Contribution by Angeles Moreno, Director Spain for the Event Design Collective.
“With Event Canvas we design Events that are the result of the work of a multidisciplinary team”, says Pilar Jiménez Event Manager from Sage Spain, upon obtaining her Level 2 Event Design Certificate of achievement in Spain.
Pilar Jiménez, Event Manager Sage Spain
At the beginning of April 2019, Angeles Moreno, Spanish Director of the Event Design Collective, led a consulting project in the design of events for Sage Spain, a leading company in business management software, with the Event Design using the Event Canvas™️ Methodology.
Pilar Jiménez, Event Manager of Sage Spain, received her EDC Level 1 certificate of the Event Canvas Methodology in 2018. Discovering this systematic approach has led her to initiate a process of transformation in the way she designs events within her company, leading this process with colleagues from different departments to work on the next editions of one of her key events.
“Thinking out of the box for me now, makes much more sense than ever”.
“Discovering this Methodology has meant a change of mentality that has allowed me to add accumulated value to the experience I have been acquiring in the field of event management and planning over the years. In addition, it has fulfilled a need, from a personal and professional perspective, to continue learning and do my job better every day, bringing more value to the organization and our clients.
Over more than 10 years organizing events, most of them in Sage. A responsibility in which I have been able to improve the how, the why, the form as well as the content, working as a team, even though not getting it right at times, but learning from all mistakes; and feeling very proud of the achievements and successes we have had with many of these events.
The Event Design using the Event Canvas Methodology has given me the necessary tools to establish a strategic context around the development, planning and design of events, undoubtedly a giant as well as necessary step, when aligning the storytelling of the brand with its business and reputation,” says Pilar.
There is a clear trend in organizations for the strategic management of meetings & events. Events are the communication and marketing tool with the greatest impact and influence; and many companies are immersed in a process to elevate the event from the logistical to the strategic level (from expense to investment) and to show the real value of the event to transform the behaviour of stakeholders and generate a positive impact on business objectives.
“When we have to organize an event the first thing we do is ask, a very important step in within the process of the design”.
“It’s not just about booking a hotel, preparing presentations and serving coffees. Now we go through a process in which we answer questions as simple as why we want to organize this event, with what objective or for whom we want to organize it.
Apparently they are obvious questions, but they have to be asked out loud, if possible, and they require the right answers, which sometimes take time and take away certain fears and internal concerns. It’s a job in which we involve colleagues from different departments: we make proposals, we prototype, we sit down, we share, we talk, we agree… and as a result of all this teamwork, we organize events that are successful in terms of form, content and results for the business,” says Pilar.
“Now I claim time to design and plan. It is crucial for this formula to work”.
The first time a professional faces the Event Canvas is a turning point in their method of designing and organizing events. Introducing method in the design of events not only implies the commitment of the key departments, it also allows a 360o vision of the event; defining the objective of the event, what we want to happen in it and how we want to generate the transformation of behaviour not only in the attendee, but also in each of the identified stakeholders. The result is a prototyping phase that allows the design of long term editions.
“Since I work with Event Canvas, the event, although led by Marketing, is born as a result of the work of a multidisciplinary team. We spent two days with colleagues from different areas, with different points of views, illusion, with a lot of knowledge to share, we have generated synergies, discussed, and launched crazy ideas; but everything has been with the same objective, to be part of something great.
All in all, we have created a very solid base on which to build a successful event, in which the attendee will be the centre, where we will not forget what we want to tell from Sage, but in which we will always bear in mind that our protagonist is the attendee.
At Sage we are confident that the best changes happen when you decide to take the first step, and this is something we always pass on to our clients. We want to lead by example, therefore, at the event level, we have already began to walk that path,” concludes Pilar.
The Sage Group
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