Be honest: I know you’ve said “that gives me the ick” about something in the last few months. Do you remember what it was about?
I’ve definitely said it a few times recently — specifically about the bro at Starbucks who insisted on FaceTiming for a half hour in the middle of the cafe and about all the women on The Bachelor who keep saying “Grant and I’s relationship” (IYKYK).
But I digress.
As event professionals (and people who attend a lot of events), there’s a whole unique set of icks. You know what I’m talking about: super early start times (especially after a late night of networking), long buffet lines, and an unorganized check-in process, just to name a few.
If we hate these, you know our attendees do too. So how can we break away from these traditionally boring parts of an event and make them unconventional and exciting instead?
In this guide, we’ll walk through some common parts of an event and share ideas that’ll take your events from boring to brag-worthy.
Create clicks that convert
Increasing event registrations and attendance is something event organizers are always worried (or at least thinking) about. In our report, The 2025 Eventscape, registrations and attendance were also named the #1 and #2 most important event metrics among organizers.
With the weight these hold, it’s only natural that event professionals would have some icks around event promotions. We asked our community what those are — and it was no surprise that unengaging emails and really long registration forms were on the list.
So, once again, we’re asking the age-old question: how can we create promotions that actually get people to say yes?
Almost everything today is digital. I’m a firm believer that’s why people love events: they bring people together in person. They’re a break from everything digital. So for your smaller, super-targeted events, think beyond the email invitation.
💡 Lean into snail mail
You know what would be really unexpected these days? A physical invitation that attendees actually get in the (gasp!) mail.
Here’s where you can make it even more unexpected: make it something fun, whether that’s tying it to a theme or gamifying it.
For example, tailor your physical invitation to something well-known about your event’s location. If you’re hosting an event in Las Vegas, send a custom deck of cards as the invitation, where each card has information about the event. Or each card is part of a bigger riddle they need to answer to get something at the event.
Just don’t forget to add a QR code they can scan to access the registration page and actually sign up.
Cancel cringey communications
Event organizers love a repeatable event, and for good reason: you can run more of them without the effort and energy that goes into something totally new.
But the thing attendees hate about repeatable events? Everything’s the same, same, same. The same agenda, the same swag, the same emails.
We asked our community of event professionals to share their biggest icks around event communications, and sending the same emails event after event was a top answer. Others: when brands are inauthentic in their messaging and don’t give enough (or any) information between registration and the actual event.
💡 Personalized pre-event playlists
I know you have to send informational emails to attendees after registration and before the actual event — but what if you use these emails as an opportunity to get them pumped up too?
And what better way to pump people up than music?
One way to do this is by using progressive registration to learn more about your attendees. Ask them to answer the question: what’s your walk-up song? Gather all the answers, make a Spotify playlist, then play that playlist during the event.
It keeps engagement going between registration and the event, adds a layer of personalization to the event, and helps you check “source music” off your to-do list pretty quickly. (Plus, with Taylor Swift, AC/DC, and Snoop playing back to back, there will be something for everyone.)
Don’t forget to share the playlist with your attendees after the event.
Kill the queue
Get to the event venue. Wait in a check-in line. Begrudgingly get your name tag. Pick up a bag full of generic stuff (that probably won’t fit in your suitcase).
Sound familiar? It should. It’s what a lot of events are making their attendees still do.
It’s time to think about the event check-in experience differently. Think about it as if your attendees were walking into your home. (And event venues are kind of your second home anyway, right?) What would you do to welcome them?
Certainly not stick them in a long line to wait … and wait … and wait.
💡 Sparkling, still, or boozy?
Who else is a Bravo fanatic?
If you watch any of the Below Deck franchise, you know exactly where I’m going with this. Guests arrive on the yacht, and the first thing they get after introductions? Well, it’s definitely not an invitation to get in line for a name tag.
Liz Lathan, co-founder of Club Ichi, loves the welcome drink. It’s what you would do at home, so why not do it at your event?
Turn schedules into showstoppers
When we asked our community for their icks around event agendas, one comment caught my eye: “back-to-back-to-back-to-back sessions without seeing sunlight for nine hours.” 🥴
It’s sadly so relatable, and yet something that just seems so table stakes for events, that most event organizers never even consider an alternative.
💡 Remix your sessions
Right off the bat, there are two things you can do to create better agendas: switch up the location or the time of day.
At Swoogo’s 2024 Unconventional, our user conference, we held some sessions outside. If the weather allows for it, why not? Not every session needs fancy A/V or rounds full of people staring at a presentation.
Another option: let attendees explore during the day and host sessions in the evening. During our webinar on how to create unconventional events, Club Ichi’s co-founder Nicole Osibodu talked about this. At many events, people are stuck inside all day and rarely leave. Let them get that sunshine for a while, then return ready to learn.
