Not long ago, I watched a special guest unexpectedly rise from their seat and join a finale on stage. It wasn’t rehearsed. It wasn’t scripted. It wasn’t part of the run of show. The audience was already on its feet. The performers were fully immersed in the moment. The room, 3,000 people strong, was buzzing with energy, joy, and connection.
What had begun as a carefully planned event had transformed into something else entirely. For a few minutes, nobody seemed to be thinking about cues, timelines, stage positions, or production schedules. Everyone was simply sharing the same experience together.
As event professionals, we often talk about creating memorable moments. We chase the wow factor. The big reveal. The surprise guest. The standing ovation. Yet the longer I work in this industry, the more convinced I become that those moments are rarely created by a single thing. They are the culmination of countless small decisions that, together, create a feeling.
And creating that feeling has very little to do with budget, celebrity, production value, or scale. It has everything to do with people.
Emotional Momentum or “Wow” Moments?
One of the biggest misconceptions in our industry is that memorable events are built around a single peak moment. I’ve seen surprise guests work brilliantly. I’ve seen spectacular reveals leave audiences speechless. I’ve also seen both fall completely flat. The difference isn’t the moment itself. It’s everything that came before it.
A standing ovation rarely happens because someone programmed the perfect lighting cue. A meaningful audience reaction isn’t usually the result of a single video or keynote slide. Those moments emerge because the audience has been brought on a journey. Long before the applause, people have already begun to feel something. They feel welcomed when they arrive. They feel engaged in the content. They feel connected to the people around them. The energy builds gradually until a room full of individuals comes together as a community.
Looking back on some of the most successful events I’ve been part of, I think what we were really producing wasn’t the event itself. It was connection. The emotional moments were the visible result.
It Starts Before the First Walk-On Song
One lesson I’ve learned over the years is that the energy created behind the curtain always finds its way in front of it.
The audience may never see the production office. They’ll never hear the headset chatter or know about the challenge that was solved moments before doors opened. Yet somehow, they can still sense the culture surrounding an event. They know when a speaker feels supported. They know when a room feels welcoming. They know when the people behind an experience genuinely care.
That’s why some of the most important event objectives have nothing to do with what’s happening on stage and everything to do with what’s happening behind the scenes. That energy carries forward.
When we’re planning an event, I find myself asking different questions than I once did. Of course I care about the visuals, the content, and the production value. But increasingly, I’m asking how we want people to feel when they arrive, how we want them to feel during the keynote, and what we hope they carry with them when they leave. When those questions begin guiding decisions, everything else becomes more intentional.
The Strongest Events Are Built by Teams
For all the attention our industry gives to vision and creativity, I’ve never seen a great event created by one person. Every meaningful experience I’ve been part of has been shaped by dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of people working together toward a common goal. Designers, producers, technicians, venue staff, volunteers, performers, and clients all leave fingerprints on the final result.
What I’ve noticed is that the best work rarely comes from control. It comes from trust. When people feel ownership over what they’re building, they bring more creativity to the process. When they feel trusted, they bring more energy. When they feel valued, they bring more care. Audiences may never know exactly why one event feels different from another, but they absolutely feel the difference when a team is working together rather than simply working alongside one another. As producers, our job isn’t to be the star of the show. Our job is to create the conditions for other people to shine.
Humanity Over Perfection
Our industry loves the words “flawless” and “perfect.” But here’s the truth, in live events, neither exist. Of course, excellence matters. Preparation matters. Attention to detail matters. The audience deserves our very best work. But some of the most memorable moments I’ve witnessed weren’t the ones that went exactly according to plan.
They were the moments that felt human. And these days, creating space for humanity seems more important than ever.
I’ve also come to believe that kindness matters in our industry. Not because it’s nice, but because it works. People do their best work when they feel respected. Speakers perform better when they feel supported. Teams become more resilient when they trust one another. Humanity creates connection, and connection creates the feeling we’re all trying to achieve.
The Feeling Is the Product
This brings me back to that special guest who unexpectedly rose from their seat and joined the celebration on stage. The fact that the guest was Sir Elton John is, honestly, the least interesting part of the story. What matters is why it happened.
For a moment, the room felt joyful enough, welcoming enough, and connected enough that joining the celebration felt natural. It was the culmination of everything that had come before it.
And the same outcome is possible whether the person in that chair is a global icon, a CEO, a community leader, or someone receiving recognition for the very first time.
The scale may change. The budget may change. The headliner may change. But the feeling shouldn’t. Because long after the run of show has been recycled and the stage has been struck, people rarely remember the logistics. They remember how the experience made them feel. And when people feel like they matter, magic happens.
Trevor Howes is a senior creative strategist & experience producer with e=mc² events | productions. With more than a decade of experience producing galas, leadership events, conferences, and live experiences across North America and Europe, he believes the most successful events are measured not by scale, but by how they make people feel.
