"Last chance to register!"

How often have you seen a call like this asking you to register for an event? Dozens and dozens.

This is one of the most common marketing techniques based on scarcity - a psychological phenomenon that impacts our decisions a lot.

Yet - here's the twist - because it's so popular, many marketers think they know everything about it. Scarcity is powerful, but like so many things in science, you've got to get the details right to leverage its full potential.

If you're curious about scarcity, you're in luck, because on this episode I'm talking with Mindy Weinstein, PhD, Founder of the marketing firm Market MindShift and author of "The Power of Scarcity: Leveraging Urgency and Demand to Influence Customer Decisions" book.

We discuss what scarcity really is; four types of scarcity (and which one is the best for event marketing); how the effectiveness of your scarcity-based messaging depends on knowing your audience well, and Mindy shares some great examples from her experience at events as well as ideas to boost your scarcity game.

Resources:

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindydweinstein/

The Power of Scarcity book: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Scarcity-Leveraging-Influence-Decisions/dp/1264278233/ Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us

Influence by Dr Cialdini: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/influence-robert-b-cialdini?variant=41036600639522

Event Psychology Lab online course: https://eventpsychology.thinkific.com

Resources and community: https://eventpsychology.gumroad.com/

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Is it possible to be highly productive in the long term without burning out? Sounds like a dream, but my guest Anne-Laure Le Cunff, neuroscientist and founder of Ness Labs, says that taking care of your mental health can actually make you more productive.

In this episode, we talked about the concept of mindful productivity and strategies to be more productive without being constantly busy. We also touched upon the roots of the illusion of productivity, meaningful and truly restorative breaks, the myth of the 10,000-hour rule, and so much more!

Resources:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alecunff/

Ness Labs: https://nesslabs.com/

FeelGood Productivity, a book by Dr Ali Abdaal: https://www.feelgoodproductivity.com/

Nervous System Mastery training: https://nsmastery.com/

Event Psychology Lab online course: https://eventpsychology.thinkific.com

Resources and community: https://eventpsychology.gumroad.com/

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In this episode, I dive into the world of senses and talk with Ari Peralta, a Sensory Design and Neuroscientist and Director at Arigami, Award-winning research consultancy at the forefront of neuroscience, sensory design and wellbeing. Ari is one of the world’s leading voices in neuroscience and the senses. The “40 under 40” Harvard alumnus makes a positive impact through interdisciplinary projects that focus on using the senses and technology to support people’s mental health.

We explored some fascinating topics, such as the multisensory approach to event design and sensory wellness. Tune in to learn about the human brain being not only multisensory but also cross-sensory (and how leveraging cross-sensory connections can elevate the event experience); how biophilic design is not only about what you see; how sensory design can promote well-being and cognitive function in attendees, and many more golden nuggets!

Connect with Ari:

• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ari-peralta-34114a149/
• Arigami: https://www.arigami.co.uk/

Resources mentioned on the episode:

• Your Brain on Art, book by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross: https://www.yourbrainonart.com/your-brain-on-art-book
• Sensehacking, book by Charles Spence: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/308513/sensehacking-by-spence-charles/9780241361153
• Event Psychology Lab online course: https://eventpsychology.thinkific.com
• Resources and community: https://eventpsychology.gumroad.com/

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Can we measure emotions? There are fierce debates on this question, with many different approaches taken by researchers and practitioners. Emotions are complex and difficult to analyze using traditional methods, yet they hold immense power in governing our decisions and shaping our experiences.

In this interview, I explore the world of emotional analytics of text data. My guest is Dan Alferov, the Director of Empathy Analytics at Heartbeat AI, and we touch upon many things - from the role of emotions and empathy in business to the challenges that come with measuring emotions through text, to the ways eventprofs can use emotional analytics.

Connect with Dan:

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-alferov-27022813a/ HeartbeatAI: https://heartbeatai.com/

Resources and to join the Event Psychology Club: https://eventpsychology.gumroad.com/ 

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Every event planner is thinking about sustainability these days. But how do you balance sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and attendee satisfaction? How do you ensure sustainable behavior change at events? What can destinations and events do to promote more sustainable travel and event practices? How can event and tourism industry benefit from behavioral science knowledge?

I talk about it with Milena Nikolova, Chief Behaviour Officer and Co-founder at BehaviorSMART and a leading expert in human behaviour and travel & leisure. Milena uses knowledge about how people think, decide and act to power improvements in market success and sustainability performance in the travel and events sector. She and her team at BehaviorSMART support enterprises and destination authorities in achieving goals by understanding and applying smart behaviour changes.  

