First, I owe you an apology. For the past two weeks, Event Pulse has been notably absent from your inboxes, and that's entirely on me. I came down with an illness that knocked me off my feet longer than anticipated, and frankly, I didn't have proper backup systems in place. It's a humbling reminder that even those of us who plan for every contingency in our events sometimes forget to plan for our own unexpected circumstances.

I'm back on my feet now, and this experience has given me time to reflect not just on my health, but on how I can better serve you, our Event Pulse community. After careful consideration, I've decided to transition from our weekly schedule to a bi-weekly format. This change will allow me to dive deeper into the topics that matter most to you while ensuring I can consistently deliver the quality content you've come to expect, even when life throws curveballs.

The bi-weekly schedule also means I can spend more time researching, interviewing industry leaders, and exploring the nuanced challenges we all face in creating exceptional experiences. I believe this will result in richer, more actionable content that truly moves the needle for your events.

Now, let's talk about something that's been on my mind since reading Will Guidara's approach to hospitality. This week, I'm excited to share insights from the world of fine dining that I believe can revolutionize how we approach event planning.

This Edition: From Fine Dining to Flawless Events

When Eleven Madison Park was named the world's best restaurant in 2017, it wasn't just the culmination of culinary excellence—it was the result of a hospitality philosophy that transcends industry boundaries. Will Guidara's concept of "unreasonable hospitality" offers profound lessons for those of us creating memorable experiences, whether it's a corporate conference, a nonprofit fundraiser, or an intimate celebration.

What struck me most about Guidara's approach isn't the grand gestures (though those are impressive), but the systematic way he built a culture where every interaction became an opportunity to create genuine connection. As event planners, we're in the business of human connection, and the principles that made Eleven Madison Park legendary can transform how we approach our craft.

In today's feature article, we'll explore how to master intentional listening with your attendees, design systems that scale personal touch, create moments of strategic surprise, and turn inevitable problems into opportunities for deeper connection. These aren't just feel-good concepts—they're practical strategies that can elevate your events from functional gatherings to transformative experiences.

Thank you for your patience during my absence, and thank you for being part of this community. I'm energized about this new chapter for Event Pulse and the conversations ahead.

Here's to creating experiences that matter

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How Will Guidara's "Unreasonable Hospitality" Can Transform Your Event Planning

In 2017, something extraordinary happened in the world of fine dining. Eleven Madison Park, a restaurant in New York City, was named the best restaurant in the world by The World's 50 Best Restaurants. But this wasn't just another story of culinary excellence, it was the culmination of a hospitality revolution led by Will Guidara, who transformed not just how food was served, but how guests felt from the moment they stepped through the door.

Guidara's journey at Eleven Madison Park began in 2006 when he partnered with chef Daniel Humm. Together, they took a restaurant that was already good and made it legendary, not primarily through the food (though that was exceptional), but through an approach Guidara calls "unreasonable hospitality." The restaurant went from serving excellent meals to creating transformative experiences that guests would talk about for years.

The secret wasn't just in the perfectly prepared dishes or the elegant atmosphere. It was in what Guidara calls the "Dreamweaver", a dedicated team member whose sole job was to create magical moments for guests. The Dreamweaver would listen to conversations, pick up on casual mentions of special occasions or personal interests, and then orchestrate surprises that went far beyond what anyone would reasonably expect from a restaurant.

Imagine mentioning to your server that you're from Chicago and missing deep-dish pizza, only to have a perfectly crafted deep-dish pizza appear at your table, not on the menu, but created specifically for you by a world-class kitchen. Or casually noting that it's your anniversary, and finding rose petals scattered around your table when you return from the restroom, along with a personalized note from the chef. These weren't random acts of kindness; they were systematic, intentional moments of unreasonable hospitality that transformed a meal into a memory.

This approach didn't happen overnight. Guidara and his team spent years building systems, training staff, and cultivating a culture where every team member: from the dishwasher to the sommelier, understood that their job wasn't just to serve food, but to create joy. They developed what Guidara calls "hospitality intelligence," learning to read guests, anticipate needs, and deliver experiences that exceeded not just expectations, but imagination.

As event planners, we operate in a similar arena. We're not just coordinating logistics or managing vendors, we're architects of experience, curators of memory, and creators of moments that matter. The principles that made Eleven Madison Park legendary can revolutionize how we approach event planning, transforming gatherings from functional to unforgettable.

