How to Make Any Event Engaging
Make friends, solve crimes
Have you ever attended a work event and blanched at the idea of doing small talk with near strangers for hours on end? When you go to a family get-together do you dread having the same conversation over and over with each of your relations? Us too. That is why we devised our interactive and engaging events! - to escape the monotony of stilted chatter and to bring people together.
Science, research, and experience have proven that socialization and human connection are vital for our wellbeing and mental health. However, creating and maintaining these relationships can put a strain on our spoons, especially if the social situation is boring or focuses too much on idle conversation. More and more studies show that parties garner less attendance than in the past and that people go to gatherings because they feel they should. This hesitation to attend social functions is contributing to the loneliness epidemic, and an overall decline in social connection. Our solution, then, is to make sure people have a reason to party.
Our philosophy at Enigmatic Events Collective is that any event can be fun - with the right opportunities. We create events full of ways that guests can engage with the space, the material, and the other attendees. When people have an activity to be involved in, socializing becomes easier and strangers can begin to work as a team. Curating interaction starts with offering a way to collaborate.
Preparing to Party
As event hosts, it is our goal to have guests enjoy themselves and feel that their time was well spent. This starts with creating an atmosphere where those who do not know one another have a reason to engage. We’ve had to ask the wedding question Do you know the bride or the groom? Or even worse the age old work adage So what do you do? Help your guests avoid this by an activity that can lead the interaction and take the pressure off!
When creating an event, we strive to give guests expectations and offer ways into the material. This is important, as it allows folks who may be more anxious about the event to have more context and see an agenda for their time. It also allows those who might be more extraverted to prepare an outfit or character. We always try to give as much information as possible without giving away any surprises for the event itself.
For example, say we are hosting a murder mystery - We begin by sending the attendees a welcome email outlining the event theme, the proceedings, and the expectations. This allows anyone who has questions to pose them and makes sure all guests have the same information. Some will really memorize the material, some will skim it and have many questions during the even. The initial email allows everyone the same opportunity to respond. We also know that this initial contact is a great way to get people excited for the party, the content and encourage them to potentially dress on theme!
Curating Collaboration
Solving a Crime over Tacos
A group gathering’s success depends on how well participants engage with the host’s offerings and each other. When inviting people to a gathering, giving guests a reason to connect with one another is vital. Offering a problem to solve, a challenge to overcome, or a treasure to find will encourage cooperation and communication. A quest of some form will allow them to converge and converse without the social pressure of knowing one another or asking basic What are you doing with your vacation time? questions.
Our You Play mysteries do this by giving investigators leads that require them to ask other people questions. Our Teamwork mysteries push groups to work together to pour over evidence of all sorts to solve a case. Quiz Nights allow teams to highlight their knowledge base and cooperate on answers… All the time, we are giving the guests a way in, to problem solve and collaborate. And then we’ve given them a way to socialize! Whether they are solving a murder or plotting the best route to Cameroon, they now have a reason to connect.
The Finale
Throughout an activity, most of the conversation is guaranteed to be about the goings on. The detectives will interrogate the suspects, the crime scene will be investigated, the quiz will be answered and debated. The time after the finale is where connections and surprises can bloom.
After the activity concludes, the group will have had some catharsis. Their questions have been answered, their answers have been scored. Then, there is some time for reflection. During this, the participants discuss the successes and failures they witnessed and recount their favourite moments. This is a great time to watch people connect as it inherently includes some form of congratulations for the successful teams and players. During an individual game or task, the winner may be highlighted, but often players will have also noticed their cohorts special talents or interests! Sometimes Amy from the sales department gets all the compliments, but when the mystery needed an accounting eye, Jorge’s experience really came in handy! Compliments are a fantastic way to kindle connections and the denouement of an activity allows people to share what they noticed.
Sparking people’s creativity and problem solving skills allows them an avenue to get to know each other without having to ask the mundane questions. Instead of Did you watch the Seahawks game last night? you’ve created a space where participants can now connect on a deeper level. They’ve overcome something together and can now talk about the finale, their admiration for each other’s talent and other fun adventures they have had. Injecting an event with hands-on fun will pour a solid foundation for party participants to land on, bypassing the small talk and getting right to connection and collaboration. Something that lasts well after the party is over.
