There is a corner in Chicago where it seems that a new restaurant pops up twice a year. Great location in the heart of River North and yet all of the restaurants that start there, end there….badly. They all go out of business. The one thing (besides the corner) that all of these restaurants share is that they are similar in theme (read food style). They all produce American fair. I can tell you, I have never once gone into any of them. This is a process that has been repeating itself for years.
Event planners and organizers risk the same fate. If you keep churning out the same, bland content, presented in the same format year after year, what makes you think that this year will be better than the last?
If you are not challenging your attendees and giving them content and formats that create buzz, attendance is never going to increase and you will never achieve the status of Mesa Grill or The French Laundry. You will simply be stuck on the corner until you fold.
