I'll never forget the moment a colleague suggested we launch a 50-event masterclass series with literally zero budget. My first thought? "That's the worst idea I've ever heard." But that impossible idea turned into one of the most successful programs I've ever been part of. It made me realize something counterintuitive: sometimes our worst ideas are actually the gateway to our best breakthroughs. In this edition of Event Pulse, I'm diving into a brainstorming technique that's revolutionizing how event planners think—one that starts by asking your team to come up with the most ridiculous, terrible, impossible ideas they can imagine. Trust me, what sounds like creative chaos might just be the secret weapon your next event needs.

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The Worst Idea Method: Revolutionary Brainstorming for Event Planners

Breaking through creative blocks that event professionals often face

Event planners know this feeling all too well: you're staring at a blank whiteboard, surrounded by team members throwing out the same old ideas, while your client waits for that amazing concept that will make their event unforgettable. The harder you try to create brilliant ideas, the harder it becomes.

But what if the secret to great event planning means doing the exact opposite of what you've been taught? What if the path to amazing events goes straight through terrible ideas?

Why "Thinking Bad" Actually Works

Innovation expert Bryan Mattimore found something amazing when he turned a struggling brainstorming session upside down. Instead of asking his team to create good ideas, he challenged them to come up with the worst possible solutions. The result? A room that had been stuck all morning suddenly came alive with energy, laughter, and real breakthrough ideas.

This backwards approach, called the Worst Possible Idea ideation process, works because it takes away the pressure that kills creativity. When we're trying to impress clients or teammates with brilliant ideas, our brains freeze up. We doubt ourselves, play it safe, and end up with boring solutions that feel like every other event out there.

The " Worst Possible Idea" method frees us from this trap. When the goal is to be silly, impossible, or downright stupid, our minds relax. We stop filtering our thoughts. We start playing. And in that playful space, real innovation can happen.

Breaking Through Event Planning Creative Blocks

The event industry gets stuck in creative ruts easily. Planners often use the same old formulas: cocktail hour, keynote speaker, networking lunch, awards ceremony. While these work, they rarely create the memorable experiences that make events truly special.

Here's how worst-case brainstorming could change different parts of event planning:

Venue Ideas: From Silly to Smart

Instead of starting with "Where should we hold this company retreat?" try "What's the worst possible venue you can think of?"

Ideas might include a haunted house, a construction site, or an active volcano. While clearly impossible, these terrible ideas can spark real breakthroughs. The haunted house idea might turn into hosting an event at a historic mansion with mysterious elements woven throughout. The construction site idea could inspire an event at a famous building during renovation, giving attendees a behind-the-scenes experience they'll never forget.

One event planner shared how her team's joke about hosting a fancy dinner "in a grocery store" led to a hugely successful farm-to-table charity dinner held in a renovated warehouse, complete with pop-up market stalls featuring local vendors.

Event Format: Breaking Rules to Build Better Ideas

Traditional event formats exist for good reasons, but they can also limit our thinking. Starting with the worst possible formats can show hidden opportunities.

"Let's make everyone stand for eight hours straight" might sound awful, but it could turn into a dynamic, movement-based conference design. Walking meetings, standing networking zones, and interactive stations that keep attendees energized and engaged all day long.

"What if we held a silent conference?" This terrible idea for a networking event could become a powerful concept for inclusion, using sign language interpreters, visual storytelling, or technology that helps both hearing and deaf communities connect.

Food Service: From Disaster to Success

Food service is often an afterthought in event planning, but worst-idea brainstorming can turn it into a highlight experience.

"Let's serve only baby food" sounds crazy until it becomes a nostalgic, comfort-food themed event that plays with childhood memories and creates unexpected emotional connections among attendees.

"Make everyone catch their own fish" could inspire an interactive cooking experience where attendees help prepare food, learn from local chefs, or engage with sustainable food practices as part of the event's learning goals.

Budget and Pricing: Finding Value in Crazy Ideas

Money limits often restrict event creativity, but worst-case pricing scenarios can reveal new funding and value-creation ideas.