The Philosophy Behind the Magic: Understanding Unreasonable Hospitality

Before diving into tactical applications, it's crucial to understand what "unreasonable hospitality" really means. It's not about unlimited budgets or impossible logistics. Instead, it's about a fundamental shift in mindset from transactional to transformational thinking.

Traditional hospitality asks, "How can we meet expectations?" Unreasonable hospitality asks, "How can we create an emotional connection that transcends expectations?" It's the difference between providing what guests need and providing what they didn't even know they wanted.

This philosophy rests on several core principles that translate beautifully to event planning. First, it recognizes that every interaction is an opportunity to create positive emotion. Second, it understands that the most memorable moments often happen in the spaces between the "main events", during registration, in the hallways, at the coffee station. Third, it acknowledges that true hospitality requires genuine care for people as individuals, not just as attendees or participants.

Principle 1: Master the Art of Intentional Listening

At Eleven Madison Park, servers were trained not just to take orders, but to have genuine conversations with guests. They learned to listen for clues about preferences, special occasions, dietary restrictions, and personal stories that could be woven into the dining experience.

For event planners, this translates into creating multiple touchpoints for meaningful interaction with attendees. During registration, instead of just collecting basic information, ask questions that reveal personal interests or goals for attending. Train your team to engage in brief but genuine conversations that go beyond logistical details.

Consider implementing a "guest intelligence" system where team members can quickly log interesting details about attendees. Did someone mention they're celebrating a promotion? Note it. Did they express excitement about a particular speaker? Capture that information. This isn't about being intrusive, it's about caring enough to remember and act on what people share.

The magic happens when you use this information to create personalized moments. Perhaps you arrange for the attendee celebrating a promotion to receive a congratulatory note from a keynote speaker. Or you ensure that the person excited about a particular session gets a brief meet-and-greet opportunity with that presenter.

During events, encourage your team to move beyond transactional interactions. Instead of just directing people to the restroom, ask how their experience is going. Instead of simply announcing lunch, share something exciting about the afternoon program. These micro-interactions accumulate into an overall feeling of being cared for and valued.

Principle 2: Design Systems That Scale Personal Touch

One of the most impressive aspects of Eleven Madison Park's operation was how they systematized spontaneity. They created structured ways to be unstructured, processes that enabled personalized experiences even when serving hundreds of guests each night.

In event planning, this means building flexibility into your systems and empowering your team to make decisions that enhance guest experience. Create "hospitality budgets"—small pools of resources that team members can use to address unexpected needs or create surprise moments without lengthy approval processes.

Develop standard operating procedures that include guidance on when and how to deviate from those procedures. For example, your registration process might typically take five minutes per person, but if someone seems stressed or mentions they're running late for an important session, your team should be empowered to expedite their process and personally escort them to the right location.

Technology can be a powerful ally in scaling personal touch. Use registration platforms that allow you to capture and easily access personal preferences. Implement communication tools that let your team quickly share guest intelligence and coordinate responses. Consider mobile apps that can send personalized messages or recommendations to attendees based on their interests or session choices.

The key is ensuring that technology enhances rather than replaces human connection. Every automated message should feel personal, every digital interaction should facilitate rather than substitute for human care.

Principle 3: Create Moments of Strategic Surprise

The Dreamweaver at Eleven Madison Park wasn't creating random surprises—every magical moment was strategically designed to enhance the guest's specific experience and emotional journey. This principle of "strategic surprise" can revolutionize event planning.

Start by mapping your attendees' emotional journey throughout your event. Where are the natural high points? Where might energy lag? Where are people likely to feel overwhelmed or disconnected? These insights become the foundation for strategic interventions.

Consider creating "hospitality gifts" that connect directly to your event's purpose or your attendees' interests. If you're planning a corporate leadership retreat, surprise participants with personalized books recommended by the keynote speakers. For a nonprofit fundraiser, create unexpected moments that reinforce the organization's impact—perhaps surprise videos from beneficiaries or unexpected appearances by program participants.

The power of strategic surprise lies not in its cost but in its thoughtfulness. A handwritten note costs almost nothing but can create tremendous emotional impact. A perfectly timed cup of coffee during an afternoon energy slump shows care and attention to the attendee experience.

