How to design great customer experiences at events
An outstanding event experience isn't luck. It comes from mastering nine areas — from customer groups and data to the customer journey, touchpoints, the WOW factor and monetisation.
Every touchpoint, physical or digital, before, during or after the event, has to deliver real value: pleasure, convenience or uniqueness. Provide a service and it's not enough — make each one worth the attendee's time.
Customer experience, unique atmosphere, "fans first" — the phrases fill every event strategy deck, and for good reason. We live surrounded by ways to spend free time. When supply outstrips demand, the customer takes the top spot, and the events that win are the ones offering the best value for time, attention and money. A bad event puts you out of the game. A good one gets you in. The ones people remember are built deliberately.
Walt Disney's principle captures it: do what you do so well that people want to come back and bring others. The question is what "well" means in practice.
Think in touchpoints
A match is far more than what happens on the field; a concert is more than the songs. The experience is the sum of its touchpoints — physical or digital, before, during and after. Core content, venue atmosphere, production, side programmes, people flow, queues, signage, public services, fellow attendees, weather, digital services, staff, even the state of the restrooms. Every one can be influenced or at least prepared for. And each has to deliver real value, not just exist. Food is the clear example: satisfying hunger is the floor; taste, presentation and something you can't get elsewhere are what actually count. These are the factors that shape the atmosphere.
Four examples worth studying
Atlanta Falcons. Fans grumble about overpriced food at stadiums. The Falcons introduced fan-friendly pricing at Mercedes-Benz Stadium; satisfaction rose and concession revenue went up too — proof that customer happiness can be a business move.
Stade Toulousain. The French rugby side drew 20,000 fans and paired fast, reliable Wi-Fi with a digital service to order food, drink and merchandise without queuing, plus live-stream from selected cameras to the app — value aimed squarely at people in the venue, and better data with it.
FIFA World Cup 2018, St. Petersburg. The stadium sits on an island reachable mainly by metro. More than 60,000 fans flowed to two stations with almost no queuing, and transport was included in the ticket. Efficient public transport turned a potential nightmare into one of the best match-day experiences.
Disney. The pioneer of customer-centric service. The philosophy: every employee's real job is to make customers happy, not just sweep floors or sell popcorn. The gap between a task-oriented and a purpose-oriented organisation is exactly the gap in experience.
The nine areas that make it work
Break the design and production of a customer experience into small enough parts and you have around a thousand puzzle pieces. It sounds overwhelming; it isn't complicated. The recipe comes down to mastering nine areas.
- Customer Matrix. Customer groups and segmentation — the foundation the rest builds on.
- Customer Data & Insights. Research and real understanding of those groups.
- Customer Journey. The stages of the customer's path through the event.
- Touchpoints. The elements that shape the experience at each stage.
- WOW Factor. Designing the unique elements people remember and share.
- Master Schedule. Building the event timeline the experience runs on.
- Show Me the Money. Producing and monetising the experience.
- Story Worth Telling. Content for sales, communication and marketing.
- FAQ. The checklist for managing the experience on the day.
The recipe for a great customer experience is surprisingly simple. It's mastering these nine areas — one puzzle piece at a time.
The Customer Journey Mapper and the templates for all nine areas are at Event Management Shop.
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