Discover

Understanding the Challenge

Can you disrupt what has already been disrupted?

A "new normal" in a “post-pandemic” world where events get canceled at scale, isolation is at an all-time high, and the remaining events only do so virtually?

How might we disrupt this “new normal” and enable people to feel connected again to their loved ones and their community?

With the event landscape ever-changing, and the demand for connection continuously growing, my team set out to craft an online vehicle that met our clients business needs and drew users into the world of making memories and crafting connections.

Entering a Destabilized Market

96% of event organizers experienced cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic (

source⁠

)

“most planned events had to be postponed or canceled, and it puts many event creators in a tough financial situation. On top of having to pay suppliers, venues, artists, etc. they are now facing refund requests from attendees for canceled events.”

As of March 2020, 90% of event professionals saw some or most of their business gone. 2.75% were left unemployed and only 5% were minimally impacted. (

EventMB, 2020)⁠

⁠

Isolation Driving Demand for Connection

56% of people feel more isolated since the onset of the pandemic, and 29% report feeling more depressed. (

source⁠

)

The reduction in the physical availability of social connections is concerning, as over a century of research has proven how crucial social connection is for well-being. (

source⁠

)

The value of In-Person Events

71% of marketing event decision-makers say that it’s difficult to make virtual events accurately mimic the IRL experience, with 2 in 3 (67%) feeling it’s difficult to articulate a brand narrative through virtual events.

72% of event go-ers prefer in person events to virtual events

Understanding Our Stakeholders

I kicked off the project by conducting two rounds of stake holder interviews. The goal? effectively identify stakeholder needs and concerns. Our stakeholder wished to:

Target individuals and businesses looking to create memorable events for themselves or larger entities.

Explore site functionalities and features to decrease friction in their client booking process.

Expedite project timeline to one month or less to align with their first event.

Enable company expansion by having a central location to funnel leads, showcase events, communicate service offerings, and convey its brand's message: connectivity, lifestyle, and events.

Method: Affinity Diagram

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