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Eming Piansay Here’s a hard truth: If everything at your event happens exactly the way attendees expect it to, they may have no reason to remember it. Today, for Smart Start Radio, I’m joined by E.J. Corporan, director of growth and marketing at Ansera, to explore how planners can break through distraction, create genuine connection and design moments that actually stick. We’re diving into the science of unforgettable events, including cognitive load, engagement and the surprising power of awe, and why creating memorable experiences may have less to do with spending more money and everything to do with greater intention.
EP E.J., thank you for being here. Let’s get into it. What are people doing at events right now that simply is not leaving an impact?
E.J. Corporan One way to ensure people will not remember an experience is if everything happens exactly as they expect. Most of us move through life in a routine. We expect people to behave, dress and respond in certain ways, and most environments line up with those expectations. If everything goes according to what someone’s brain predicts, there is nothing distinct to remember.
EP I go to a lot of events throughout the year, and some stand out because of small moments that feel personal. Others are simply in the door, out the door, and then they are gone.
EC Exactly, and that has real business implications. Somebody worked very hard to build that event, and a company spent a lot of money on it. If it does not stick, that investment is not doing what it was intended to do. We have to design for memorability.
EP Events are competing with everything else happening in people’s lives. How can planners retain interest and ultimately improve both return on investment and return on experience?
EC One of the biggest battles planners and event designers face is identifying what they are really competing with. They are competing with the devices in attendees’ pockets and everything people carry into the room: work, family responsibilities, stress and anxiety. The whole world is begging for their attention during a keynote.
EC That is where cognitive load becomes important. Cognitive load is the amount of mental energy someone uses to stay focused and absorb information. A high-cognitive-load session is not necessarily bad, but it needs to be spaced appropriately. After a nuanced keynote filled with new information, people need breathing room to rest, reflect, synthesize and apply what they heard. Planners should map the peaks and valleys of engagement and cognitive load throughout the day.
EP Is there a format planners can adapt for their own events?
EC Start with who is in the room. A life sciences meeting filled with doctors may require a different format than a sales meeting. Consider the audience’s likely attention span. On average, people begin to lose interest after about eight minutes, even though sessions may last 45 minutes or an hour.
EC Sessions need to be interactive. Give attendees opportunities to engage with what is happening on stage or with one another. They need time to take what they heard, reflect on it and file it somewhere useful. Ask whether people are being talked at for the entire session or whether there is real give-and-take.
EP People absorb information differently. How do you create an event that reaches people in different ways without overcrowding the experience?
EC Everything has to balance and play off the other elements. Production can help. Screens should be visible and accessible, and planners should be intentional about what appears on them. The visuals most likely to be remembered are not crowded slides filled with text. They often feature one sentence or even a few words.
EC Identify the message you want people to remember and reinforce it visually, auditorily and through the broader experience. Balance keeps it from becoming overkill.
EP One thing I saw on Ansera’s website was the study of awe. How does awe relate to event design?
EC Awe can seem difficult to explain because people often feel it in the body before the brain can process it. It can show up as chills, warmth in the chest or stomach, perspiration or another physical response. We design for moments that create that reaction.
EC When people feel awe, they are more likely to feel connected to one another, more open to new messages and more likely to retain those messages. Those are three things event professionals want to accomplish. You bring people together to connect, you want them to receive the message, and ideally you want them to leave differently than they arrived. Awe supports all three.
EP You work with groups ranging from about 25 people to several thousand. How do you create awe for 5,000 people when everyone enters the room with a different background and perspective?
EC It is a big question, and we are still seeking answers. We use research in experience design, psychology, distraction and awe to build frameworks and diagnostics. We look at whether an agenda creates the right peaks and valleys of engagement and cognitive load, and we look at the makeup of the audience.
EC Registration data can reveal titles, generations and other audience characteristics. That helps us assess what is most likely to resonate. Awe feels deeply personal, but research suggests there are several unifying sources of it, sometimes described as the pillars of awe. These include life, beauty, vast scale and experiences we cannot fully comprehend.
