Written by NWES Guest Blogger: Group Delphi
Experiential marketing is a hard-working, hard-traveling industry. Here are seven tips to help keep you balanced.
1. Ditch the Device
Working is for work hours — so, when you’re supposedly not working, turn off your device so you’re not tempted to continue being on the clock. As one midwestern VP says, “Do not go home and work from the couch or in your easy chair, pretending to be present with a loved one, when you’re secretly sending emails on your smartphone or tablet.”
2. Exercise Your Right to Exercise
It’s easy to forgo the gym when under time constraints. Think of ways you can incorporate exercise into your daily routine. If you’re an urban dweller, think about biking or walking to work. On the road? As one VP suggests, “take ten minutes in your hotel room to do three to four sets of ten: stretches, sit-ups, push-ups (or if you’re really feeling it, burpees).” When you aren’t traveling, set up an exercise class that is scheduled into your calendar.
3. Pencil Yourself In
Many of us live and die by the alerts of our digital calendar, so schedule meet-ups with friends, families, or the gym. Most importantly, make them non-negotiable. You wouldn’t move a meeting with an important client, so why not give yourself the same amount of respect?
4. Libations vs. Hydration
Alcohol readily flows in the experiential marketing business. If you drink, it’s easy to get dehydrated. As one of our senior officers suggests, “Down two large tumblers of water before hitting the hay to soften the blare of tomorrow morning’s alarm clock. It’s easier said than done when all you want to do is turn out the lights and turn in. In my extensive scientific research, I have found that the tastiness quotient of water is inversely correlated to the number of alcoholic beverages one has imbibed … but do it anyway. It works.”
5. Laughing Matters
“I laugh every day as often as I am able, especially when things aren’t very funny,” says one West Coast marketer. “It’s a great way to clear your head, refocus, and change the energy of a day that may or may not be in your control, and our days normally are not.” The Mayo Clinic also supports laughter as the “best medicine.”
6. Decide to Minimize Decision Fatigue
Research suggests that the act of constantly making small decisions can erode your ability to make big decisions. As one West Coast executive explains, “I keep three full business outfits on hangers, with accessories. Monochromatic with pops of color so everything mixes and matches with the same pair of shoes. That way I don’t have to think about packing too hard, and it’s fast.”
7. Listen to the Sound of Silence
Schedule in 15 minutes of quiet time a day. Close your office door, head to your car, or just escape the building for some time to yourself (without your phone, of course). Likewise, 15 minutes a day in nature will do wonders for the mind but a short walk around the block of your office will suffice.
The Group Delphi story begins in the theater, and while the spirit of the stage infuses everything we do, we focus our creativity on experiential programs and face to face environments for brands across the world. As leaders in our industry, we are known for originality and results. We’ve enjoyed 30 years of engineering awe and shaping moments into memories for companies like Medtronic, Nike, Google, and T-Mobile. Our creative and fabrication teams are inspired to bring your experiential marketing to life.
