Domain A: Strategic Planning

Cost: $305 member/$405 non-member

Target Audience
This certificate program is ideal for:
• Event Planners and Event Strategists
• Event Marketing and Communication Professionals
• Hospitality and Destination Management Specialists
• Anyone interested in applying behavioral science, neuroscience, and psychology principles to enhance event design and attendee experience

Program Overview
Applying behavioral science, neuroscience, and psychology to event planning and marketing, aka 'event psychology', is a strategic approach that holds the key to more significant and lasting impacts for attendees, stakeholders, and organizers.

As experiences inherently start and resonate in people's minds, they should be designed for how people think.

The Brain-friendly Experience Ecosystem Certificate Program is designed to provide event professionals with in-depth knowledge on how these sciences can inform and enhance every aspect of event design and help them gain low-cost, high-impact solutions for their personal and professional growth.

Program Objectives
By the end of this certificate program, you'll be able to:
• Understand the fundamental concepts of behavioral science, neuroscience, and psychology as they relate to event planning and marketing.
• Apply research-backed strategies for enhancing attendee engagement, learning, and interaction.
• Adopt a behavioral perspective to experience design and evaluation.
• Integrate science-based practices to enhance personal and team growth and wellbeing.

Curriculum details

Module 1: Making event learning stick
This module explores how the human brain's intricate processes affect your audience's learning and engagement. Through a deep dive into the science of attention, memory, and senses, you'll learn strategies that will dramatically improve your event's learning outcomes, whether online or face-to-face.

Module 2: Mastering the art of connection
You’ll learn what makes or breaks communication and what hidden factors influence networking at events. This module tackles common misconceptions and biases in communication, guides you on how to foster trust and belonging, and shares tips on preparing attendees for effective communication.

Module 3: Unveiling the psychology of influence
In this module, you’ll explore the psychological mechanisms behind people's choices, the nuances of emotional marketing, the impact of words, and how to leverage less known psychological tactics to elevate your event's appeal.

Module 4: Designing welcoming and engaging environments.
From the psychology of space to DEI through a behavioral lens, this module helps you create welcoming and enticing environments for your attendees. You'll discover how choice architecture can subtly influence participant experience and behavior, ensuring your event leaves a lasting impression.

Module 5: Evaluating what truly matters
Shift your perspective on event success by adopting a behavioral approach to evaluation. We'll discuss deep motivations, feedback biases, and the true impact of your event through behavior change. The goal of this module is to think beyond traditional KPIs and assess the intangibles that matter.

Module 6: Gaining advantage through team and personal well-being
You'll learn ways to empower yourself and your team with concepts like psychological safety and empathy. In this module, we explore science-based practices for personal growth and how to embed them into your day-to-day activities.

Each module is carefully designed to empower you with knowledge, strategies, and tools that are not just theoretical but immediately applicable. With this program, you will learn solutions that are grounded in human psychology, so you can create truly impactful and successful events.