EC There is also collective effervescence, which happens when many people participate in the same activity and focus on the same thing. You see it in worship, stadiums, concerts, festivals and events. People begin to feel synchronized and connected. A meeting with 5,000 people is a powerful opportunity to facilitate that kind of moment.
EP How do you get executives and stakeholders on board when they are focused on cost, ROI and the bottom line?
EC The event industry has a lot of instinct and experience, but often not enough data. A seasoned planner may know that a layout or agenda flow is right because they have watched it work repeatedly. The challenge is showing executives the science behind that instinct.
EC When engagement is not measured or prioritized, attendees may leave retaining only a small portion of the event’s message. Put simply, if a company spends $100,000 on a meeting and people do not retain what they were meant to hear, learn or do, much of that investment is wasted. That gets executives’ attention.
EC The opportunity is to combine front-end diagnostics with back-end measurement. Surveys can help, and emerging technology can examine indicators such as heart rate or other physical responses during a session. The question is not only how to design the experience, but how to know afterward that it worked.
EP Not everyone completes a post-event survey. How can planners know whether the experience truly worked?
EC What you ask matters. Surveys often focus on food, content ratings or a one-to-10 scale. Before measuring anything, planners need to define the objective of the event.
EC Ask: What do I want attendees to do, think or believe differently after this event? If the business objective is to increase loyalty or renewals, identify the specific knowledge or behavior that supports that objective. Then design survey questions around retention, confidence and intended action.
EC Surveys should not be the only source of data because the people who respond may not represent the entire audience. Build relationships with attendees who are willing to participate in deeper research. Some may agree to wear a heart monitor, allow perspiration measurement or answer more detailed questions.
EC You do not always need an enormous sample. Depending on the group, 30 to 50 participants can provide meaningful information. The key is making sure that sample represents the larger audience and pairing the results with the diagnostic work completed before the event.
EP How are AI and technology helping create the awe factor?
EC We are using AI more in the planning process than during the event itself. To increase the odds of creating awe, we first need to understand the indicators and influences behind it. That requires research.
EC We developed an internal tool that we informally call the AweBot. It contains nearly 400 pieces of research, including articles, journals and scientific studies on awe and distraction. We use it as a partner in developing and enhancing events.
EC There is also a lot of opportunity to use AI in the moment to personalize experiences, but I think we are only scratching the surface.
EP Are clients seeking more technology, or are people moving toward more humanized experiences?
EC It depends on the client and the event, but people are also getting back to basics. There is some distance growing between people and the newest technology. Younger people are buying small digital cameras again because they like the imperfect, vintage look.
EC You do not need to spend heavily on technology to create awe. Awe does not necessarily equal more money. It means more creativity and intention. It requires time and attention, but not always a bigger budget. Planners need to identify the makers of memory and bake them into the right moments.
EP Is there anything else planners should know about creating moments that spark something and potentially change attendees?
EC There is low-hanging fruit planners can use immediately. One framework we use at Ansera is the box rule. Behavioral psychology tells us that people do not remember an event in a linear way. They are more likely to remember the beginning, the ending, the best moment or peak, and the worst moment or valley. Together, those points create a box.
EC Identify the true beginning of the event. Is it when attendees enter the room, when they land at the airport or when they receive the first communication? That first moment matters.
EP If your guest is left waiting at the airport and does not know where to go during the first 10 minutes, you have already failed.
EC Exactly. That difficult airport experience may become both the beginning and the valley, making it even more memorable for the wrong reason. Be thoughtful about how the experience moves through time.
EC Then find the valley. Every event has one: a long registration line, an airport delay or a lengthy transfer. Think about how to elevate that moment and make it a little less painful. Improving the valley can itself become an unforgettable moment.
EP E.J., thank you. This has been fascinating and incredibly insightful. I would love to have you back.
EC It was my pleasure. Thank you so much for having me.
