Cover photo: Moment Factory ©
In events, the race for originality often takes the path of technological innovation in order to succeed in surprising and astonishing. While this is undeniably an option worth exploring, we can also go back to basics by focusing on the potential of our five senses (or combine the two!). Now open your eyes wide and turn up the volume on your computer, because we are going to immerse you in multisensory experiences, each more original than the last! Although they appeal to several of our perceptions, we have classified them according to the meaning that seems to us to be the most mobilized or the one through which the experience affirms its uniqueness. But before that, let's do a little natural experiment together...
Why focus on a multisensory event?
The answer will seem logical to you. The more our senses are awake, the more complete our current experience is. We offer you a Practical exercise two or three minutes to see for yourself!
Sit where you want, in an upright posture while being relaxed. Once you have found a position in which you feel comfortable, the exercise consists of focus on your senses one after the other. For each sense, you will need to mentally write down three elements that you perceive. Here is an example for hearing: 1) the coffee machine that is on; 2) the voice of my colleague singing; 3) a bird in the distance. You should find that your mind is more alert because connecting to your senses allows you to be fully present. If you perform this exercise of Mindfulness — mindfulness — until the end, you should also memorize this moment quite easily.
These two effects — Anchoring in the present moment and activation of perceptual memory — can be produced in events thanks to the implementation of multisensory experiences.
10 examples of multisensory experiences
Examples of taste experiences
Dans le Noir Restaurants
The name of this restaurant concept being explicit, you will probably already have understood what it is. These restaurants, located in 8 countries and 13 cities including Paris, receive their guests around a large table d'hote, in a room plunged into darkness. Deprived of sight, everyone discovers a new way to enjoy foods from a menu that is kept secret.
” When we are deprived of our main sense, sight, we tend to use our other senses more: hearing, touch, and smell. They allow us to manage in the dark to eat, find our cutlery... Even if at first the experience is intimidating, it becomes more and more pleasant when you start to relax. Our blind guides are trained to ensure the well-being of visitors, they will give you all the advice you need. ” Excerpt from the FAQ for Dans le Noir restaurants
A sensory wine tasting journey
This multi-sensory experience, called Via Sensoria, combines wine tasting, visual, sound and poetic creations. All in the company of a sommelier animator who will guide the participants through the tasting of four wines from around the world (or soft drinks), specially selected to correspond to artistic worlds and the different seasons.
Example of olfactory experience
Museums that smell good
Some museums play on the union of our sensations, in this case sight and smell, to give their visitors an experience that is out of the ordinary. Armed with perfume buttons to smell — these supports on which we usually spray the perfumes we want to smell in stores — the visitor accesses another face of the work, to another part of its history. He combines his own story with it, since the emotions that arise during this olfactory stroll are all the more personal.
” We told ourselves that we could bring a new look at works of art, through the synesthesia of sight and smell, by creating effective connections between works of art and perfumes. ” Catherine Werber, perfume expert
Examples of tactile experiences
The only exhibition that touches each other
Generally, an exhibition is accompanied by the unconditional command “do not touch.” This time, this was not the case during the exhibition “Art and matter, please touch”. It was held in Lyon in 2019. Blindfolded and an audioguide possibly over their ears, visitors could indulge in tactile contemplation. This experience erased the usual distance that separates the visitor from the work of art. (Even if, for reasons that will be understood, these were reproductions.)
A work in collaboration with an AI
Imagine a room in which each of your movements would directly feed the inspiration of artificial intelligence. That would be pretty crazy, right? Well that's what happens when a Chinese contemporary art center decides to explore the symbiotics between humans, artificial intelligence, and art. The result is a work that's as colorful as it is disconcerting.
Example of a sound experience
Silent feasts
Imagine arriving at a party where there is total silence, but at the same time, people are dancing with enthusiasm. It would have a strange effect on you, wouldn't it? These are called “Silent Parties.” During these events, music is only played using wireless headsets. You can select the DJ you want to listen to. Depending on the choice made, the helmets light up in a different color. This allows people to identify those who hear the same music as them. Being isolated with music that you enjoy has a tendency to disinhibit. This explains why people often have a lot of fun at a Silent Party!
Examples of visual experiences
Candlelight concerts
During a concert, the biggest emotions come from what we listen to. However, Candlelight concerts fall into our category of visual experiences, because the sight sets them apart from traditional concerts. The principle is as simple as it is enchanting: the musicians are surrounded by a multitude of candles that gently light up the scene.
Finding your next perfume thanks to virtual reality
Coty presented a fragrance discovery experience offering an immersion in the world of fine perfumery by combining touch, smell, sound and sight. This experience was first unveiled in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The aim was to encourage shoppers to explore Coty's fragrance portfolio. Participants wore a virtual reality headset and picked up scent stones, each representing a specific olfactory territory. The person was then transported into an immersive world where the chosen olfactory territory came to life, thanks to 3D visuals and a soundtrack. Participants could thus discover the perfume that best suited them according to their favorite olfactory territory.
Outstanding multi-sensory experiences
Mirror Mirror by Moment Factory
Mirror Mirror is an immersive multi-sensory experience during which participants are invited to lose their minds and their usual bearings. Multimedia installations are multiplying to offer a variety of surprises each time while encouraging everyone to participate in the experience.
” Do you often have your head in the clouds? Would you dare to dive into a river of sounds or lose yourself in a forest of reflections? You are in the right place. With Mirror Mirror, take a break from your screen and awaken your creativity. ” Event website
A nostalgia cocktail
Old but gold is a multi-sensory experience that takes you through 4 decades in a single evening thanks to a 360º video projection and immersive sound. Cocktail in hand, participants travel back in time and relive the best of the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s thanks to moving images and the greatest successes of their favorite artists.
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Multisensory experiences are therefore An invitation to be fully present through the mobilization and exploration of our senses. That, in order to create unforgettable memories. You have the option of sending this unique invitation to the guests of your next event! In the context of events, multisensory experiences can indeed be used to create unique brand activations, innovative product launches or corporate events that are out of the ordinary. By offering immersive events which appeal to all the senses, the organizers engage the participants in a more profound way. So what are you waiting for to dive into this sensory exploration?
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