The classic example from Mattimore's workshop - "make it completely free" - opened the door to corporate sponsorship opportunities the team hadn't thought of. In the event industry, this approach can uncover many alternatives:

"Charge $50,000 per ticket" might seem crazy until it becomes an ultra-premium, multi-day experience that's worth the investment through exclusive access, personal attention, and life-changing outcomes.

"Pay attendees to participate" could become a corporate training program where companies sponsor employee attendance, or a community program where local businesses invest in resident participation.

Marketing: Embracing the Opposite

Event marketing often follows the same patterns: social media campaigns, email blasts, and partnership promotions. Worst-idea brainstorming can break these patterns and create memorable marketing moments.

"Don't tell anyone about the event" might inspire exclusive, invitation-only experiences that build excitement through mystery and word-of-mouth buzz.

"Only advertise on old platforms" could lead to nostalgic marketing campaigns that stand out in crowded digital spaces, or super-targeted approaches that reach specific groups where they actually spend time.

"Make the event impossible to find" might turn into a treasure hunt-style promotion that engages attendees before they even arrive, turning marketing into part of the event experience itself.

Operations: When Worst-Case Ideas Reveal Best Practices

Even day-to-day challenges can benefit from backwards thinking.

"What if we had no schedule?" might sound chaotic at first, but it could inspire flexible, participant-driven formats like unconferences or open space events where attendees shape the experience based on their interests and needs.

"Force everyone to share rooms" could turn into intentional community-building strategies, collaborative workspace designs, or new networking approaches that break down professional barriers.

How to Use the Worst Idea Method

To effectively use this technique in your event planning process:

Make it safe to be silly. Make it clear that all ideas are welcome and nothing is too ridiculous. The goal is lots of ideas and silliness, not immediate usefulness.

Write everything down. Even the most outrageous suggestions might contain seeds of innovation. Record all ideas without judgment.

Ask "Why is this terrible?" Understanding what makes an idea bad often shows valuable insights about assumptions, limits, or opportunities you hadn't considered.

Look for pieces. Rarely will an entire "worst idea" turn into a brilliant solution, but parts of it might spark breakthrough thinking.

Build connections. Use "What if we..." or "How might we..." questions to connect terrible ideas to practical possibilities.

The Competitive Edge of Bad Ideas

In an industry where standing out is increasingly hard, the worst idea method offers a real competitive advantage. While competitors copy successful event formats, planners who use this approach continuously create original concepts that can't be easily copied.

The technique also builds team unity and creative confidence. When teams laugh together at ridiculous ideas, they develop the safety needed for real innovation. They become more willing to take creative risks and push boundaries.

Real Success Story

I still remember when this landed on my desk: create an outreach program featuring some of the biggest names in the arts as workshop leaders and performers. The catch? We had absolutely no budget. Not a single dollar for venues, marketing, staff, or operations.

On paper, this was a terrible idea. How do you launch 50 events with world-class artists when you can't pay for anything? Every rational business principle screamed "impossible." Most people would have walked away or asked for the project to be cancelled.

But those incredible artists had already committed their time and expertise—an opportunity too rare to waste. So we leaned into the absurdity and asked: "What if we had to do this with literally nothing?"

We begged for free venues anywhere we could find them. We sold tickets before we even had confirmed locations, praying each event would sell enough to cover its own costs. We borrowed volunteers' time to help run everything. Every event was a leap of faith with no safety net.

The result? We pulled off all 50 events to great success. What seemed like an impossibly bad idea forced us to build a sustainable model based on community support, creative partnerships, and grassroots word of mouth marketing that we never would have discovered if we'd had a comfortable budget to fall back on.

Conclusion: Having the Courage to Think Differently

The next time your event planning team hits a creative wall, don't push harder for good ideas. Instead, challenge everyone to think of the absolute worst possible solutions. Give yourselves permission to be ridiculous, impractical, and even a little absurd.

You might be surprised to find that the path to your most innovative event

Challenge (to get you into the Worst Possible Idea groove)

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