Designing Desire: How Everyday Encounters Reveal the Genius of the Experience Event Economy

It was a Friday afternoon, I wrapped up a week of client event calls and decided I was going to do something I hadn’t done in a while—cook a nice dinner ( I typically eat out). 

I headed to my local grocer to pick up a few ingredients, ready to go in and get out. But something unexpected caught my attention.

The front of the store was unusually crowded. There was a bit of excitement, a cluster of people, and a bit of laughter floating through the aisles.

Curious, I walked over and found out the grocer was  hosting a craft beer tasting.

Yes, inside the grocery store. There were high-top tables, a demi bar, friends catching up, people sampling new seasonal flavors, and even casual shoppers, like me, lingering a little longer than planned sampling craft beer. 

Now, mind you, I don’t even drink craft beer. But the vibe? The energy? The experience? That pulled me in. I found myself with a sample in hand, asking the grocery cashier what this was all about.

She explained it simply: “We do this every Friday to feature a new brew and bring in our regulars.

And as an event strategist who studies conversions and buyer behavior, I couldn’t help but break it down:

The Hidden Strategy Behind this Experience

This wasn’t just beer tasting. It was brand building—in real time. It was an ecosystem in motion.

Let me show you what I mean:

This simple Friday experience was strategically engineered to:

• Increase Time in Store – The longer customers linger, the more likely they are to buy (and buy more).

• Boost Purchase Frequency – When you offer something weekly—like a new featured flavor—you create a reason to return and build anticipation and excitement. 

• Build Brand Affinity – Community gatherings like this create emotional connections to a brand. When people associate your space with joy, connection, or discovery, they come back and they bring their friends. 

• Create Shareable Moments – This wasn’t a grocery run—it was an experience worth talking about. Worth posting about. Worth returning for.

• Target a Specific Market – They weren’t just trying to appeal to everyone. This experience catered to craft beer lovers and curiosity-seekers who influence others.

And all of this? It’s part of the Experience Event Economy—where consumers designing-desire-how-everyday-encounters-reveal-the-genius-of-the-experience-event-economycrave more than products. They crave meaning. Connection. Story.

Transformation. Experience. A great time. And they’re willing to frequent brands that give them those moments.

Experiences Don’t Just Sell—They Scale Brands

When done well, brand event experiences become:

✅ Revenue-generating

✅ Community-building

✅ Loyalty-producing

✅ Referral-multiplying

This is the difference between transactional marketing and transformational experiences.

And it’s also how you build an ecosystem—a living, breathing brand environment that nurtures, attracts, converts, and retains your people.

Want to create an amazing experiential event to grow your business?

Here are some questions that could start to get you there.

What kind of experience can you create that will make your audience want to spend more time with your brand?

What can you offer consistently that keeps them coming back and buying again (and again)?

What kind of memory or emotion do you want your brand to be associated with?

What can you craft that inspires the community and creates a “thing” around your brand?

You’re Not Just Building a Business—You’re Creating an Economy

What I witnessed that Friday was a microcosm of what so many entrepreneurs miss: a brand is not just what you sell—it’s what people feel when they’re around you.

When you shift from promotion to participation—from selling to staging experiences—you stop competing… and you start converting.

Let this be your call to design with intention. Curate experiences that anchor your brand in the hearts of your audience. And watch what happens when people begin to gather—not just for what you offer, but for how you make them feel.

Because the strongest brands aren’t built in transactions. They’re built in moments.

Let’s Build Your Brand’s Experience Ecosystem

If you’re ready to move from a product-driven to an experience-driven business, I’d love to connect.

We can support you in building brand ecosystems that convert browsers into buyers and customers into community.

Let’s connect or send me a message, your next brand moment could be one experience away.

Thanks for being here.

PS. Have you downloaded your copy of the Million-Dollar Black Print yet?

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