The Part of Your Event Nobody's Thinking About...

I was at a conference recently, there to support a client taking the stage. And the event was stunning. The branding, the energy, the curation. When you're in a room that well-executed, you just want to stay inside it.

But even with A-list speakers and creators with 1M+ followers on the lineup, I kept noticing the same crack in the foundation.

A powerhouse speaker finishes their talk or fire side chat, the audience is buzzing and then the lights go down. The stage goes quiet.

You either reach for your phone or you turn to your neighbor. Meanwhile, the next speaker is grabbing the mic, trying to pull the audience back.

Have you ever been to a play where there's a blackout between every single scene? You can hear the furniture moving in the dark. The crew shifting things around. And you're just sitting there, disconnected from the action, waiting for the lights to come back up.

That's what happens at most events.

Elite events don't just have great speakers. They have great stage choreography. The transition isn't a gap to be filled. It's a moment in itself. The handoff between who's leaving and who's arriving should feel like a relay race where the baton never touches the ground.

If you plan events, or you're a leader who puts together speaking programs for your company, look at your run-of-show through a different lens.

Don't just look at the main events. Look at the white space in between.

• How does the music carry the energy across the handoff?

• How does the MC hold the room while the stage resets?

  
  

• Is the movement happening in the dark, or is it part of the show?

If you want people coming back year after year, you have to curate the whole experience. Not just the highlights.

The next time you attend an event or get to organize one, ask yourself, did the stage choreography feel like a seamless flow, or a series of clunky blackouts?

Oh, and I offer Stage Choreography Audits to find exactly where the energy leaks and how to stop it. Whether you have an upcoming event or want me to review footage from your last one, let's talk.