Engaging Your Guests: Creating Inspiration

Well, my goal was to publish once a week.  I'm already off track as I became entirely consumed with producing my own most recent event, NYU Wagner's 2011 Convocation Ceremony.  It was more work than I anticipated (isn't it always?) but lucky for me, our Keynote Speaker was entirely engaging and did something quite inspiring (more on that soon), which made the hard work worth it.  In the last two weeks of preparation for that event, I also attended an inspiring dinner party, as well as a not-so-inspiring fundraiser-slash-launch party for a new dance company.

And I got to thinking: what's the difference?

Why was I touched and moved by two of these events and not so moved by the other?

Don't get me wrong, the launch party was cool.  It was held on a rooftop in lower Manhattan.  They had: a DJ;  fantastic performance by two great dancers; interesting use of technology (video art of the dancers' movements projected on the wall); open bar; cool decor; a silent auction...  but I left feeling somewhat unfulfilled.  My friends claimed they had fun, and I suppose I was entertained.  But I didn't feel particularly connected to the dancers, the art, or their future.  So I left shrugging my shoulders.  Not a bad night.  Just not amazing.

What was amazing was connecting with old and new friends at a 30th birthday party (no surprise) and listening to a Convocation Keynote address that deeply inspired me (quite a nice surprise).

Having worked and watched five  consecutive Convocation ceremonies, it's easy to tune out during speeches. The Dean and Provost's remarks don't change that much.  The speaker always says something interesting, but anyone who does events would agree: one's attention span is variable after one works so hard to make the whole thing happen.  This year, however, our Keynote had my full attention.

Wagner's Keynote was actually more of a dialogue than an address, and it came about almost accidentally.  We had been holding out for a high profile speaker that turned us down at the last minute, and after scrambling to ask several more people who turned out to be unavailable, we turned to one of our Visiting Scholars, Irshad Manji.  Irshad did not want to prepare a speech - she's about to launch a book tour and had no time.  But she did agree to do it if there could be a little bit of back and forth with a handful of students.  Why not invite students to submit statements about what "moral courage" means and have them share during the ceremony? (NYU Wagner is a School of Public Service, and houses Irshad's Moral Courage Project).  Irshad could then do a riff on each student's statement (she's has an art when it comes to speaking on the fly).  That way, she doesn't have to prepare anything, and the back and forth creates a sense of energy in the auditorium.

Well, logistically, it was a nightmare.  We were one week out, and finding students, rehearsing them, adding technical elements (the students stayed in the audience and we projected video of them on a screen so everyone in the balconies could see their faces), meant extra long hours at work.  But as the moments played out during the ceremony, the crowd was enraptured.  Here was but something new and innovative.  Here was individuals opening up and speaking about something very personal.  Here was something the graduates could truly relate to - statements from their peers.  Here was a way to share with family and friends why these students pursue degrees at Wagner.  It was meaningful.  It was something you could talk about over lunch afterwards - and hopefully the conversations continue.  I can't take credit for the idea.  It was all Irshad's.  But I will say that I will definitely use this approach again in the future.

So what IS the difference?  What made this ceremony more inspiring than the launch party?

Engagement.  Finding ways to make everyone in attendance feel connected to what's going on.  Spectators are inspired when there is action that makes them excited (think of a home run at a baseball game).  Allow people to be a part of that action (the crowd leaping to their feet in cheers as the ball passes the stadium wall).  If you're going to speak, invite us to speak with  you.  If you're going to perform on a roof top, dance and then invite us to dance too.  If you're doing something cool, we want in.

New York City Festival Season & "Ideas for the New City"

April and May mark the beginning of the summer arts and cultural festival season in NYC.  From casual street fairs, to grand events such as River to River and the Lincoln Center Festival, there's never a dull weekend from May through September.  The Tribeca Film Festival kicked things off last week and this weekend, the New Museum and several organizing partners are presenting the inaugural Festival of Ideas for the New City.  New as it may be, as festivals go, this one is pretty comprehensive.   Comprised of a StreetFest, a Conference, and a myriad of "Projects," it features five days of panels, keynote speakers, exhibits, art installations, and other relevant endeavors exploring how to make a city more livable.  The event is described on the festival's website as "a major new collaborative initiative in New York involving scores of Downtown organizations, from universities to arts institutions and community groups, working together to affect change."  If you're an innovative thinker, an early adopter, or just want to explore some of the organizations that make downtown New York thrive, this is one not to be missed.  And as an early adopter, if you prefer your bike over taxis, you won't catch the teaser video that's playing this week in all yellow cabs - take a look:



Maybe I'll see you there!