Experiential: Beyond Passive Place

The experiential seeks to facilitate poignant experiences, not simply fabricate them.  Each person who visits a place will have an experience; the key is to guide shape that experience into something positive, remarkable and memorable.

Boise at night, courtesy of sangres.com

The experiential concept can be difficult to explain. A simple example is going to the movies. The product of movie theatres isn’t necessarily the movie.  If going to the movies were just about the movie, the pragmatists and market would cause every theater to close. Going to the movies is so much more of an experience: foremost the enormous screen and sound system; the chairs, popcorn, crowds, choosing a seat, sneaking candy in, part of a cliché first date …If theaters (and all neighborhoods, developments and business) would truly realize this, and focus the overall experience, creating new enduring experiences, that they could significantly improve their profit margins.

This is nothing new to business: Disney has been doing this for decades at their theme parks; Cabella's, Hooters, Apple stores, The Rainforest Cafe, Anthropologie, horse and carriage drivers—they all knows this, as do good downtown managers and placemakers. Just a few colored lights and some live music can completely change a street's nightlife.

Holiday lighting show in Coeur d'Alene; courtesy of fyinorthidaho.com

Good farmer’s markets build this type of energy and experience, like Moscow, Idaho’s farmer’s market—live music on the community square, a wide range of cultures and foods—creating a balance of functional and experiential. Coeur d’Alene is brilliant at experience. From the 4th of July fireworks, to the wonderfully designed city park with its castle play equipment and beach, to the floating 14th hole on the resort golf course, to the Christmas light display on the boardwalk—all next to a beautiful cohesive downtown core.