When you think of events that evoke and conjure up a magical atmosphere it’s hard to go past German Christmas markets.

The enduring power and draw of these events has always intrigued me - so last Christmas I packed my beanie and gloves and travelled to Munich to see first hand what it is that makes these markets world famous and attract visitors from across the globe. 
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As a Christmas junkie and ready to tick off a lifelong bucket list item, I was not only excited to finally experience these markets but was also incredibly curious to see what makes them such an enduring success. 

As live events and projects returned late last year, and the demand on staff and organisations increased, we shared our insights into why an event partner agency like Fetching Events & Communications could be the right fit and resource for you.

At Fetching Events & Communications, we always knew that planning for the future would be dynamic and difficult. We had experienced the changing of goal posts throughout 2020 & 2021 but knew 2022 would bring new challenges, and it has – the great resignation, labour shortages, increased workloads, reduced capacities of teams and of course the ongoing absenteeism due to illness.

Partnering with an event, communications or volunteer engagement agency like Fetching Events & Communications, could be just the right fit for you.
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Want to know why? Read on....

The common myth of recruiting excess volunteers to allow for no shows is just that, a complete myth.

The secret to a successful event volunteer program is simple - engage with volunteers authentically, treat them with the respect they deserve and they will turn up!

Volunteers aren’t just a workforce, they are your ambassadors and often your directors of first impressions.

Find out how the Bastille Day French Festival recently achieved an almost 100% attendance rate. 

Venues are more than floorplans and capacities. Cities are more than just locations. They have a heritage. They have stories to tell. They can provide a connection with nature. They are where experiences are made. Yet, these elements are often overlooked in the rush to find a venue and destination.

To create experiences and events that influence and inspire, we need to understand our audiences and what they want.

And what do they want?

Just like 2020, 2021 has forced many organisations to work differently – not only physically but strategically and operationally.

As we look ahead to 2022, planning for the future will still be dynamic and difficult when the goal posts keeping changing and the workload is fluid.

Many organisations will find themselves having a clear vision, but loose plan.

What does this mean though when trying to plan your staffing and resources?

Partnering with an event, communications or volunteer engagement agency like Fetching Events & Communications, could be just the right fit for you.

​Want to know why? Here are our top five reasons why partnering with an agency could be the solution to your challenges.

​Most of us are familiar with the idea that spending time in nature is good for us, and that having access to nature in our workspaces and home spaces is increasingly important for our wellbeing. But perhaps not many of us know about biophilia and biophilic design. In this blog, we’ll explore what biophilic design is and why it can be one of the simplest yet most impactful ways to elevate an event experience.
 
Biophilia is the term given to describe humans innate biological connection with nature.  The term emerged in the fields of biology and psychology and was later adapted for other fields such as neuroscience and architecture. Biophilic design became the strategy for incorporating nature into the built environment and a way to alleviate workplace stress, support performance, health, and community cohesiveness1.

By the time we are 20 years old, we have half the number of tastebuds we had as children1. However, our gustatory perception, or sense of taste, remains a highly impactful and essential part of our sensory perceptions of the world. It powers us to look for and consume the food we need in order to live and be well.
 
Our Chief Engagement Officer Georgie Stayches wrote about how the catering at an event can play a major role in the event’s success, and why considering menu choices carefully is essential in this blog post ‘The way to your guest’s heart is through food’.
 
In this blog, the next in our series on sensory event design, let’s look at how our sense of taste actually works.

When it comes to our sense of smell, it’s quite easy to immediately recall a time or place where a certain smell had an impact on us. Maybe it’s the experience of smelling fresh coffee first thing in the morning, or the scent of flowers in the garden or herbs wafting from a pizza. Or maybe we think of a specific event held at Christmas or in a special location, and the smells that were there on the day.
 
Incorporating scent into an event gives us the opportunity to elevate the event and enhance the experience of attendees and participants. Let’s look at some of the evidence around the power of this sense and just how effective it can be. 

Air is something humans clearly can’t live without. And fresh air is often something we crave – that feeling of opening up the window and breathing in clean, new air is one we can all relate to.
 
In this blog, the next in our series exploring the senses and how to harness the power of our sensory perceptions in the design of our events, we’ll take a look at air. We’ll also briefly incorporate the feeling of touch, which is not dissimilar to our experience of feeling air on our skin or the movement of air in our environment. 

Often the sounds we are surrounded by are seen as background and not really thought about deeply, be it the soundscape of a busy city, a workspace, our daily commutes, or the sounds that exist around our homes and home offices. It’s understandable that much of what we hear is just accepted as the soundtracks of our lives.
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Sound can have quite an impact on our emotions, however. Just think about the time when a certain song on the radio or TV or in a shop brought back particular memories or evoked feelings of sadness, happiness, or nostalgia. Sound can also encourage us to move our bodies, sometimes without even intending to do so first – the rhythm gets you!
 
When it comes to staging events, the most obvious of sounds to look at and consider first is, quite literally, the sound of music.