Out-of-the-box event inspo: dare to fail, don’t ghost and more lessons from other industries Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Ruzanna
Event designers wanting to leave an impression on attendees can learn a thing or two from creators across industries – whether those who craft gin or those who grow NBA fandom.
Localise for one-of-a-kind experiences
Creators understand well that one-of-a-kind experiences and products can be created by tapping into resources, stories, and “ingredients” only found in their region.
Jamie Koh, founder, The Brass Lion Distillery, travelled for a year to many countries and saw the opportunity to create a Singapore gin. Just as foreign gins incorporate ingredients native to their regions, Koh wanted to celebrate Singapore’s local landscape and flavours. That meant using botanicals and ingredients found locally such as pomelo peel, rojak flower, lemongrass, and mandarin peel, ingredients not typically associated with gin.
Koh’s Pahi Gin is a spiced expression inspired by colonial-era trade routes. And instead of using established bitters from Trinidad and Tobago, she crafts her own Singapore Bitters using ingredients from traditional Chinese medicine such as goji berries and red dates, redefining what gin can be.
Similarly, planners can create unique events that are both authentic and special, by incorporating local elements rather than importing rehashed ideas.
Look outwards
To be truly creative in the events industry, or in any profession, one needs to break free from the confines of one’s formal training, said Rene Tan, director, RT + Q Architects at the Singapore MICE Forum 2025.
As an architect, he believes the worst place to learn architecture might just be the classroom because creativity does not thrive in echo chambers. There is much to gain by learning from other disciplines.
Historically, architecture has often looked outside itself for inspiration. During the Renaissance, architects reached deep into the past to reinterpret ideas from ancient Rome and Greece. In more recent times, postmodern architecture again turned to history to find new forms of expression. This cyclical pattern suggests that when the profession’s internal well of ideas begins to run dry, real innovation can come from looking outward or backward.
Having a mindset that embraces curiosity, interdisciplinary thinking, and the understanding that good ideas often come from unexpected places is a key discipline meeting planners can adopt to succeed.
Listen to the heart
Emotions are at the heart of every successful event design, said Daniel Boey, fashion director, fashion show curator and event curator, Daniel Boey Creatives. While his background is in fashion, he sees himself more as an experiential architect. Whether it is a fashion show or a FinTech festival, the principle is the same: design the experience with the attendee in mind.
He encouraged planners to start with how someone feels when they receive the invitation, when they arrive at the venue, and when they take their first steps inside. That initial reaction is crucial. What do they see first? What do they hear? What is the mood? “So, if you've got that emotion right, three quarters of the battle is won, and you've got the audience's attention,” said Boey.
Even a tech event such as the FinTech Festival could create excitement. “You don’t have to make people think ‘finance’ the moment they walk in,” said Boey. Instead, design a space that makes them think it is fun, different, and offers something to explore. Whether it is the keynote stage, the toilets, or a sandbox area, every element could be intentionally crafted to spark interest and emotional connection, and not just to fill seats.
No ghosting!
When using social media to elevate an event or campaign, luxury lifestyle and digital influencer, Willabelle Ong, founder of OME Living and MD of W+R Creative, shared that real engagement continues after the content for a campaign goes live. She connects with her audience through direct messages, comments, interactive polls, and behind-the-scenes content, building a sense of authenticity for repeat followers. “It's really these dialogues and conversations that create stickiness, and people are invested to follow you and to find out more. So for me, tech creates reach and impression, but connection is really what drives longevity,” she said.
Dare to fail: Iterate your way to greatness
According to Sheila Rasa, VP and head of Fan Acquisition & Engagement, NBA, a willingness to experiment is key to growth.
Even as one of the world’s most established sports brands, the NBA continually refines how it delivers content – such as meeting fans wherever they are, and in new formats they prefer. This is key to growth, given that not everyone gets to attend games in person.
Rasa acknowledged that change is not safe nor simple. It involves ongoing testing, iteration, and a readiness to embrace new technologies.
Beyond being open to change, the added implication for event planners is the importance to consider the audience and how they consume information, in order to be ready to try engaging them in new ways.