Happy February. I had a conversation last week where the person I was speaking to felt he had to justify why having an event would be an asset, not a financial liability. How could they ensure their money was being spent with purpose?
When experiential is challenged, it’s usually for five reasons:
- Budget pressure -they cost a fair amount to do them well
- ROI uncertainty - where's the data to prove its worth
- Execution risk - it's live! Yikes, that's a lot of pressure
- Audience misalignment - do we even know who will come?
- Strategic drift - we have a lot of priorities. What takes the lead?
Those are reasonable objections.
Here’s how to answer them.....and sound like you have a clue.
1. Value (This Is Not About “Wow”)
Experiential isn’t about spectacle.
It’s about how people feel, remember, and act afterward.
That, of course, opens the box - how does that equate with [insert some financial goal]? But, here's a reframe:
You justify experiential by naming the job it’s doing:
- Accelerating trust
- Creating shared meaning
- Turning strategy into something people experience, not just hear
If the event doesn’t need to impact perception, behavior, or belief, don’t do experiential. That clarity alone saves money.
2. Emotions Lead to Action
Executives don’t need you to measure emotion. They need to see what emotion enables.
Examples:
- Belonging → retention and advocacy (brand enhancing)
- Confidence → adoption and alignment (sales enhancing)
- Momentum → behavior change and follow-through (overall business growth)
Say it plainly:
“This experience is designed to make people feel X so they are more likely to do Y.”
If you can’t complete that sentence, the objection is valid.
3. Designing Intentionally Reduces Risk
Experiential feels risky when it’s designed forward: Activity → agenda → hope it works
It becomes defensible when you design backward: Impact → purpose → experience → how to get there
This is how you reassure leadership:
- We know who this is for
- We know what should change
- We’ve eliminated unnecessary complexity
- We’ve prioritized the moments that matter
4. RO[X] Is Not a Single Number
The fastest way to lose credibility is by promising a single ROI number.
Experiential works across multiple return types:
- ROE: emotional impact and memory
- ROO: outcomes like adoption, engagement, behavior
- ROI: downstream influence on revenue, retention, pipeline, or performance
Think of it like a portfolio of return.
5. Call Out the Risk
My two cents? The real risk of experiential isn’t emotion.
It’s unclear purpose and misaligned execution.
Say this out loud:
“The risk isn’t that this will drive emotional fluff.
The risk is that we create emotion without intention and impact.”
The Takeaway
Clear purpose
Defined audience
Intentional emotion
Measured outcomes
I hope I helped someone earn that seat at the table.
Keep thinking, keep winking,
— Denise
Twofold Story: Helping you build journeys, not agendas.
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