What becomes possible when we rethink the purpose of events and design with more intention? Tahira Endean, head of program at IMEX, explores some of the countless answers to that question in her new book Our KPI is Joy.
Released at the end of March, Endean’s second book—her first, Intentional Event Design, was published in 2017 and revised in 2022—acts as more than a guide for event professionals. It invites them to see events “not merely as logistical undertakings but as powerful catalysts for happiness, productivity and trust.”
“I wrote Our KPI is Joy for the intentional event designer that is looking to figure out, how do we build more joy into our events?” Endean said. “But more importantly, how do we measure joy and show our C-suite that joy actually is a KPI, and that if we don’t have events that people leave feeling good from, then how are we going to possibly have a great event?”
[Related podcast: IMEX’s Tahira Endean on Her New Book and the Importance of Joy at Events]
Endean, who’s also an instructor of event strategy and design at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Vancouver and co-founder of business consulting and services company The Strategy Table, brings decades of experience as an event designer to Our KPI is Joy.
Through personal stories, global experiences and actionable insights that she’s lived and learned throughout her career, Endean demonstrates “how intentional event design can create environments that foster belonging, stir emotions and inspire new ways of thinking” about everything from business and personal growth to how we impact the world around us, as individuals and organizations.
“Whoever we are, wherever we are in life, we’re all trying to fit in. We’re all trying to belong, and people who attend our events are trying to belong. And that’s true of anywhere that you go in life,” Endean said. “How can we use events as that moment in time, that catalyst, to create those shifts and changes and take the positive tension of events so that, as people try to navigate their way, we can try to create the things that are going to make a difference.”
Our KPI is Joy is available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle and audiobook formats.
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