A recent study* conducted by the Event Management Institute in collaboration with the Sitges Convention Bureau has brought the importance of the environment in communication through events to the table. The initial approach of this research was intended to answer a series of questions that event managers ask themselves when choosing the best environment for their events.

The questions the study sought to answer were:

Does an event’s environment condition the attitudes and behaviors of its audience in any way?

Is organizing an event at the beach the same as in the city or in the countryside?

What influence does the environment’s climate, light, temperature, colors or smells have on the audience’s mood?

How does the venue (indoor or outdoor, classic or modern, large or small) affect the perception of an event’s message?

On this basis, and with the help of a team of research psychologists from the University of Barcelona, some important conclusions were reached, among which we would highlight some of the following:

1/ Green, blue or gray destinations. It isn’t the same to organize an event by the sea (blue destination), in the countryside (green destination) or in the city (gray destination). Natural destinations (green and blue) generate peace and quiet and reduce stress and procrastination. Blue destinations favor socialization (networking), while urban or gray destinations energize and favor the level of the audience’s focused attention. At any rate, most destinations are hybrids and can combine effects from all three types of destinations described above.

2/ Climate: Good weather (generally associated with spring and summer) favors an elevated mood, improves memory and favors cognitive growth (increase in the mind’s capacity to process information). Rain, cold and wind (elements mainly associated with winter) favor irritability, nervousness, decrease the ability to concentrate and can generate physiological problems such as headaches.

3/ The destination’s message. The destination communicates and transfers part of its information to the event’s message itself. The problem may arise from the stereotypes or prejudices that event guests may have regarding the destination’s proposal. If these prejudices generate resistance to traveling, we must take corrective actions that will change their perception and multiply the effect of the advantages of the proposed destination and minimize its disadvantages.

4/ Duration of travel (or perceived distance to the destination). The more desirable a destination is, the greater the distance travelers are willing to travel to reach it. In this case as well, a strong information campaign promoting the destination’s benefits can be a key factor in reducing the perception of excessive distance.

5/ Colors communicate. Color isn’t just a way of dressing up an event, color acts on attendees’ brains and provokes certain effects on their attitudes and behaviors that we cannot ignore. By way of illustration (the study of colors is too broad to reflect all their implications here), these are the effects of some of the main colors:

• Red: energizes (but fatigues) and improves performance in tasks requiring precision and attention to detail.
• Yellow: Activates the metabolism, increasing appetite. Increases productivity and promotes action and decision making. It can be of great help to energize boring contents.
• Blue: Favors mental relaxation (associated with the sky and the sea). Increases productivity and intuition. It is associated with congeniality, harmony, friendship and trust. It is especially suitable to avoid arguments and generate reconciliations. It produces a feeling of satiety. Blue, however, worsens performance in short-term memory tasks; subjects are less focused on what is in front of them and more focused on the possibilities of their imagination.
• Green: Promotes creativity, the development of new ideas and innovation. Improves efficiency and concentration. It favors a good group work environment. It has a prospective character and effect, that is, it favors a forward-looking vision.

6/ The message of shapes: The human brain accepts rounded shapes better than angular ones (which it interprets as a threat). Thus, rooms with wavy walls and round tables will be perceived as more pleasant than rooms and furniture with corners.

7/ Communicate with food. Food at events is key and its ability to influence the overall perception of the event is extremely important. The colors (of the food and the dining room), the aromas, the shapes of the furniture, the environment’s materials or the presence or absence of music are elements that should not be left to chance because they influence the perception of the gastronomic experience. I recommend the book “Gastrophysics: The New Science of Eating” by Charles Spence (Paidós) which, based on scientific studies, unravels the keys to gastronomy as a conditioning factor in diners’ attitudes and behaviors.

Sitges is the case of the “perfectly” hybrid destination: gray, green and blue.

Sitges is an example of a hybrid destination, versatile for organizing all kinds of events, as it offers the facilities of the big city: international airport; hotels; meeting rooms; services; etc., in an ideal and healthy environment (sea, mountains).  At the same time, it has its own activity: nightlife; festivals; street entertainment; leisure activities; etc., which give it a unique and differential personality.

Its cultural legacy and monumental buildings stimulate the audience’s creativity, imagination and inspiration. As a gray destination, highly frequented and with a large number of attractions related to leisure, it is ideal for events that seek to encourage interpersonal relationships.

As a green destination, being surrounded by the Garraf Park (Nature Park Network) and having large green areas in town, it facilitates cognitive restoration and reduces procrastination.

As a blue destination, it gives us a feeling of peacefulness, freshness and purity. It favors cognitive restoration and higher levels of relaxation are achieved, which reduces stress and allows for increased attention, while facilitating social interactions.

Sitges is very close to Barcelona’s international airport, although upon arrival you have the feeling of having reached a remote place, thanks to its level of relaxation and its natural attributes. Its climate allows you to be in an ideal comfort zone and its aromas allow you to generate positive memories.

Conclusions:

It isn’t easy to summarize the content of a study as extensive as this one in a single article. For this reason, my intention is none other than to activate readers’ curiosity so that they can ask themselves new questions about the challenges that event managers face when organizing an event. While it is true that “Everything communicates” is a mantra that we event organizers always have in mind, it is also true that we rarely know how this communication is established, what it responds to and how to counteract some of the negative effects that the event’s environment may generate. Psychology, neuroscience, sociology or anthropology have answers to many of the questions that we, as event managers, ask ourselves on a regular basis (choosing a destination, dressing a venue, eliminating uncomfortable prejudices…). If we are familiar with the effects that the environment contributes to communication, it will be easier to enhance this communication and, if necessary, to compensate the possible adverse effects of the environment chosen (or decided on) through corrective actions.

Happy events!

Raimond Torrents Fernández

CEO Event Management Institute

* Article based on the results of the research (desk research) “The influence of the environment on the behavior of audiences in face-to-face events” (2022) directed by Raimond Torrents and Lourdes Charles (psychologist specializing in qualitative research) with the participation, as researchers, of Javier Bolados, Juan Guido and David Saeteros.