Brainstorming has been around for a while and is now a staple element of any congress. Yet brainstorming itself is not enough to keep those creative juices flowing. For that, you need to keep innovating and breaking new ground. We’ve got some tips this month to help you create brainstorming sessions that are sure to win your guests’ hearts—and minds.
Back to basics
Holding the hottest event in town has, for the last few years, implied integrating cutting-edge technology. While virtual reality is always a popular draw, there is a new trend emerging comprised of skipping the toys and getting back to basics: from crafts to cooking, your guests want in!
So, offer an origami activity adapted to your congress’s theme, where each person must create an individual or collaborative piece appropriate for the exercise. Group Lego is another hit workshop that is gaining popularity. Or, more on the culinary side and assuming your set-up is appropriate, hold a workshop on making snacks that participants will be able to sample later.
Creative environments
When it comes to brainstorming sessions, the golden rule is pulling your participants out of their comfort zone and making them leverage all their senses to come up with solutions or ingenious ideas—with zero limits.
Simply pick a concept you like, find a space conducive to new ideas and let your participants have at it. This original element can even come out in some unusual furniture. Invite your guests to have a seat on some artifical grass or around a swing table. Why not take this concept all the way and fill a room with balls? Let your imagination loose and conjure up the most creative environment possible!
Sensory experiences
With the growing popularity of experientialism, brainstorming sessions are no longer defined by group exchanges in a circle. Today your participants want to be immersed in a multi-perception experience that will inspire them.
Think up an interactive activity that calls on each of the senses, such as headphones with which to listen to a certain type of music or ambient sounds, particular smells or textures or even a lighting circuit. These ideas will stimulate your participants’ minds and elicit the innovative spirit necessary for original solutions.
These three tips will help you take your brainstorming sessions to a new level. Events like C2 Montréal are also perfect places to discover new trends that will inspire you and call out the creative genius in each of your guests!
