How is it that certain events or experiences manage to capture your attention and create such a lasting impression in ways that others don’t?
They stick in your memory. Make you feel part of a collective. Urge you to think about things that you might never normally think about. But how? What is it that differentiates an unforgettable experience from a forgettable one?
The truth is, there is no copy-and-paste formula. But there is one universal truth – and it’s that no one goes to an event purely to ‘go to the event’. They go with the anticipation of having an experience, and the best events know exactly how to deliver.
Let’s take a look at one resoundingly successful example from summer 2024…
The art of head-turning experiences
There are many examples of unique and expertly crafted experiences in the world of marketing. But sometimes, the most inspiring lay outside of the industry. And 2024’s Taylor Swift Songbook Trail at the Victoria & Albert Museum is a subtle masterclass in how to make an experience accessible, inclusive, and awesomely engaging.
For those that missed it, here’s what you need to know. The Taylor Swift Songbook Trail was a free, one-mile-long exhibition that spanned four floors of the V&A. It was made up of 13 installation ‘Stops’ (her lucky number), featuring iconic outfits from award ceremonies, music videos and previous concerts, alongside other artefacts that marked a chapter in the songbook of Taylor’s career.
But what made the exhibition so head-turning wasn’t what lay within the displays – it was the thought, detail and psychology that went into crafting an immersive journey for visitors.
Immersing your audience
No matter the event, venue or purpose, there is one golden rule of crafting meaningful, memorable experiences. And that’s to involve and immerse your audience. This is something that the Songbook Trail demonstrated in spectacular fashion.
Curated with the fanbase in mind, every Stop along the trail showcased a beloved item from the singer’s archives – from microphones to instruments, iconic outfits, and more – along a winding, embedded journey.
Now, with only 13 installations, the V&A could have easily dedicated just one room to the pop-up exhibition. It wouldn’t have needed much space – and it certainly would have looked good on paper to have masses of visitors flocking to one installation space. But they didn’t. Why? Because it wouldn’t have engaged the audience in the same way.
Instead, they connected each display across multiple rooms and floors, taking visitors through an immersive experience that told the story of the singer-songwriter’s career to date. Rather than being all about guiding visitors to a single destination and ‘collection’, every step of the Taylor Swift Songbook Trail WAS the experience.
When you stop and think about large scale B2B shows, summits and conferences that so many of us are involved in every year, we could learn a lot from experiences like this – making every touchpoint part of the experience, not just a means to an end (in this case, attracting masses of visitors, generating leads, or increasing pipeline).
It’s in the details
There are some things about an event that are obviously central to the experience. The venue. The catering. The theme and decor. But the real magic lies in the details. These are the bits that take an experience from average to exceptional, and they’re usually the bits that the audience remembers.
For the Songbook Trail, no detail was spared. At first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking the displays were nothing more than a collection of props and costumes, randomly sprawled across the museum’s footprint. But in reality, it goes much deeper.
Each display was beautifully and sympathetically embedded amongst the V&A’s permanent exhibits – and the location choices are far from random. Every room and surrounding exhibit were carefully chosen to enhance and elevate the experience.
Take the first Stop on the trail, for example. The display showcased the wig and costume from the music video for Swift’s song ‘The Man’ – a track that imagines how differently she would be perceived if she were male. But look outside the display cabinet, and you’d find it’s flanked by statues of the goddesses Venus and Diana. And beyond that? A room filled with art made by men, depicting women. A coincidence? As Swifties know all too well, there’s no such thing.
Every intricate detail of the trail helped to create a cohesive, immersive experience that was uniquely tailored to the fanbase’s ability to seek out hidden meanings and untangle invisible strings. And that’s precisely what made it so unique and memorable. It wasn’t just a collection of artefacts. It was entrenched with meaning and symbolism.
In the world of B2B, the same principle applies. Every decision – be it design, messaging, strategy or experiences – should be intentional. Integrating small but meaningful details that make every interaction feel personalized and distinctly tailored.
The power of psychology
Marketing and psychology have always gone hand in hand. But when it comes to crafting memorable experiences, understanding individual and collective behaviours has never been more important.
From beginning to end, it was clear that the Taylor Swift Songbook Trail was produced with an appreciation for the behavioural psychology of visitors. Spanning the expansive footprint of the V&A museum, it naturally encouraged visitors to stray from the trail and absorb the art, culture and artefacts outside of the exhibition. The further along the trail you went, the more fans slowed down, stopping to take in non-Swift related exhibits and experience things they might not naturally gravitate towards – but always coming back to the trail.
It demonstrated a clear confidence that giving visitors freedom to explore doesn’t mean you’ll lose them. If anything, it prolonged the experience, and gave audiences a richer, more rewarding experience than expected. A love for Taylor Swift might have drawn them to the exhibition, but through clever planning and consideration, a very focused attendee audience was exposed to wider, unexpected things that elevated the experience and made it all the more memorable.
This is a principle we can certainly adopt in B2B. With laser-focused vision on capturing leads, events and experiences in B2B can feel like you’re competing for attention. But by loosening your grip just slightly and considering how your experience fits into the wider picture, you can draw people back with something distinctly unique and engaging.
A new era for B2B experiences
For too long, B2B has been seen as B2C’s dull older cousin. Experiences are rolled out as a means to an end, instead of a baked-in strategy. And in the never-ending pursuit of leads, we’re failing to create memorable, meaningful brand experiences.
Sure, B2B is founded in data and insights. But people aren’t data points – and standout B2B experiences rely on empathy, personalization, and a deep understanding of your audiences and what makes them tick.
The world is teeming with inspiration to make experiences more engaging, purposeful, and audience-driven. We just need to know where to look. Read more in our 24/25 Not-so-B2B Annual.
*Photo credits: The Londonist*
