A Trip Down Memory Lane

In this following blog I am going to talk about an event I set up and ran this year during one of my modules at University. The event was called “A Trip Down Memory Lane” and was held for elderly generations to come for a memory afternoon with the theme of a vintage tea party. On the day, to interact with the audience, there was a number of volunteers and activities to evoke memories that were to be shared with each other. 

The day was solely all about the elderly generation and their memories and stories. We wanted to create a brand experience for the audience by providing them with activities throughout the day that involved their interaction. Memory Boxes (rented from the local museum) and old photographs and memorabilia from the local area was used to stimulate these memories. Museum boxes such as Royalty, Toys and Games, Beach Days were used, as well as photographs of Huddersfield Central. The boxes offered a range of different materials that could be felt, smelt, played with and listened too by the audience and required them to involve themselves with all of it to share their stories with the volunteers and one another. 

By providing the audience with material that they would have played with when they were younger, or even played with their children, once read, or once listened too creates the feeling of nostalgia. Nostalgia is a great way to create consumer involvement and create brand experience due to active immersion that is created. If the audience hold a special attachment to an object or hold memories around it, it will become precious to them and create a warm feeling inside while they discuss their memories with the object. 

To add to the experience of this event, the event provided activities that reached out to the audiences senses; throughout the day background music was being played that was a collection of songs that were from eras that the audience would be familiar with, appealing to their hearing sense. This was done to try and evoke some memories from these songs, for example it would have been their wedding song or even a song that they used to go out dancing with their friends too. Touch and see were both accessed through the memories boxes and photographs that were at the event, as well as the decorations that all followed a vintage theme, could all be interacted with to add to the brand experience.  We also provided the audience with a vintage tea party element of lots of cakes and sandwiches with tea and coffee available. This provided them with a taste element to the day and could all enjoy these tastes and flavours to enhance their experience and make them happy. And finally, to create a friendly and welcoming environment,

each table had a scented candle that were lit before the event and created an aroma in the room that could be smelt when arriving to the room. By creating the event that stimulated all of these senses created a brand experience as it all involved their interaction with each element in hope that it enhanced their experience to be enjoyable, which we hoped the act of giving money to the charity would follow.

The event was successful, we reached our target of raising £50 for Age UK by actually doubling it and making £104 and all the audience gave feedback saying that they thoroughly enjoyed the event and would come to another experience like this again.