Why good events are not good enough anymore

01 April 2026 (Last updated: 1 Apr 2026 15:23)

We have never been better at delivering events.

Everything runs on time. Production is slick. The detail is spot on. Teams are experienced, prepared and ready for anything. And yet many events are quickly forgotten.

If you are running conferences or member events, you might recognise this. Your audience shows up, engages, learns, networks and then moves on. Nothing goes wrong. But sometimes very little lingers. And in a world where your audience attends multiple events each year, "good" no longer stands out. It is simply the baseline. The expected standard, not the memorable one.

Ahead of the ABPCO Festival of Learning (29-30 April, Nottingham), we sat down with customer experience expert Geoff Ramm to explore what really makes an event memorable and why many fall short. Geoff, creator of Celebrity Service and a bestselling author, has spent over two decades helping organisations rethink how they engage their audiences. His work spans global brands across multiple sectors, but the principle is always the same.

It is not good service that people remember.
It is the moments they talk about afterwards.

From well run to remembered

There is no question that the events industry is brilliant at delivery. Logistics are tight. Agendas run on time. Content is carefully curated. AV works most of the time. Teams are used to operating under pressure and delivering complex events at scale. But here is the shift we are seeing more and more. Being well run is not impressive anymore. It is expected. It is the entry point, not the differentiator.

As Geoff puts it:
“Good service will always bring repeat business, but it is the remarkable, memorable experiences that create true loyalty.”

Efficiency matters. It keeps things moving. It creates consistency. It reduces friction and builds trust. But on its own, it does not create impact. Because while efficiency might bring people back, it is experience that makes them talk. And those conversations, what people share with colleagues, teams and peers, are what shape your event’s reputation long after it has finished.

The question that changes everything

At the heart of Geoff’s approach is one simple question. A question that shifts the focus away from delivery alone and towards something far more powerful. What will they remember?

It sounds obvious. But in reality, it is rarely where events begin.

More often, events are built around logistics first. Timelines. Capacity. Content. Risk management. All essential. All necessary. And often non-negotiable. But when experience sits around those decisions, rather than driving them, opportunities get missed.

When you flip that thinking, everything changes. Registration stops being just a process. It becomes the first impression. Arrival stops being just a queue. It becomes the tone setter for the day. Transitions stop being dead time between sessions. They become opportunities to surprise or reset energy. Follow up becomes more than a standard email. It becomes part of the lasting memory.

Each moment becomes a chance to connect or a chance to be forgotten. Because people rarely remember the running order or the slide content in detail.
They remember how the day felt and the moments that stood out within it.

Why events are like weddings

One of Geoff’s most relatable comparisons is this. Planning an event is a lot like planning a wedding. Months of preparation. Countless moving parts. High expectations. And a strong emotional investment in getting it right.

But what people remember is not the schedule. It is the atmosphere. The energy in the room. The unexpected moments. The details that made it feel considered and personal.

The same is true for your events. No one leaves talking about how smoothly the agenda ran or how well time was managed. They talk about what stood out. What surprised them. What made them feel something? And yet, many events are still designed around structure first and experience second.

The result is something that works but does not quite connect. And it is that connection that turns an event into something people carry with them long after it ends.

The uncomfortable truth about event experiences

If every organiser believes they are delivering a great experience, why do some events fail to stand out? Often, it comes down to sameness.

In trying to appeal to everyone, events can become safe. Polished. Predictable. Carefully constructed, but ultimately indistinguishable from everything else in the calendar.

And safe rarely gets talked about. There is also a growing gap between intention and perception.

From an organiser’s perspective, a huge amount of thought goes into the experience. But from an attendee’s perspective, much of that can feel standardised or expected. As Geoff highlighted, even something as simple as a thank you gesture can lose its impact if it feels identical for everyone. Thoughtful in theory but impersonal in practice.

It is a small detail, but it reflects a bigger challenge.

Audiences are incredibly tuned in to what feels genuine and what feels routine. They notice when something has been designed with care. And they notice when it has been scaled without thought. And when everything feels the same, nothing stands out.

Small details, big impact

The good news is that memorable experiences do not always require bigger budgets. More often, they come from a shift in mindset and a willingness to look at familiar moments differently. Some of the most impactful moments are the smallest ones. The details that are easy to overlook, but impossible to forget.

A personalised interaction that feels genuinely considered.
A moment of surprise that breaks the rhythm of the day.
A detail that shows real care and attention to the audience.

These things are not necessarily expensive. But they are intentional. And that is what makes the difference. Because experience is often built in the margins, in the moments between the main agenda items, there is space to think differently and create something unexpected.

Individually, those moments might feel small. But together, they shape how your entire event is remembered.

What this means for associations

For associations, this shift is particularly important. Your audiences come back year after year. They know your format. They know what to expect. They have a clear reference point for comparison. Which means expectations do not stand still. They evolve.

What felt engaging last year can feel familiar this year. What once felt fresh can quickly become routine if it is not developed or reimagined. And when that happens, even well-delivered events can start to blend into the background.

Standing out does not mean reinventing everything. It means evolving with intention and designing with your audience in mind.

It means asking better questions:

What will feel different this year?
What will genuinely surprise our audience?
What will they still be talking about afterwards?
And most importantly, what will make this feel like it was designed for them?

Because loyalty is not built through consistency alone. It is built through moments that matter and experiences that feel personal.

Looking ahead from delivery to design

As expectations continue to rise, the role of the event professional is changing. It is no longer just about delivering a seamless event. It is about designing an experience with purpose.

That means shifting from managing logistics to crafting moments. From delivering content to creating connections. From meeting expectations to exceeding them in ways that feel thoughtful, not forced or over-engineered. And it takes confidence.

Confidence to move beyond what has always been done.
Confidence to introduce something new.
Confidence to prioritise experience, even when it is harder to measure or justify on paper.

Because while logistics can be tracked and reported, real impact shows up elsewhere. In conversations, in feedback, and in the lasting impression your event leaves behind. That is harder to quantify. But it is where the real value lives.

What to expect at the Festival of Learning

At the ABPCO Festival of Learning, Geoff will challenge audiences to rethink what great really looks like.

Expect energy. Expect interaction. Expect practical ideas you can take away and apply straight away, whether you are running large-scale conferences or more intimate member events.

Drawing on insights from organisations around the world, he will encourage you to think differently about not just what you deliver, but how your event is experienced from start to finish. And more importantly, how it is remembered.

Because the real question is not whether your event runs smoothly. It is whether anyone will still be talking about it next year.

Let’s keep the conversation going

This article was created by Speakers Corner in partnership with ABPCO, as part of our ongoing work supporting associations and event professionals to create more engaging and impactful experiences.

If you are thinking about how to make your next event truly memorable, or looking for a speaker who can spark those moments that last, we would love to explore it with you.

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