When you’re looking for a fresh event theme, concept, or activation, where do you go for inspiration? Sometimes when we’re hitting a creativity block, we take a small step outside of the events world to respark our imagination.
We’re sharing six areas our team regularly draws inspiration from that helps us break out of the mold and discover unique event concepts. And the best part is that most of these inspiration areas are readily accessible and at your fingertips; all it takes is some special attention to your surroundings.
1. Travel
No matter where you end up going, traveling to a new destination offers a special opportunity to reposition yourself as a guest and see the world with fresh eyes. Next time you’re the visitor in a new location, make note of what feels inviting and captivates your attention.
What are you seeing, smelling, hearing, and tasting? How are your surroundings influencing your emotions? This awareness can inform your event planning and how you can make a guest at your event feel welcome and ready to engage.
Spots to get lost in (other than heading to the airport):
- Window Swap: Look through windows shared by real people all over the world. Simply click, “Open a Window” and get a view of everyday life in spots ranging from Turkey, to California, Columbia, to the Netherlands and beyond.
- ProWalk Tours: Take a look at this YouTube channel packed with 4K walking tours. These immersive, calming walks let you have an eye-level view of cities all over the world.
- Atlas Obscura: Go into your own city for off-the-beaten path spots you may never have checked out before.
2. Fashion
Fashion is an industry that changes with every season, so you can always count on finding fresh takes on the runway. The fashion scene is a great place to look when you need inspiration on color combinations, fabrics, patterns, and textures.
Inspiration from fashion isn’t limited to clothing. Keep your eye out during global fashion weeks to see how designers are producing their shows and designing their runways.
Runway shows’ lighting, sound, and stage design are all geared towards making a memorable impact. Often, they’re juxtaposing different textures like florals that warm up a steely, industrial venue, or casual looks on a decadent stage. Also take note of the many ways shows transform the very idea of a venue, like this 2021 Saint Laurent show set in a desert, the 2025 Anna Sui show where models walked through the middle of a bookstore, or the 2024 Louis Vuitton show where they used recycled materials to create a glowing orange, balloon-like backdrop to their runway.
Spots to get lost in:
- Vogue Runway Image Archive: Dig into Vogue’s massive archive of runway photos.
- Harper’s Bazaar Post-Fashion Week Round-Ups: Find all the highlights each season in this round-up
- Mina Le: Dive into fashion, trends, history, and culture with YouTuber and TikTok Content Creator, Mina Le.
3. Storefronts
Next time you’re walking through a mall or a downtown city center, snap a quick photo of stores that catch your eye. What unique layouts, props, or accessories are they using to draw customers in? How are they maximizing their space to showcase their product? We draw inspiration from storefronts to design our entryways in a way that builds excitement for attendees before they step into the general session.
Spots to get lost in:
- Mcdesign_collaboration: Michelle Sherrier, TikTok creator, retail expert, and professional visual merchandiser walks you through her work and popular window displays.
- Pinterest Search for “Visual Merchandising:” A broad search brings up thousands of images of creative merchandising ideas that have direct parallels to attendee engagement ideas or scenic design concepts.
4. Immersive Theme Parks
Immersive theme parks like Disney World and Universal Studios excel at taking a concept and tying every element of their park to that theme. In these parks, the rides tend to play a small role in the immersive experience. It’s all in the details of the grounds decorations, restaurants, stalls, and music that transport you into the world of Cars or Harry Potter well before you take your first park ride. If you have a chance to visit an immersive theme park, pay attention to all of the small details that nod to the park theme and elicit an emotional tug.
Shout out to Jessica Figueroa who contributed this idea on our LinkedIn community!
Spots to get lost in:
- Theme Park Obsession: Helpful YouTube channel that simply walks you through some of the world’s most immersive, sprawling theme parks.
- Theme Park Explorers: Scroll through this TikTok account where creators explore theme parks across the globe.
5. Nature
When you’re hitting that creativity block, sometimes a breath of fresh air is all you need. And while you’re at it, take a moment and look at the nature around you to inspire florals and scenic for your next event. When we know we want to incorporate elements of an onsite location, we’ll often look to the natural landscape for inspiration.
Especially for attendees traveling into an event, incorporating local natural elements can enhance their event experience. For example, if you’re hosting an event in Las Vegas, delve into the unique natural features of a nearby national park. Look to Death Valley or Great Basin for more intricate earth tone color schemes and details that pay homage to the landscape.
Spots to get lost in:
- Your own local forest preserve, botanical garden, or national or regional park. Log off and take a long walk.
- Your local zoo or aquarium — check for special evening, adult-only events for less crowds and a unique time to visit.
- @Nature: Scroll and relax in this popular Instagram account featuring earth’s many marvels.
6. Theater
If you’re looking for a more dynamic and distinct guest experience for your general session, take a look at theater designs. Much like the world of corporate events, theater tackles the challenge of making the most out of a given stage space and transforming it to captivate an audience. Theater performances are a great place to observe creative uses of props, sound, lighting, and set design.
Even beyond the stage, theater offers a wide range of inspiration points, especially for audience connection and space navigation. Take for instance, The Circle in the Square Theater on Broadway, which offers a 360-degree seating arrangement, providing unique connection opportunities between the actors and the audience.
Or, Theater in the Dark, Chicago’s pitch-black productions that immerse audiences through sound-only live performances.
Spots to get lost in:
- New York Public Library’s Billy Rose Theatre Division: Get lost in one of the largest and most comprehensive archives devoted to the theatrical arts.
- Broadway.com: Check out photos and video clips of today’s shows and get a peek at their inventive stages.
- The Shows Must Go On: Grab inspiration from this YouTube channel filled with backstage content and full performances of musicals.
Final Thoughts
In the events industry, we’re often in production mode, trying to keep up with the relentless pace of creation. But it can be difficult to maintain a steady ideation stream if we’re also not consuming art and experiences around us. Linger a little longer on your environment and the small details of your surroundings. Even if it doesn’t spark something immediately, you never know how it can turn into the perfect creative seed for your next project.
Come join the Meeting Tomorrow community on Pinterest! Our team at Meeting Tomorrow regularly uses Pinterest to gain inspiration, make creative mood boards for clients, and share our own stage designs and events that we’re proud of.
