Successful event concepts: In this interview, Christian Fink shares tips for unique events!

Christian, you transitioned from a theater director to event conception. What led you down this path?

It was actually by chance – while working on independent theater projects, I started part-time as an editor for a startup focused on interactive television and later took over full-time as editorial director. Unfortunately, we were a bit ahead of our time – nearly 20 years ago – and the technological implementation was too complex for the consumer market. The project was stopped after two years, and I looked for professional opportunities where I could combine my newfound interest in innovative, new technologies with my theater roots. I found my first employer in the event business, where I had the opportunity to help build a new department for event conception and direction, lead the creative team, and develop my first projects. One of the earliest concepts was the design and staging of the opening ceremony for the Ice Hockey World Championship 2009 – still one of my career highlights today.

 What parallels do you see between theater and event execution?

For both, achieving a great result comes down to the emotional and cohesive staging of stories. It doesn’t matter whether it's an event or a type of theater – the message must touch and move the audience, my target group, and ultimately remain memorable. Besides the protagonists, the setting, technology, media, and – most importantly – the right dramaturgy play essential roles. If these factors are not aligned with the message, the entire thing falls apart and doesn’t achieve the desired or optimal effect.

 What are, in your opinion, the three most important points when creating an event concept?

Reducing it to three points is a challenge, but for me, the foundation consists of:

1. Having a clear goal for the event – only with clear goals can you plan and develop a successful concept.
2. What's the story? What's the core message? Messages that are packed into a well-staged story have a greater impact and are more effectively anchored in the audience’s memory through emotion.
3. Know your audience! Who is the target group? When developing a concept that aims to move and touch, I have to think and feel from the audience’s perspective. The more I know about the target group, the better I can tailor the experience to their and the client’s needs.

How do you come up with ideas for event concepts?

I find ideas almost everywhere – or rather, the initial spark – because after the spark, a lot of work usually follows before an actual idea forms, and even more before it becomes a concept.

Concepts can be developed in targeted creative processes, with proven creative tools, in agency workshops, and co-creation sessions. Often for me, an idea matures slowly as I engage with the event's story/theme and content. This process and research eventually manifest into an image or sentence, and it seems like the idea was “suddenly” born – under the shower, just before falling asleep, or while driving – almost always when my mind is wandering. This inspiration is the result of what I like to call an (unconscious) “pregnancy.”

Even with perfect event planning, the unexpected happens. What advice do you give to event managers in such situations?

First and foremost: stay calm. Panic and disorganised actions never help. In diving, we teach students to “Stop, breathe, think – act,” and I couldn't put it better. Of course, it depends on what happens: critical moments in a show or schedule are usually anticipated during rehearsals, and a plan B should be ready and rehearsed. If you are prepared, you can switch to it when needed. This also applies, especially to evacuation scenarios, bad weather, etc. – in these cases, it’s crucial to remain calm and communicate clearly and quickly.

The real surprises in events are often technical. In such cases, it’s best to accept the situation and let the show team calmly evaluate it. Most of the time, only the managers and crew notice when something goes off-plan, and the problem is resolved quickly.

Can you share an anecdote from an event where you had to improvise?

There have been several situations where spontaneous reactions were necessary – from missing speakers to collapsed communication systems, completely failed video projections, voting systems, and even performers refusing to go on stage.

One experience that stands out, though not spectacular in terms of a mishap, was with a head of state whose security team stood behind me in the control room with guns drawn. When I got up during the president's speech to see the hall better, a heavy hand and a firm “No” made me sit still for half an hour.

How important do you consider invitations and registrations in event concepts and planning?

A well-conceived event extends beyond the event itself and includes pre- and post-communication, as well as the invitation. The way an invitation is received by guests significantly impacts the overall experience – and beyond the staging and design of the invitation, the registration process is also important: it should be clear, efficient, and easy to understand, ideally integrated into an event page with all the necessary information. A confirmation of event registration is essential – I always prefer a personal and carefully written message.

AI is a hot topic. Event concepts can now be generated by artificial intelligence. How do you see the future of technological development in event content creation?

I’ve been amazed at how quickly AI applications have developed in recent months, and of course, there’s a massive hype right now where “artificial intelligence” is credited with almost limitless abilities. Personally, I use the tools to increase efficiency in text and script production – after two or three iterations, ChatGPT and similar models provide very good base texts and handle much of the research. However, editing by me is still essential – the wording and structure must be fine-tuned for the audience or purpose, errors need correcting, and fact-checks must be done. Using an AI-generated text as-is is an absolute no-go for me.

Similarly, I see great potential in tools that generate images and video content for creating storyboards, layouts, or specific visuals. These tools will certainly establish themselves as efficiency-enhancing tools for handling time-consuming basic tasks in the event industry, just like in other sectors. But the real creative work will still be done by humans for a very long time.

Thank you so much for the fascinating interview, Christian. We wish you continued success with Fink Different.