Experimentation and Creativity by French Event Booster
Experimenting with an innovative solution is an exploratory process that allows start-ups to constantly adapt their products and/or services to the new requirements of their environment. Experimentation therefore plays a central role in the modelling process, which in turn provides an appropriate framework for formulating, developing, testing and legitimising one’s business model. The full-scale “test” and the iterative mechanism inherent in any experimentation project thus enable entrepreneurs to understand their environment, which is inherently versatile, from a creative point of view, to explore new markets and ultimately to establish business partnerships with key players in the ecosystem.
The French Event Booster, an innovation platform dedicated to the events sector, supports start-ups and players within the sector in adopting this experimental approach. The French Event Booster positions itself as a facilitator. The incubator thus helps established players in the sector to identify in advance their strategic areas of experimentation and their associated problems. The identification of needs, the definition of geographical areas and the qualified sourcing of start-ups dedicated to the problem represent the key conditions for the success of an experiment. The French Event Booster also supports stakeholders in drawing up a roadmap including all business lines, where necessary (security, IT and legal), in order to remove all obstacles to the deployment of the experiment. Finally, the French Event Booster is also present to monitor performance indicators during deployment and promote them among players in the sector.
The start-ups selected to deploy their solutions in the experimental zones of players within the ecosystem generally meet four criteria: innovative, reproducible i.e. not requiring the development of significant customisation in order to be deployed, transferable, mobile or duplicable on several sites, and finally reversible, making it possible to return to the initial state of the experimental field.
Here are some examples of start-ups incubated by the French Event Booster, whose solutions have been tested on a full-scale basis, providing concrete illustrations of the experimentation process as well as inspiration for your own experimentations.
The example of Cédric Besacier, co-founder of FOSFOR
“At Paris Retail Week 2019, the organiser of Comexposium wanted to highlight an impactful and attractive communication system, visible upon entering the show. A strong and innovative experience, in the image of the event. Fosfor responded by producing an extraordinary and tailor-made holographic system: A wall of holographic propellers (3mx2m), called WALLIT, offering visitors a decidedly new, creative, technological and immersive visual experience!
Hoisted 4m high, making it visible from anywhere in the show, the depth behind the screen and its transparency allowed the eye to get lost through it. This further supported the illusion and enhanced the magical effect of the device.
This new generation of displays “hypnotises” your audience, arousing curiosity and enthusiasm from visitors. Combined with customised 3D animation (made specifically for this technology), its visual power is captivating.
‘The event of the future will be phygital, experiential and connected’. As an expert in the ‘WOW effect’, Fosfor delivers unique and immersive experiences through increasingly interactive rather than innovative devices.
From idea to implementation, we offer a complete and tailor-made offer to brands, advertisers and retailers who want to integrate the visitor experience into the heart of their events strategy.”
The example of Sophie Chrétien-Kimmel, co-founder of SONORIUM
“At ‘La Page Blanche’, a post-lockdown phygital event aimed at reflecting on the future of events, streamed over an entire day, the organisers wanted to offer inspiring break times.
In a short space of time, the aim was to illustrate the theme from a musical perspective, while offering participants the opportunity to take a step back and reflect.
Sonorium offered 2 musical capsules, interspersed between 2 round tables and presentations: a musical break in the morning and a chronicle in the early afternoon:
These 2 events, followed by more than 1,000 people, allowed participants to disconnect, while providing food for thought. From the organisers’ point of view, they constituted effective and relevant creative transitions, retaining the participants’ attention while allowing them to free their minds.
More broadly, team motivation and nourishing the corporate culture are more necessary than ever in managerial terms. Music can play an essential role in uniting people and revitalising social relations. The inexhaustible resource that is music enables us to create intense moments of togetherness.
At Sonorium, we use our immense musical heritage to tell stories, stories that resemble us, you, businesses, communities, etc. Depending on the objective and the theme of the on-site or online event, we develop customised and meaningful musical events that leave a lasting memory.
The example of Sophie Hombert, co-founder of AGLAÉ
“On 9 November 2019, Aglaé took part in the ‘Cocoon’ exhibition dedicated to interior design at the Palais des Congrès in Bordeaux. This successful exhibition generated over 26,000 visitors over the four days it was open to the public.
Its contribution : Creation of a wide immersive and experiential corridor at the main entrance to the exhibition space. An original floral setting with planters and suspensions of luminescent and tropical plants.
Aglaé has since established itself as a pioneering company in plant luminescence. This concept, at the boundaries of art and science, allows real plants - both cut and planted - to emit light thanks to a black light source.
In its laboratories, it has designed a nutritious serum, with no genetic modification, capable of making any type of plant... luminescent!”
A bright and ingenious idea, which currently focuses on sustainable development and landscaping.
The example of Thibault Soulier, co-founder of OUIDROP
Ouidrop has developed a smart, compact solution that gives visitors an autonomous means of storing their personal belongings (coats, bags and suitcases) in a secure locker. Each visitor has a closed individual locker, which is stored in racks thanks to a robotic system. The visitor is fully autonomous and the process dematerialised, enabling 24/7 availability.
In early 2020, Ouidrop was able to conduct a test campaign with several major players in French events (GL EVENTS at the Toulouse Exhibition Centre and HACKING at City Hall). These tests in various locations made it possible to validate the compatibility of the product with the needs of Visitors and Organisers.
At the Hacking event at the City Hall in March 2020, we installed our system of 100 lockers in the entrance to the event alongside the traditional cloakrooms. Our objective was to reduce the waiting time for visitors by reducing the queues for the traditional cloakroom.
The system was in heavy demand from the very beginning of the day because a lot of people arrived for the opening, but it worked very well and allowed a hundred people to use the service before 10am. In total over the day, the system was twice completely full between the arrivals and departures of the visitors.
Venues have shown an interest in this autonomous solution, which combines a cloakroom and left luggage in a single system, and whose modularity makes it possible to adapt to all needs.
The diversity of forms borrowed above from the experimental field reflects the ability of start-ups to adapt and create new models, on the one hand, and how this makes it possible to showcase the ability of companies, places and organisers to transform themselves into a value-creating laboratory, on the other hand.
The crisis that we are experiencing is intrinsically creating constraints - economic, social, cultural, environmental, etc. Constraints are a great source of creativity and encourage individuals to step out of their comfort zone. Innovative experimentation is one response to constraints. Now is THE time to test, iterate and dare to work with start-ups that drive acceleration and value.
As Kant said, _“In darkness, the imagination works more actively than in broad daylight”. _
When we experiment, the fear of failure is human, but failure is far more accepting in times of crisis than when everything is fine. Start-up incubators such as the French Event Booster are there to minimise the risks and reassure players. So let's experiment together.
Jeanne Choffé
French Event Booster Manager
