But where do you start? How do you, in 45 minutes, begin to explain this industry? So, we threw them straight in… brought them into good old fashioned brainstorm session, using a real-life event brief.
By Lauren Mannis
Or that’s what it’s meant to be. We’ve all been guilty of sitting in a brainstorm session only to censor ourselves citing budget or logistics - filtering ideas before they have chance to take shape. Working with the students and seeing the excited free flow of ideas, unfiltered and unrestrained, was an absolute joy to watch.
The brief: To showcase the best of the UK to an international audience.
Among the many ideas shared, one in particular caught our attention. An excited voice from across the room: “What about creating a giant animatronic clockwork dragon called ‘Ben’, who’s roar was the sound of chimes, that roams around the event interacting with the crowd?”
Showcasing innovation and engineering excellence – tick. A nod to an iconic British landmark – tick. Celebrating British folklore and myth– tick. An unforgettable, one-of-a-kind spectacle – tick.
Watching the students dive in with such openness was a reminder of the creative spark that first drew many of us to this industry – a spark that can sometimes get buried under practicalities for us #eventprofs.
In the end, our workshop wasn’t only about inspiring the students; it reignited that same spark in us - to embrace creative possibilities without holding back.
Now... we just need to figure out how to bring (Big) Ben the Dragon to life.
This article was first published on LinkedIn.
