ISES President Scott Bellingham tells us why it’s important to include celebration in events.
One of the core reasons to hold an event is often forgotten – celebration.
‘Engagement’, ‘activation’, ‘immersive’, ‘brand loyalty’; these are all terms that get dropped into discussions about business events more often than Kim Kardashian’s butt has been Googled. Celebration tends to be viewed as a trivial factor that is not counted in the return on investment spectrum, but it should be.
Celebration builds individuals by increasing their self-respect and sense of worth. Celebration builds teams by marking the completion of minor and major goals. The team is drawn together and fused with emotional stimulus, increasing cohesion and effectiveness. Celebration counteracts depression and increases output, it feeds our basic human need for self-love and self-acceptance. Celebration has been important to society throughout history; for example the celebration once harvest was complete were some of the most important to the community, marking a significant achievement and effort from the collective.
Sometimes celebration takes a back seat because we’ve fallen into the habit of harshly judging ourselves. When this happens, there is a negative feeling remaining in our bodies from a challenging event in our past. If we consistently fail to celebrate our successes, achieved goals get lost in the myriad of tasks we set, decreasing their value and decreasing our drive to achieve.
Sometimes, corporate events get caught up in the seriousness of design, balance of aesthetics, technical production and finely tuned logistics. I urge us all to take a step back and ask, ‘Are we celebrating our successes?’ and more importantly, ‘Are our clients and guests celebrating?’
On June 23, ISES Sydney is creating a world of celebration – and we invite you to join us. Curated by event legends Lena Malouf, Glen Lehman and Greg Hancock and set in the wonderland that is the Sydney Prop Specialist warehouse in Marrickville, the night will be a journey through the world of celebration. From Oktoberfest in Austria, to the Lantern Festival in China, to Carnivale in the streets of Rio – we invite you to celebrate. What are we celebrating? Whatever you want. I will be celebrating the conclusion of my term as President of the Sydney ISES Chapter – and I do hope you will join me.
To register, click here.
