A Tale of Two Special Events

During the worst special event I ever attended, I excused myself and hung out in the restroom until I thought the guest speaker was probably done with her awful speech.

She was a well-known actress who thought we would all be as interested in her life story as she was, including many lurid details. Her speech seemed to go on forever, making me think the event planners had either not given her a time limit, or that she had ignored it.

The event was for the supporters of a medical school. It was all about science, saving lives, research and how we could help. The disconnect between the speaker and the purpose of the event was painful. I later felt badly for the event planners who had put that one together.

The best event I've been to was just recently, when I attended a special performance of my city's symphony. The symphony needed to expand its audience, and reach new donors and season ticket subscribers. It mounted a two-night event that was heavily promoted and with just a token charge for tickets.

The symphony conductor, a fan of the CSI TV shows, decided to perform Beethoven, but wrapped in a CSI format. A script writer/producer was hired and the result was both fun and satisfying.

On one side of the stage were three real medical experts, in white coats, ready to delve into the mystery of Beethoven's death and the causes of his hearing loss.

On the other side of the stage was an actor who impersonated Beethoven, and brought his personality to life through excerpts from his letters. In the middle was the conductor (in this case a woman...the Maestra), who held the performance together by addressing questions to the doctors and to Beethoven. She then would turn to the orchestra behind her and skillfully interweave Beethoven's music.

We all (the auditorium was packed) walked out with smiles on our faces and talked about the beautiful staging, the scripting, the blending of humor with substantive history and music. I kept remembering the pace of the performance, the crispness of the music, and performance of the actor.

The conductor invited the producer on stage for her deserving applause from a standing audience. She had written the script, managed the staging, the lights, the pacing. It was a wonderful success and I don't doubt that many new friends were won over to the symphony.

What was the difference in these two events?

The planners of the first event had not matched the event to the audience or the mission of the organization. They had been enthralled by the celebrity of the guest and thought that would override everything else. We all want to see celebrities, right?

The second event was audacious and surprising, but meticulously treated as the stage production it was with professional lighting, costume, dialog, and music. It put classical music into a new light, and connected it to the contemporary audience. The event was perfectly joined with its purpose: to gain supporters and new audience members. It was just as well matched to the mission of the organization: to spread the joy of music to all.

The lesson? Why waste all that time, attention and expense by not thinking through your event's purpose and its execution, when, with forethought, your event can be wonderful, not embarrassing.

More about special events:

• How to Make the Most of Your Special Events

Photo: Marin Alsop of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, by Grant Leighton