Bumble's Head of Experiential Shares 11 Rules for Creating Authentic Events

Annie ThompsonPhoto: Courtes of BumbleAnnie Thompson is the director of experiential and global merchandise at Bumble. Based in Kansas City, Mo., she’s been working in the event industry for more than 15 years. Here, she shares her rules for creating effective, authentic events and brand activations.

1. Meet consumers where they are.

Be real. Don't use language or concepts that are too lofty, vague, or aloof to grasp. That is the real joy of experiential and in-person marketing—it's the ultimate opt-in channel to have real engagements with consumers or potential consumers. By staying true to your brand, and not over-indexing on trends, fads, or stunty gimmicks, you maintain the ability to allow a consumer to realize their own affinity, need, or delight themselves. 

That way, it doesn’t feel like a commercial where you get reminded to “put milk on the grocery list” or “don’t forget to order flowers for Mother’s Day.” It turns into, “This amazing thing happened to me!” or “I got to learn about XYZ product and their story.” 

2. Think through the physical needs of your event’s environment. 

A multiday music festival in a Chicago park is different from a quick 24 hours in a Las Vegas convention hall. It’s important to think about ways to provide physical and mental support in order to frame your brand messaging in a way that’s relevant to the circumstance. 

3. Carefully define your goal.

What does your brand want to say and who do they want to say it to? Let’s face it—not every woman has the same opinion on current events, not every Gen Zer wants to ditch their smartphone for a Polaroid camera, and not every boomer thinks millennials are lazy! Quick-moving trends aren’t the end-all, be-all. So keep an open and informed mind when designing to ensure that you’re delivering on your goal by properly engaging with the audience. 

4. Be thoughtful about your target audience.

In today’s world, it seems our generations and their preferences/nuances are more heightened than ever. So it does feel important for brands to ensure they’re thoughtful about audiences when designing experiences. Even if the answer is “it's for everyone,” that should be clear in the way the opportunity is presented to consumers and still offer a distinct point of view. 

5. Find one element that feels out of the box or unexpected.

Is it a nontraditional venue that creates an element of surprise or offers a totally unique experience? Is there an ultimate surprise-and-delight moment that will set this apart from anything like it? 

6. Put yourself in your attendees’ shoes.

Once that hook is figured out, walk the entire experience in your consumer’s steps. Start to finish, forward and backward. Know what they’ll do, what they’ll need to be told, and what questions or issues they may have. And then make a plan for it. All of it. The more small details that are thought of and the more issues that are taken care of beforehand will allow for the core experience to soar. And guests feel that.

7. Market your event in a voice that feels relevant to your crowd.

It’s such a strong way to set the stage for what can be expected on site. Whether it's introducing the level of formality (or lack thereof), or what can be expected in the way guests can interact with each other, the overall tone of voice is a great tool from start to finish. 

8. Consider the five senses: smell, sight, taste, touch, and sound. 

If you can hit all five, there isn’t a chance that someone doesn't walk away with a real, tangible reaction. It becomes memorable in a way that no digital channel can provide. It's an insanely heightened example, but I had my first experience at the Las Vegas Sphere a few weeks back. In their “Postcard From Earth” experience, they utilize vibrating seats, blowing air, and real scent within the show. I truly can still smell the orange blossom scent they used, and I’ve told at least 18 people about it. Think about all the ways someone can tactically experience your event. 

9. Less is sometimes more when it comes to technology.

With the exception of a few tech-specific moments, I think eventgoers are easily overwhelmed by too much tech. My rule of thumb has always been, if we’re incorporating tech it should be seamless and almost unrecognizable to guests. I really don’t want to make someone download a new tool just to access an event itinerary or shuffle their way through a multipoint sign-up flow on their phone just to get a free drink or a piece of swag. 

10. Remember that when used correctly, experiential is the ultimate channel for true connection. 

Nothing else is like it. There is a reason live sports, live music, amusement parks, and travel are billion-dollar industries. As humans, we want to feel it, hear it, smell and taste it. We want to realize for ourselves something new that sparks joy or provokes emotion. 

For our team at Bumble, we realize that our product and community are incredibly personal! The decision to date or date again can be a really big deal—exciting, scary, nerve-racking, exhilarating. So whenever we are engaging with consumers—whether it’s an actual dating event and getting folks together IRL, or any other type of brand event—we understand the responsibility to respect this chapter of our members’ lives. So there is no other choice than to be real and let them be real. And that is where the true development of community stems from. 

11. Lean on your team.

To me it’s all about my people—my internal team, my vendors, keeping up with other folks in the industry. I always hope that being on site for an event will feel like summer camp: maybe a little scary, can be shaky at first, but everyone leaves best friends and sad that it’s over. Riding this high and feeling the connection with my fellow creators is what immediately ignites me.

You can’t be successful in this industry without caring about people. You’re only as good as the weakest link on your team; you’re only connected if you can get someone to answer your phone call; you’re only as relevant as the last great thing you did. Events are one of the only marketing mediums that 100% require a team effort—no one sits behind a computer and does this all alone. Invest in your people, and your people’s people. Treat them well. Say thank you. Bring caffeine and sugar. Allow for rest. Plan for the unexpected. And if you’re lucky enough, they’ll all want to do it all over again next time with you!