Event Mixology: Savoring a Variety of Event Types

By: Shelly Archer, Managing Partner

They say variety is the spice of life, and that applies to your event strategy, too. From incentive trips that inspire to leadership summits that strategize, each event type serves a unique purpose. You can yield more meaningful results by tailoring event formats to your specific goals. Whether you’re looking to foster team unity, celebrate achievements, or drive key business objectives, one size doesn’t fit all. So, let’s explore the importance of diversifying your event types each year and how to effectively manage them. We’ll even share examples of our successes and tips for leveraging these opportunities to maximize ROI. Get ready to mix it up!

Nailing Your Event Type

First, let’s cover why diverse event formats are important. It all comes down to two factors: putting your audience first and understanding the goals of each meeting and event. While a large event might feel like the best way to get the most bang for your buck, providing a meaningful and engaging experience across a large cross-section of employees is tough. Instead, mixing intimate events with large-scale experiences enables you to connect with your attendees on multiple levels.

Questions to Ask Yourself

Get your reporter cap on because the first step is to ask yourself some hard-hitting questions. Here are some that our team uses to gauge the appropriate event types for our clients:

• What are the overall goals for each event—engagement, retention, motivation, or recognition? These all require a slightly different approach.
• Are there past events that no longer align with the company’s event goals? Sometimes, identifying what doesn’t work is the first step toward finding what will.
• What brand goals, values, or messaging are you looking to emphasize with each event? This will help you build a consistent visual identity, incorporate recurring themes, and formulate core talking points. The answer to this question also helps with consistency (spoiler alert: we’re covering consistency in a bit, so stay tuned!)

Why Size Matters

Just like Goldilocks discovered, planning an event that’s too big or too small is a recipe for disappointment. Again, you want to put your event goals first. Here are some reasons a smaller or larger event might be just right, based on what you want to accomplish.

Small, But Mighty

Smaller events encourage open dialogue, personalized engagement, and trust-building. It’s no wonder smaller events have become very popular amongst our clients in recent years. Smaller settings reduce distractions, provide more direct access to leadership, and create space for meaningful, one-on-one conversations. Intimate gatherings enable attendees to uncover hobbies over dinner or their fear of heights at an observation deck activity. A smaller event will do the trick if you want to foster trust, loyalty, and long-term relationships.

Go Big or Stay Home

Never fear; big bashes will always have a place here! Larger conferences or galas generate energy, public recognition, and excitement. With more reach and a broader range of presenters or attendees, you can increase networking opportunities and create publicity and buzz for your brand. If your goal is to get the word out to many people about your company and what you’re striving to accomplish, a large event is the way to go.

Let’s Talk Consistency & Scalability 

Consistency is crucial to hitting the right note with your attendees, especially if they’re used to the same ol’ event and you’re flipping the script. However, just because your event types are varied, that doesn’t mean that your strategy needs to become a potpourri. Maintaining consistency starts with clearly understanding your brand’s identity and goals. Every event, whether a small board meeting or a large gala, should align with your overarching mission and values. Strong branding elements—like cohesive themes, messaging, and design—ensure your events feel connected, even if they vary in size or format. Partnering with a dedicated team, like 360DG, can help you keep the vision on track and ensure flawless execution. Just saying! 😉

Another way to help make your events feel consistent is to focus on the experience you’re providing. There are millions of ways to do this, but one way is to use the same type of venue in different destinations—like the Intrepid in NYC and the Midway in San Diego. You can also provide the same forms of communication through technology, such as apps, personalized agendas, and targeted networking tools. This will help those who are going to attend multiple events feel grounded in continuity. 

If you’re concerned about giving yourself more work with more event types, don’t be. This is where scalability comes in clutch. Scalability is about creating frameworks that can adapt—designing flexible elements to suit both small and large gatherings. It’s all about combining thoughtful details with smart planning to deliver an event that feels custom while reaching your broader goals.

How to Make Every Client Feel Like a VIP

It’s one thing to say your clients are valued; it’s another to show them how true it is. At 360DG, we pride ourselves on our innovative approach to client engagement and events. We thoughtfully combine the right mix of partners and tailor the experience to attract the ideal client audience. By collaborating closely with our partners, hotels & Destination Marketing Organizations (DMO) sponsors, we can pool resources, such as funding, expertise, and connections, to create unique, high-value events that drive attendance and engagement. By aligning ourselves with some of the top brands in the industry, we’re able to develop experiences that are not only engaging but also strategically impactful. Clients choose to plan events with us because we design experiences that make the most of their time in a setting that is both memorable and impactful.

Our New York Fashion Week Roadshow perfectly highlights this winning recipe. The program encompassed multiple exclusive events, including a glam squad brunch leading to a runway show with Bravo TV celebrities in attendance!

Another standout was our Bridgerton-themed summer soirée at Tavern on the Green, where both clients and partners arrived in Regency-era inspired attire to enjoy a beautiful evening in Central Park.

These events were successful because they were beautifully curated and delivered value to our guests while leveraging our resources and partnerships to create lasting, impactful experiences.

We’ve Got Friends in All the Best Places

If you’re interested in sponsoring one of our amazing client events, we want to hear from you! Reach out to your destination contact to dream up some ways to get your brand front and center.

Going All In: Multiple Event Types in One

Now, don’t get it twisted: getting everyone to the same place at the same time certainly has organizational and logistical advantages. Depending on your goals and budget, pairing different events might be the most efficient way to maximize everyone’s time together. Here are a few ways our team has done just that.

Tips on Incentive Trips

We planned a luxury incentive trip for a tech firm rewarding top performers and paired it with informal networking dinners. This enabled the cream of the crop to mix and mingle directly with corporate executives. During the same program, we hosted a larger summit celebrating broader team achievements while aligning the whole group on future goals. 

We’ve also designed incentive trips paired with sales training meetings. The incentive trip built morale and celebrated achievements, while the training session provided skill-building and professional development opportunities. Our client built emotional connections and achieved their objectives by tailoring each event to specific goals.

Conferences Meet Learning & Development

For a recent pharmaceutical launch, we curated small training workshops for different teams so they could learn about the new offerings based on their skill sets and focus areas. Then, a larger sales conference rallied everyone around the new product’s vision. By layering intimate meetings with bigger, energetic sessions, we helped the client drive engagement, loyalty, and strong business outcomes.

In 2024, our client bought out the Loews Ventana Canyon. Attendees paid to attend this event, but we made it well worth the expense! We procured a select group of thought leaders in business, technology, science, and politics. Each had an intimate opportunity to sit with attendees to discuss ways to make impactful change. Buying out the hotel created a feeling of privacy and exclusivity. We capped it all off with a curated evening and local daytime tours & activities to bring fun and levity to what was otherwise an impactful meeting of the minds.

A Gala to Gush Over

“Let’s break the mold and make it experiential for the attendee,” said the client.

We did just that. This exceptional attendee experience included a four-ballroom progressive evening with delights at each stop. The reception showcased a company walk of fame, the dinner leveraged immersive entertainment in the round, and the awards ceremony shook things up with cabaret-style seating and tableside martinis concocted in custom shakers. 

The evening wrapped up with a rooftop dance party under the stars. 

To leverage our dream team for your next event, please reach out! We can’t wait to help you mix and maximize.