The Event Brainstormer: Over 800 Creative Concepts & Elements for the Event Professional

Whether you're tasked with planning a new event for your organization, or creating a special event for an important client, or even dreaming up the next opening ceremonies for the Olympic Games, your job is essentially the same: Create an experience that's not only effective and engaging, but one that beats the pants off the previous one. (Oh, and while you're at it, also make sure the event stays on budget and runs flawlessly.)

Yes, we are that often-misunderstood breed of professionals called Event Producers (a.k.a. Planners, Directors, Organizers, Coordinators, etc.) who bring imagination to life through live productions.

Ours is an existence of making things beautiful and breathtaking, while also making sure the trashcans don't overflow. We work side-by-side with CEOs one minute, porta-potty vendors the next. (And we try not to mix the two up.)

Some of you may even be Marketing, Operational, or Administrative Professionals who, in addition to handling your normal duties, are also assigned to creating and producing events at your organization. Your fortitude is in a class of its own!

We "event people" are required to wear a lot of hats, starting with the "Creative" one. Our clients, bosses, colleagues, and attendees depend on us to come up with wonderful and amazing ideas on a regular basis. The process can be fun and exhilarating! It can also be distressing and grueling. Most of us experience both sensations, depending on the day.

In reality, we don't get to choose which days our creative genes are going to be in high gear and which days they're not. Our profession demands that our imaginations are always "on," always ready to "take the event to the next level!"

When a new event is proposed, the initial discussion typically focuses on the goals of the project. This is followed by questions zeroing in on how to best accomplish those goals, which leads right into, "So what exactly should we do?" All heads spin in our direction. It's our turn to be brilliant.

No pressure at all.

My event company, Glickman Productions, faces that question on a regular basis. In most cases, clients approach us with little to no creative direction, counting on us to "dream it all up." Pure creative freedom can be outright invigorating-and downright daunting. There are so many possibilities! Where do we even begin?

For me, that fundamental question has popped up countless times over the past 40+ years. My team and I have answered it by dreaming up and executing thousands of unique events for every type of client need.

Years ago, to help ensure the creativity would always flow smoothly, I developed my own little reference guide to assist with such frequent ideation needs. Over time, that "little guide" grew into a comprehensive compilation--a list of elements and ideas that could be used to foster the development of new events. And that grew into this formal reference guide--The Event Brainstormer. It's a resource generated from real events--for real events.

This book was published as a resource for Event Professionals. It assumes you already know your way around events and can whip them up as needed. It does NOT explain how to produce an event--it is simply a series of key element lists that will assist you in making your events the best they can be. Will it give you an advantage over those who don't have it? In a word, Yes. Just as you utilize other resources as an Event Professional to help you stay at the top of your game, you can now take advantage of The Event Brainstormer to help elevate the creative breadth and impact of your events.

And when Event Day arrives and the doors open, you can be confident you'll have created the most spectacular, dynamic, and engaging event imaginable!