Memories
As summer winds down, I’m sure some of you are still basking in the magical memories made on a summer trip to Walt Disney World with your families. And for those of you that didn’t make the trip this summer, you undoubtedly recall your last visit to the happiest place on Earth. Some of my best childhood memories are of strolling through the parks with my parents, conquering my fears on the “big rides” with my brother, or “oooo-ing” and “aaaah-ing” at the fireworks above Main Street USA. Sounds like a zip-a-dee-doo-dah day to this child at heart. Is everything perfect at Walt Disney World, or do we just choose to think of it that way?
The Peak-End Rule
In their book, The Power of Moments, Chip and Dan Heath take a deeper look at the “peak-end rule”, which suggests that most people tend to rate their overall experiences based on two key moments – the peak (either the best or worst moment), and the ending. Psychologists propose that, if at various moments in a single day during a Disney visit, a family rated their experiences from 1 to 10 (1 being lousy and 10 being terrific), a wide variance of responses would be received. With the majority of the day would be spent standing in long lines, sweating in the oppressive Florida heat, and overpaying for mediocre park food, many responses would likely be fairly low. However, on the contrary, rating responses would likely soar after an exhilarating ride on Space Mountain, a princess makeover at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, or a mouse ears family photo in front of Cinderella’s castle. The daily average rating would likely fall somewhere in the 5-6 range, which is fairly disappointing for such an expensive and highly anticipated experience. However, these psychologists predict that if they were to ask that same family to rate their overall Disney experience one month later, they would likely give it a near perfect rating of 9-10. Why? They remember the peak and the ending, and have forgotten those difficulties along the way.
Making A Lasting Impact
Our team at Streamline Event Agency has long understood the power of the peak and the lasting impact of a memorable ending. Those are the most fun moments to deliver for our clients – the magician that wows everyone, the keynote speaker with an incredible story, the surprise celebrity performance, or the creative on-screen content. We love those peak and ending moments, and we know what an impact they have on our clients and their audiences. Even still, we don’t want to “forget the rest”, as the Disney park-goers do.
Defining moments shape our lives, but we don’t have to wait for them to happen. We can be the author of them. -Chip Heath
Our ability to focus on both the big picture and the fine details simultaneously is part of what sets us apart from other event companies. The nuts and bolts of the event process aren’t glamorous, but they are crucial to building a positive and memorable experience that will last more than just one day. From CAD drawings and floorplans, to transportation and parking, to catering details and registration tables, we recognize that all of these elements need to work together seamlessly to create a pleasant and painless experience for our clients and their guests. Our goal is to raise the rating average of the event while it’s happening, not to simply wait a month for a glowing review after the excitement or frustration fades.
Moments To Remember
Launching a corporate event or meeting? You’ll remember all of it fondly when you partner with Streamline Event Agency. We look forward to all the magical moments we’ve yet to create, mouse ears or not.
