Unlock your creativity for event success

On the final day of the show, Dahlia El Gazzar, tech evangelist at DAHLIA+Agency, led attendees through a 20-minute event marketing, activation and engagement demonstration. The standing-room-only event detailed how to achieve easy wins, from technology to use for engagement, to activations that create intrigue and buzz.

First, Dahlia approached each member of the audience, asking them to set an intention for the day and handing them an affirmation card. “My gut is the captain of my intuition mission,” read one card. She showed just how easy it is to get wrapped up in your way of doing things—your way of promoting your events and engaging your attendees.

Dahlia asked the question, “Who has never been to IMEX before?” and most hands shot up, affirming Dahlia’s surprising stat that 58% of those now in the industry joined post-pandemic. The session exposed a thirst for innovation and knowledge among this new wave of event planners.

“We have a lot to learn from Taylor Swift,” Dahlia explained, as she showed how to capture post-event content to create FOMO. Her latest movie, which documents her worldwide tour, is a prime example of generating buzz after an event.

When we all play our part and let creative juices flow freely, we can elevate experiences, she said. “We’re all part of a production—like Hamilton.”