How Event Design Can Boost Attendee Wellbeing
An Event Planner's Guide to Tenerife
X marked the spot in Tenerife for the first ever edition of X by micebook: a new incentive retreat and educational trip for event planners, and adventure unfolded as Broadsword’s Strategy Director Matt Green joined the group to explore a surprising destination for events that offers a setting like no other – with a highlight being an expedition to Mount Teide and the breathtaking volcanic national park. Designed as a bold new networking experience in a cutting-edge destination, the trip was an opportunity for the bold – those who don’t wait for answers, but find them. On the three-day agenda: a keynote by Rory Sutherland that got the audience thinking of new ways of doing business.
Puerto de la Cruz
The group stayed at Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife – in the Melia Costa Atlantis. The location is a hidden gem overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and Mount Teide, located in the north of the island of Tenerife, surrounded by botanical gardens and nearby surreal volcanic landscapes. On top of this it has a rich history stemming from tourist trade in the 18th Century, it is known for its clear skies and minimal light pollution, which is why it is recognised as one of the best locations in the world for astronomy, and world-famous wines.
Keynote: A rational leader suggests changing course to avoid a storm. An irrational one can change the weather.
The keynote presentation perfectly embodies what the trip was all about – flipping expectations, challenging norms, making bold shifts to how we do business, and thinking beyond the peak. Marketer Rory Sutherland offering up refreshing insights to help planners stand out, think differently in a fiercely competitive industry.
Sutherland, the Vice Chairman at Ogilvy UK, a behavioural science guru, and author, working with a consulting practice of psychology experts who look for ‘unseen opportunities’ in consumer behaviour – these are the often small contextual changes which can have enormous effects on the decisions people make – for instance tripling the sales rate of a call centre by adding just a few sentences to the script. He works with some of the world’s biggest brands, helping them solve problems. And he knows the power of advertising and the common mistakes people make when communicating their messages effectively.
The keynote championed creative courage – reminding the audience that the opposite of a good idea can also be a good idea, being logical means being average, and that if you never do anything illogical you’ll be less likely to find them happy accidents.
With 1:1 meetings that offered event locations off the well beaten track, a keynote that asked you to think differently and an “X” day that challenged you to Xplore X by micebook had the perfect educational trip mixture. We’re already Xcited about 2026.