This is a must-listen episode for any event planner or destination management professional looking for smart, truly efficient ways to improve sustainability.

Connect with Milena:

• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/milena1827/
• BehaviorSmart on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/behaviorsmart/

Resources:

• Website: https://behavior-smart.com/knowledge-corner/
• Behavior Smart Community for Tourism: https://behavioursmart-tourism.com/
• Event Psychology Lab online course 

Join the Event Psychology Club to get access to this episode recap and other exclusive content: https://eventpsychology.gumroad.com/l/membership 

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Is your event experience high-friction or low friction?

This is the key topic of my conversation with Roger Dooley, an author and international keynote speaker.

Roger's books include Friction: The Untapped Force That Can Be Your Most Powerful Advantage (named a Top 3 Management Book by strategy+business) and Brainfluence: 100 Ways to Persuade and Convince Consumers with Neuromarketing. He writes the popular blog Neuromarketing as well as a column at Forbes.com. He co-founded and later sold College Confidential, the leading college-bound website. He’s been a serial entrepreneur since he left a senior strategy position at a Fortune 1000 company to enter the then-nascent home computer market.

We talk about Amazon's one click ordering patent, event registration forms and surveys, attendees' and sponsors' decision-making, Neuromarketing 2.0, and how tech like smart wearables and AI can help us better evaluate event design. Connect with Roger:

• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/dooley/
• Twitter : @rogerdooley
• Website: https://www.rogerdooley.com/  

Resources:

• Friction book by Roger Dooley
• Brainfluence book by Roger Dooley
• Brainfluence podcast: https://www.rogerdooley.com/category/podcast/
• Event Psychology Lab online course 

Join the Event Psychology Club to get access to this episode recap and other exclusive content: https://eventpsychology.gumroad.com/l/membership 

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"More = better" is a common, almost automatic mode we get into when looking to change things. More features for the platform, more projects to engage, more attendees to get. It's just the way we are, human nature. But more is not necessarily the best answer for innovation or positive change. The truth is, we can usually improve more if we get rid of something.

In this episode, I talk with Leidy Klotz who studies the science of design, which, he reminds us, is something we all do every day. His research has appeared in both Nature and Science and his debut popular science book, Subtract, is among the most influential published in 2021 and is already on all-time reading lists for both design and behavioral science. A professor at the University of Virginia, Leidy is a frequent guest on interview programs including Hidden Brain, Freakonomics, NPR, and for The Atlantic. His writing has appeared in outlets such as The Washington Post, Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, and Scientific American. He is a sought-after speaker, having given more than 100 invited talks at leading universities, think-tanks, and companies.

We discuss the concept of subtraction and how it applies to events, and Leidy gives a lot of examples from his experience as a speaker, attendee, and organizer. We also talk about Leidy's upcoming book about our relationship with the physical space and how environment shapes our behavior and thinking. Take a listen and be sure to follow Leidy to keep up with all the exciting research findings he shares. 

Connect with Leidy:

• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/leidy-klotz-a00b01150/
• Twitter and Instagram: @Leidyklotz
• Website: https://www.leidyklotz.com/

Resources:

• Subtract: Why Getting to Less Can Mean Thinking More
• Research and other articles by Leidy Klotz
• Event Psychology Lab online course

Join the Event Psychology Club to get access to this episode recap and other exclusive content: https://eventpsychology.gumroad.com/l/membership

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Everybody wants to have influence, in business or in life. Too often we think it's the big bosses who everybody listens to in meetings, or the influencers who get hundreds of likes on LinkedIn are the ones who have it. Turns out, science has a message for us all: your influence is greater than you imagine. And when we apply these findings to the context of events, it opens up some serious possibilities.

In this episode I chat with Dr. Vanessa Bohns, a social psychologist and professor of organizational behavior at Cornell University.  We talk about how to tap into your own personal influence, experiments on shared experiences, what it means for event networking, and burnout. Connect with Vanessa:

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-bohns-33219710/

Twitter and Instagram: @profbohns

Website: www.vanessabohns.com

Resources:

• You Have More Influence Than You Think 
• Invisibility Cloak Illusion, Scientific American blog
• Shared Experiences are Amplified [research paper]
• Event Psychology Lab online course

Join the Event Psychology Club to get access to this episode recap and other exclusive content: https://eventpsychology.gumroad.com/l/membership

• Victoria Matey on LinkedIn
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• Watch this episode on YouTube