Multi-sensory Event Experience
April 6, 2014
Our daily interaction with the world around us involves a number of sensory perceptions including sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. All of these senses combine to provide us with rich, layered experiences that help us engage with the people (and even the objects) around us.
If any activity engages only one or two of our senses for a long period of time, we often come away feeling something in the overall experience was lacking, and that we did not get the most out of the time we invested in it.
In an article titled ‘Please touch the merchandise’, the Harvard Business Review cites a number of research studies to highlight how our decision making is almost imperceptibly influenced by the multi-sensory sensations we experience in our day-to-day lives.
When these studies started to emerge a decade or so ago, retailers were quick to understand the implications and absorb the lessons. From mood lighting to subtle perfumes to free testers, they tried everything in the game to bring in the crowds and boost sales. Nowadays, it is a well-recognized maxim that carefully modulated environments can trigger nostalgia as well as curiosity, helping to draw ever-growing crowds into stores as well as to loosen the purse strings!
Smart event planners are also focusing on providing multi-sensory experiences to keep the event participants engaged and entertained. Gone are the days of long, dull treks down an exhibit hall, or session after session filled with monotonous presentations. Exhibitions and meetings, where attendees are being offered a variety of new and engaging experiences, are breaking the mold and growing faster than their competition. Be it through creative lighting design, gourmet food services, trendy touchscreens, interactive gaming or guided tours, these initiatives are proving a big hit with attendees, especially those who crave new experiences when they return to an event!
Here are some articles that highlight how creative show organizers across the globe are successfully providing multi-dimensional and novel experiences to their attendees:
- http://www.bizbash.com/see-guests-dine-at-an-oversize-artists-palette/los-angeles/story/28239
- http://www.connectyourmeetings.com/feature/building-a-healthier-attendee-experience/
- http://www.wassermanexperience.com/news/the-worlds-first-multi-sensory-fireworks-display/
- http://techcorner.tsnn.com/content/a2zs-chirpe-photo-booth-creates-buzz-and-showfloor
- http://www.successfulmeetings.com/Event-Planning/conference-management/Articles/The-Top-Four-Meeting-Trends-of-2014/
Partner Voices
MGM Resorts is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse culture, not just among employees and guests but also within its supply chain. The company prioritizes procuring goods and services from businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, people with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals and those facing economic disadvantages. This commitment is integral to MGM Resorts' global procurement strategy.
Through its voluntary supplier diversity program, MGM Resorts actively identifies and connects certified diverse-owned suppliers to opportunities within its supply chain. The company is on track to spend at least 15% of its biddable procurement with diverse-owned businesses by 2025, demonstrating that supplier diversity is not only a social responsibility but also a strategic business imperative.
Supplier diversity isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s good for business. A diverse supply chain allows access to a broader range of perspectives and experience, helping to drive innovation, entrepreneurship and resilience, while strengthening communities. At MGM Resorts, engaging diverse suppliers ensures best-in-class experiences for guests and clients. Supplier diversity ensures a more resilient supply chain while supporting economic development in the communities in which it operates.
The impact of MGM Resorts' supplier diversity initiatives is significant. In 2023, these efforts supported over 3,500 jobs across more than 30 states, contributed over $214 million in income for diverse-owned businesses and generated more than $62 million in tax revenue. The story extends beyond the numbers – it reflects the tangible benefits brought to small and diverse-owned businesses, fostering economic empowerment in their communities.
MGM Resorts also supports the development and business skills of diverse-owned businesses through investment, mentorship and education. Through the MGM Resorts Supplier Diversity Mentorship Program, the company identifies, mentors and develops diverse-owned businesses to fill its future pipeline, while providing businesses with tools and resources to empower and uplift. Since 2017, the program has successfully graduated 105 diverse-owned businesses and is on track to achieve its goal of 150 graduates by 2025.
MGM Resorts’ commitment to supplier diversity not only enhances its business operations but also plays a crucial role in uplifting communities and fostering economic development. This approach reinforces the idea that diversity is a powerful driver of innovation and resilience, benefiting both the company and the wider community.
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