Another conference season is wrapping up, and if you're anything like me, you've sat through at least one event as an attendee wondering why you bothered. The celebrity keynote who phoned it in. The "interactive installation" that was really just a photo op. The partnership announcement that sounded impressive but changed absolutely nothing about the attendee experience. This edition is about breaking that pattern. Because the problem with most event collaborations isn't that we're working with the wrong people—it's that we're collaborating for the wrong reasons. Let's fix that.

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Strategic Collaboration for Event Impact

Imagine this: you’ve added a gorgeous interactive art piece to your annual conference. People are posting photos, the CEO is glowing, and for a moment it feels like you nailed it.
Then the post-event data lands. Attendance? Flat. Engagement? Plateaus. Impact? Confusingly… nonexistent.

This past year, I have attended several conferences and symposiums, some featuring exhibitions promising interactions with partners that will take your idea to the next level, others, with eye catching titles and featuring keynotes with impressive resumes. Each time I have walked out completely underwhelmed or not getting why that speaker was speaking at our event, thinking, is that what I have just wasted my day on?

Event planners, I am not alone. Yes, we all go to industry conferences, but do we actually have to? Everyone has hectic schedules, and I won’t go into the many whys, registering to go to conferences is being left later and later. I have heard stories about people feeling relieved when the annual 3-day conference became a 2-day event. One less day away from the office made it easier to accommodate. But that doesn’t solve the problem that annual conferences have become a bore and a chore because those ‘keynote’, ‘special guests’ that we are engaging just don’t cut it.

What I eventually realized is this: the issue usually isn’t who we’re collaborating with. It’s why we’re collaborating at all. Too often, partnerships get treated like sprinkles  - added because they look nice and have an impressive resume  - instead of core ingredients that actually change the dish.

Before I share five unusual collaborations that can genuinely move the needle, let’s face the reality. Collaborations aren’t magic wands. They only work when they’re tied to a specific problem you’re trying to solve.

Start With What’s Actually Broken

Before you go hunting for interesting partners, figure out what isn’t working. In my experience, most events struggle with one of three issues:

1. The Stagnation Problem

Your regulars show up, but the spark is gone. Networking looks more like “scrolling quietly next to strangers.” The vibe is dutiful rather than excited.

2. The Acquisition Problem

Your audience is loyal, but you need new people. Maybe your usual crowd is aging out, or you're launching a new program and need fresh eyes.

3. The Engagement Problem

People attend, but nothing sticks. They listen, nod politely, take their tote bags, and leave without absorbing anything or acting on what they learned.

Which of these feels familiar? That’s the starting point.

Five Collaborations That Actually Solve Problems

1. Local Historians or Archivists

Fixes: The Acquisition Problem

I discovered this accidentally. We were trying - unsuccessfully - to attract local professionals who saw our event as “just another conference.” Then the venue manager offhandedly mentioned the site had once been part of a historic school.

We invited a local historian to help us weave that story into the event. Not as a gimmick  - as a thread that tied into our theme on education and empowerment. Suddenly, locals noticed. They took pride in the connection. And they showed up.

How to use this well:
Don’t tack on a heritage tour. Let the history shape choices  - the venue, the narrative, and the framing of content.
For walkathons, choose routes with meaningful stops, or even better, host part of your event at one or more of the locations.
For exhibitions, use historical context to anchor why the event belongs in that location.

Red flag: If removing the history doesn’t change anything, it’s window dressing.

Measure: First-time local attendance + mentions of the story in social posts or feedback.

2. Behavioral Psychologists or Neuroscientists

Fixes: The Engagement Problem

I once worked with a cognitive scientist who transformed how I design event flow. She explained, very matter-of-factly, that our dreaded after-lunch slump wasn’t about our speakers  - it was biology.

For the next event, we rebuilt the schedule around how people actually process information.
Breaks, session lengths, seating angles, even room temperature  - all intentional.

How to use this well:
Bring them in early.
For exhibitions, they can help structure layouts that subtly guide attendees toward the outcomes you want.
For walkathons, they can help create “commitment cues” that make people more likely to finish.

Red flag: If you’re just referencing their credentials to justify decisions you already made, don’t bother.

Measure: App engagement, retention testing, completion rates.

3. Data Visualization Artists

Fixes: The Stagnation Problem

If you want to snap people out of “same old,” give them something they’ve never seen.
For one gala, a data artist built a real-time visual forest where each donation became a tree. As the night went on, the forest grew  - instantly showing impact.

People weren’t just giving; they were watching their influence unfold.

How to use this well:
Feed them live data  - not mockups.
Let the visualization reveal something meaningful: behavior patterns, hot topics, participation trends.

Red flag: If the installation is stuck in a corner like an afterthought, it won’t matter.

Measure: Time spent at the display, shares, increases in the behavior being visualized.

4. Urban Foragers or Botanical Experts

Fixes: Acquisition + Stagnation

This one surprised me too. A sustainability event I worked on brought in an urban forager who designed an entire menu around ultra-local, seasonal ingredients. Some of it had literally been gathered within a few kilometers.

It worked because it wasn’t novelty for novelty’s sake  - it told a story about place, season, and values.

How to use this well:
For walkathons: routes through green areas with plant-spotting guides.
For exhibitions: living installations with native species that double as education.

Red flag: If it’s just “pretty plants,” it’s not strategy.

Measure: Feedback mentioning local connections; impact on return intent.

5. Improvisation Theatre Troupes

Fixes: The Engagement Problem

Stay with me  - this isn’t as wild as it sounds.
I’ve placed improv actors inside conferences not to perform, but to facilitate.
They gently sparked conversations, asked thoughtful questions, and helped people open up in ways that felt natural.

Good improvisers read a room better than most MCs.

How to use this well:
Give them goals, not scripts.
For walkathons, plant them as cheerful “participants” who boost morale at tough stretches.
The key is subtlety  - they should blend in.

Red flag: If your attendees can tell they’re actors, you’ve lost the effect.

Measure: Networking depth, booth engagement, completion rates.

The Integration Test

Here’s how I check whether a collaboration is actually strategic:

1. If I removed this, would we fail to hit a key goal?
   If not, it’s fluff.

2. Does it reinforce our core value proposition?
   I should be able to explain the connection in one sentence, like an elevator pitch.

3. Can I name the specific behavior change or outcome?
   If not, I’m guessing.

Finding cool collaborators is the easy part.
The challenging part is turning down ideas that sound exciting but don’t solve your actual problem. I’ve rejected brilliant proposals simply because they weren’t right for that moment.

That discipline is what separates events that are “nice” from events that truly shift something.

So here’s a challenge:
Look at your next event. Pick one “standard” element  - something you usually default to  - and ask whether a strategic collaboration could replace it entirely.

Not add to it. Replace it.

That’s when you know you’re not decorating.
You’re designing with intention.

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