​

Oh the chicken and egg dilemma- I always struggle with that one. It’s like an infinite mind melt loop. Venue searching feels the same.

Which comes first: securing the venue or designing the experience?

Most often, it looks like this:
👉 We have an event → let’s find a cool venue.

Not wrong… but it skips some highly relevant fine-tuning.

The experience design way flips the order:
👉 Map the arcs of the experience → then find a venue that supports it and reflects the brand.

Why? Because the venue isn’t just four walls. It’s part of the experience: environment + journey sequence are foundations that enable a rich experience and drive impact.

Take this real example: A large educational conference added a “mini-conference” to boost ticket sales. More breakouts meant more revenue. But the venue only had a finite number of walled rooms. Their solution? Pipe-and-drape dividers to carve out smaller “rooms.” Concrete floors, no ceilings, presenters on mics. The result: noise overload. A terrible experience. For everyone.

Some questions you can ask yourself:

• If you’re designing for anticipation, does the venue spark emotion from the invite?
• If you’re designing for belonging, does the layout foster connection or reinforce silos?
• Are you creating sessions simply because you have the space? (Yes, I’ve seen that—breakouts determined by room count.)

Tips for sourcing with an experience mindset:​
​✨ Start with your why. What’s the emotional journey?
✨ Map the audience arc: Anticipation → Preparation → Participation → Reflection
✨ Extra-ordinary. Does the venue spark awe, enable flow, and allow intimacy where needed?

​Lesson: Make the environment your co-designer. The best venues don’t just hold your event, they amplify your story.

Why this matters:​
When you start with the venue, you design around constraints.
When you start with the experience, you find the place that brings your event to three-dimensional life.

What you can do:
​Next time you’re venue hunting, don’t just book a “cool space.” Choose one that becomes part of the flavoring in your after-dinner mint.

Keep thinking, keep winking,
— Denise

​Twofold Story: Helping you build journeys, not agendas.

​
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​