Beyond the boring buffet
Feeding your attendees is obviously a necessity. One of the problems with F&B in the events industry is that it’s gotten so predictable. Your attendees know they’re going to get pasta on day one, tacos on day two, and a boxed lunch on day three.
When we asked our community what they hate about event F&B, other things they said were: bad coffee, long buffet lines, and boring snack breaks.
We’re not saying you need to plan a late-night snack drop of spiked milkshakes or have baristas on rollerskates delivering espresso shots to session room doors. But you can make the food experience more delightful than rubber chicken and cream sauce. (And on second thought, those spiked milkshakes…)
💡 Make food a photographic moment
There’s a reason why you don’t see event photos of the food on social media: it’s simply not exciting.
Instead of picking your meals and snacks from a generic menu, think about it from a different perspective. What kind of food would be photogenic enough that your attendees would actually post it on Instagram or share it in a group chat?
Maybe it’s an edible selfie latte (another win for personalization!) or maybe it’s those midnight milkshakes.
From icebreakers to real connections
Imagine you’re at a restaurant for a networking dinner (where you know no one). 20-something people are sitting around a looong table, when the host says they’re going to start with an icebreaker. Everyone has to stand up, one at a time, and share their name, company, a fun fact, and a prediction you have for your industry. Oh, and surprise — you’re up first!
Basic icebreakers are bad enough, but putting people on the spot with questions that actually require thought? Awfully uncomfortable.
Other networking icks from our community: overall awkward conversations, as well as networking receptions where the music is too loud and the lighting is too low.
How can we make networking more immersive, less awkward, and genuinely memorable?
💡 A “truth serum” cocktail party
Okay, okay — this one has the potential to still be awkward, but in the most fun way possible. And to preface: this can totally be done with mocktails too.
Have every drink come with a sealed envelope that contains a networking question. Every conversation must start with whatever questions attendees have in their envelopes. No more “What do you do?” or “Where do you work?” to kick things off. Some questions could include:
- What’s something you learned embarrassingly late in your career?
- What’s a secret work confession no one knows?
- If your job were a reality TV show, what would it be called and why?
The goal is to ditch the small talk and get right to the good stuff: real stories and real conversations. To gamify it, have attendees vote on the most legendary stories and reward the winners.
Swag they’ll keep, not toss
When we asked event pros for their event icks, a lot of people just said “swag.” Period. That’s pretty telling.
We all know it: most swag sucks. Even if you get something really nice, like a high-end, insulated water bottle, there are two issues. One, I might not be able to pack it in my suitcase. And two, I’m just going to add it to the four drawers I have at home already dedicated to water bottles.
Swag should be actually useful, sustainable, or unexpected.
I’m talking about things your attendees will engage with (instead of dumping it) and that’ll build excitement — and no more cheap throwaways.
💡 A swag vending machine
Personalization is a huge topic in the events industry today. And yet, you walk into that check-in line, and you get the same swag as every single other attendee.
Instead, when they check in, give them a token to use at the swag vending machine. Throughout the event, give away additional tokens to attendees who do extraordinary things.
With a swag vending machine, attendees get to pick. We still stand by that their options should be useful, sustainable, or unexpected — but at least this way, you know they’re getting something they want (and won’t throw away).
Some things you could include:
- Mini emergency kits
- Chocolate-covered espresso beans
- Eye masks
- Portable chargers
- Plantable pencils
Keep the event glow going
The event is over, and you’re home. Maybe you get a generic “thanks for attending” email, maybe you get too many requests (for feedback, a sales call, whatever) — or maybe you get nothing at all.
When it comes to post-event engagement, the best events have a few things in common: they maintain a level of personalization, they make next steps clear, and they continue the energy and momentum of the event itself.
💡 A note for your future self
At your next event, have every attendee write a note to themselves. You can do an email, but we love the idea of hand writing letters on branded stationery. You can give them prompts like:
- What’s a big takeaway or bold idea you want to implement at work?
- What’s a goal you have for the next six months?
- What’s something you don’t want to forget from this event?
At this letter-writing station, have them put the letter in a sealed envelope with their mailing address, and collect them all.
Six months later, send the envelopes out. It’s personal, nostalgic, and unexpected — and it keeps attendees accountable to what they want to take action on following your event.
Conclusion
Saying it one more time for the people in the back: events don’t have to be predictable. They shouldn’t be. The icks we’ve all come to accept — boring agendas, awkward networking, forgettable swag — are the things that are holding us back from planning and hosting events that are truly meaningful and engaging.
It’s time to shake things up with unexpected, unconventional experiences. You’ll surprise and delight attendees, while giving them the kind of event they’ll talk about long after it’s over.