“Your checklists are killing connections.”
When operations expert Jordan Gill dropped this bomb during our recent interview, I had to pause. Here was someone who built her reputation on systems and processes, telling me that over-managing events was actually destroying their impact.
But here’s the revelation: There’s a fundamental difference between managing an event and orchestrating an experience. Event managers obsess over schedules, room layouts, and speaker presentations. Experience orchestrators? They conduct moments, energy flows, and human connections like a symphony.
This distinction became crystal clear as Jordan shared her revolutionary approach to event design. Despite her systems background – or perhaps because of it – she’s discovered that the most powerful events happen when we stop managing and start orchestrating. Her proof? A recent event that converted 79 clients in just five days.
The Art of Experience Design
“I think we always are… maybe it’s just that inner high school or middle school person inside of us that we have to conform to what has been shown or displayed,” Jordan shared. But conformity kills experiences. Instead of following standard event management practices, Jordan orchestrates her events like a symphony:
• Morning sessions deliver content (the melody)
• Afternoon interactions create harmony
• Strategic “welcome committees” set the rhythm
• Carefully placed activity peaks control the tempo
This orchestration led to her most successful event in terms of enrollment – not because of perfect logistics, but because of perfectly timed moments.
Composing the Perfect Score
Jordan’s approach to experience design starts before the first attendee arrives. “Getting them engaged in the first hour, you know, while they’re there, even before they’re sitting down,” she explains. Her welcome committee doesn’t just direct traffic – they conduct the opening movement of the experience.
Rather than leaving networking to chance, she composes interactive elements that bring people together naturally. Her “Secret Showcase” transforms traditional knowledge-sharing into a game show format, creating what musicians would call a crescendo of engagement.
The Orchestrator’s Toolkit
Every conductor understands the score, the musicians, and the occasion. The same is true for event orchestrators.
1. Score Your Event’s Energy
Instead of just scheduling blocks of time, map the emotional journey you want attendees to experience. Jordan strategically places high-energy activities after lunch when attention typically wanes.
2. Conduct Rather Than Control
Create frameworks for interaction rather than controlling every minute. As Jordan notes, “I don’t want to say plant, but basically plant people who I know are hype people and they’re going to bring it times a thousand.” A great conductor knows how to draw out the strengths of her musicians.
3. Harmonize Content with Connection
Balance structured learning with organic relationship-building. Jordan’s round-table setups and interactive exercises create what she calls “faster, better, deeper, stronger” connections than any other business activity.
4. Embrace Your Unique Composition
Just as every composer has their signature style, every event should reflect its orchestrator’s unique vision. Jordan incorporates her love of game shows; what’s your signature element?
The ROI of Orchestration
The results speak for themselves. “Events are the one thing in my business that has become an absolute,” Jordan shared. “There will never be a time where I’m not either attending events or doing my own events myself because the amount of trust and connection that happens in person… is faster, better, deeper, stronger than any other type of opportunity.”
Looking Forward: Your Next Performance
As we move into 2025, success won’t come from better event management – it will come from more thoughtful experience orchestration. Just gathering people isn’t enough anymore; we must compose moments that matter.
Your Next Movement
Look at your upcoming event through an orchestrator’s lens:
– Where are the emotional peaks and valleys?
– How does each element flow into the next?
– What unique signature can you add to the composition?
– Most importantly, how can you conduct rather than just manage?
As Jordan reminds us, “Don’t feel like you have to just follow the formula or what everybody else is doing… I bump the status quo all the time.”
It’s time to stop managing events and start orchestrating experiences. Your audience is waiting for your next performance.
Your Turn
What elements are you currently orchestrating in your events? I’d love to hear your composition strategies in the comments below.
#EventOrchestration #ExperienceDesign #EventPlanning #Innovation #CommunityBuilding
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