothing like being startled by unflattering bright lights) and the music is energising but not too loud (obviously I’m getting old).
I also love seeing nice flowers near the entrance or the stage – they bring such a beautiful energy to a room.
Thanks again for these tips!
Another great post Jo – good advice to adapt for all businesses with a physical presence too. It’s all in the detail – having the energy to get it all exactly right.
Like the way you set things out Jo – both in the room and on paper!
Having everything running along the right lines (!) is key to attracting interest and generating energy!
Thanks Jo for sharing. It’s all in the detail!
Hi Jo,
I totally agree with you.I also love flowers for aesthetic! do not forget to SMILE! It is contagious.
Never underestimate flowers and smiles right?
You’re welcome Jane!
Nothing like wonky handouts to set teeth on edge!