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[Article continued from TPN April e-news contributing writer Matt Lawrence of Biznik]

The panel discussions, workshops and keynotes were enlightening and motivational. How to Create an Effective Mass Public Event was the last workshop we attended to close out “Thee Weekend”. Leading our workshop was John Vadino, CEO of The Production Network. Vadino told us about some of the experiences that his company had created. Most notable for me was Seeds of Compassion, a citywide event with over 144,000 people to see the Dalai Lama and a host of influential luminaries’ discussion on the socio-cultural benefits of practicing compassion.

Vadino’s style and strategy in developing a mass public event was to start by crafting “the story”. He writes what he calls the “Experience Document”. Rather than trying to start with a vision for the whole event – imagine the experience of a single participant and slowly, with detail, design the individual’s experience. OK, this was getting good. It was like working backwards in a long and twisty puzzle – and I like that.

A New Worlds Fair

For the next 75 minutes, we’d be working in groups to brainstorm ideas that could be put to use for the upcoming Seattle Worlds Fair: The Next 50. Emphasis on “put to use”. This is where it gets exciting for the participants. Rather than a simple educational lesson, we had a job to do. Believing that our work could affect the design of not just any real event – but this huge event with regional impact – yeah, you can say the whole team was officially engaged. Vadino doled out the core concepts that we were going to work on over the course of the workshop: Sustainability, Global Health, Science and Technology, Learning, Arts, Culture and Design. Our table was assigned Learning. So for the next 30 minutes, the strangers at our table tackled what kind of experience to create for The 2012 Seattle Worlds Fair: The Next 50. I am all for creative collaboration – it’s just usually not something I do with total strangers. It can be difficult enough with people I trust, let alone the public!

Vadino inspired us to think about the importance of a mass experience such as the original Seattle Worlds Fair. He was like a little kid staring down a gigantic water slide; he was excited, and wanted us to get excited too. I got the sense that the importance for Vadino was less a historical, critical review of the event, but that each and every single person who attended the event had a singularly moving experience. He wanted us to think about the potential value an event like this could have on our global awareness. He used the globally shared concern, clean water, as the vehicle to move the discussion.

It would have been much easier to blow off those 75 minutes with a lecture and a slide deck. Vadino probably could have done it in his sleep. Instead, he enlisted those who showed a passion for the event to work together, with him, and everyone else striving to make the Next 50 experience as valuable and important as possible.

That must be why John kept us on task, 15 minutes on each section. “Oh, and pick someone from your table so my assistant can contact you,” said Vadino. “Yes, you are now a part of the planning team.” My zeal for the project was evident; the table unanimously elected me…I feigned surprise.

Each table posted the big post-it style meeting notes on the wall for Vadino to review. He crossed off the stuff that was not interesting, and circled the stuff that was. He was methodical and humorous at the same time.

A Promise

At the end of the workshop, (which in case you didn’t notice was not lovey-dovey, but more, “CRAP! There is a lot of work to do for a higher good, let’s get to it!”) John told us that he was going to be in touch with us about the next steps. He soon introduced us to Meaghan Trueb, a writer and his executive assistant, in an email. Our workshop may have ended, but our good work would continue.

There is a lot at stake in The Next 50. The potential is there to touch people’s lives in a powerful, everlasting way – that is the job of a Worlds Fair. Lara and I are excited to be apart of the project any way we can, bringing that same potential to our membership and all who we are fortunate enough to work with.

Matt Lawrence is the Community Manager at Biznik. He offers support in a variety of ways to help enrich member experience.