Remember that the goal isn't to surprise everyone equally, but to surprise everyone appropriately. Introverted attendees might appreciate quiet gestures of recognition, while extroverted participants might enjoy more public acknowledgments. This is where your guest intelligence system becomes invaluable.

Principle 4: Empower Every Team Member as a Hospitality Professional

At Eleven Madison Park, everyone from the coat check attendant to the executive chef understood their role in creating exceptional guest experiences. This wasn't just about being friendly—it was about understanding how each position contributed to the overall emotional journey of every guest.

In event planning, this means expanding your definition of who's on your hospitality team. The AV technician setting up microphones has as much potential to impact guest experience as your registration staff. The security personnel managing venue access can create welcoming first impressions or frustrating barriers.

Invest in hospitality training for all vendor partners and temporary staff. Share your event's story and goals so everyone understands not just their functional role, but their part in creating the overall experience. Provide specific examples of how their position can contribute to positive guest emotions.

Create a shared vocabulary around guest experience that everyone can use. When problems arise—and they will—having a team that all understands concepts like "recovery" and "surprise and delight" enables faster, more creative problem-solving.

Consider implementing recognition systems that celebrate exceptional hospitality across all roles. When the parking attendant goes out of their way to help an attendee with directions, or when the catering staff notices someone with dietary restrictions looking uncertain about food options and proactively offers alternatives, these moments deserve acknowledgment.

Principle 5: Turn Problems into Opportunities for Connection

One of the most powerful aspects of unreasonable hospitality is how it reframes service recovery. Instead of seeing problems as failures to be minimized, Guidara taught his team to view them as opportunities to create even stronger emotional connections with guests.

When issues arose at Eleven Madison Park—and they did—the response often exceeded what would be reasonable compensation for the problem. A delayed reservation might result in a complimentary wine pairing. A mistake in food preparation might lead to a personalized chef's table experience. The goal wasn't just to fix the problem, but to create a story the guest would want to tell.

Event planners can adopt this same mindset. When the keynote speaker's flight is delayed, don't just announce the schedule change—create an impromptu networking session or bring in a surprise local expert for an informal discussion. When technology fails during a presentation, use the downtime for an audience Q&A that might be more engaging than the original content.

The key is having systems and resources in place to turn problems into opportunities. This might mean maintaining relationships with backup speakers, having emergency activity plans, or keeping a small budget for last-minute experience enhancements.

Train your team to see problems through the lens of guest experience rather than operational efficiency. Sometimes the "fix" that takes longer actually creates better outcomes for attendees. A delayed lunch might become an extended networking opportunity that participants later cite as the most valuable part of the event.

Implementation: Making Unreasonable Hospitality Practical

Implementing these principles doesn't require a complete overhaul of your event planning process. Start small and build systematically:

Phase 1: Foundation Building Begin with enhanced guest intelligence gathering and team training focused on intentional listening. Implement simple systems for capturing and sharing attendee insights across your team.

Phase 2: Strategic Enhancement Develop your capacity for strategic surprise through small hospitality budgets and empowered decision-making. Create standard processes that include built-in flexibility for personalization.

Phase 3: Cultural Integration Expand hospitality training to all vendor partners and develop recognition systems that celebrate exceptional guest experience across all roles.

The goal isn't perfection, it's progress toward a culture where every decision is filtered through the question: "How does this enhance our guests' experience?" This shift in perspective, more than any specific tactic, is what will transform your events from functional gatherings into unforgettable experiences.

The Lasting Impact of Unreasonable Hospitality

Will Guidara's approach at Eleven Madison Park didn't just create a successful restaurant, it created a model for human connection that transcends industry boundaries. As event planners, we have the opportunity to bring this same philosophy to our gatherings, creating experiences that don't just meet objectives but touch hearts and create lasting memories.

The investment in unreasonable hospitality pays dividends far beyond individual events. Attendees become advocates, clients become partners, and events become catalysts for meaningful connections that extend far beyond the scheduled program.

In a world increasingly dominated by digital interactions, the power of genuine, intentional hospitality becomes even more valuable. By adopting these principles, event planners don't just coordinate better events - they create experiences that remind people of the joy, connection, and possibility that come from gathering together with shared purpose.

The question isn't whether you can afford to implement unreasonable hospitality, it's whether you can afford not to. In an industry where success is measured not just by smooth logistics but by meaningful impact, the principles that made Eleven Madison Park legendary offer a roadmap for transforming good events into unforgettable experiences.