Event Formats That Encourage Participation

The best events leave space for guests to join in, like:

• Workshops — Pasta rolling, candle making, or re-creating a recipe together, like Bryan Johnson’s “Blueprint” night at Maxwell.
• Tastings — Not just sampling, but building: cocktails mixed at your station, bourbons poured while the distiller tells the story, food prepped as you watch.
• Movement — Spaces that shift energy: a rodeo with a mechanical bull, a secret passageway opening into a dining room, or simply the freedom to drift between a DJ in one room and cocktails in another.

What matters isn’t the format or budget; it’s that people feel they took part in the night.

Designing for Interaction: Key Elements

Interaction doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built into how people move through a space and what they’re invited to do once they’re there.

Start with flow. If guests are stuck in one chair all night, the event stalls. The strongest nights move people naturally: cocktails in one room, dinner in another, conversation shifting as doors open or lights change. For instance, at Maxwell, the Elevate Prize dinner began in the Garden Room for cocktails, then led guests through a hidden bookcase into a re-set Grand Room for dinner. The movement itself became part of the experience.

Create discovery zones. Give people reasons to pause and interact. Amazon’s bookstore activation at Maxwell worked because they scattered mini-libraries throughout the house. Guests weren’t told to “engage” — they stumbled on books, browsed, and swapped favorites. The design did the work.

Keep it low-stakes. Activities should feel easy to join, such as mixing your own cocktail, guessing ingredients in a dish, and tossing a ball at a carnival-style game. When Bryan Johnson hosted his “Blueprint” night at Maxwell, guests started with a cooking challenge — re-creating one of his recipes and guessing the ingredients. It broke the ice without pressure.

Engage the senses. Lighting signals when the night shifts from cocktails to dancing. Music volume sets the pace for conversation. A citrus scent at the bar sharpens attention; velvet chairs in the lounge slow people down. Small sensory cues hold guests in the moment more effectively than schedules or scripts ever could.

The best design doesn’t just fill a room. It guides how people move, where they stop, and what they’ll remember.

Examples That Stick

Need inspiration? Here is some of what we’ve seen clients do at Maxwell:

• Fragrance-Paired Dinners: Multi-course meals where each dish evokes a distinct scent profile; from smoky to citrus to floral.

• BYO Sushi Night: Guests roll their sushi at shared stations and trade techniques.

• Passport Challenge Launch: Explore themed rooms and complete mini-challenges to earn stamps—each space tied to a product, flavor, or idea.

• Group Mosaic Installations: Attendees each create a tile that becomes part of a shared art piece by the end of the night.

• Flavors of Football: A sports-inspired happy hour and cooking showcase where a football legend cooked alongside a guest chef, turning fan passion into food-centric fun, a creation of Maxwell Studios!

• Midnight Munchies: A house party-meets-digital-series featuring celebs cooking their favorite drunk snacks and serving them during a music-filled late-night event, ALSO created by Maxwell Studios!

• Camp Weekend Getaway: A three-day social escape with color wars, lakeside hikes, live cover bands, and outdoor meals that mix nostalgia and discovery.

• Chef's Table Showdowns: A food competition where guests create dishes in teams using surprise ingredients; judged by a local chef and celebrated with shared bites and drinks.

These gamified events promote engagement without being overwhelming. They create opportunities for playful discovery, allowing guests to interact with space and people in meaningful ways.

Planning a Memorable Experience: Pro Tips

The best experiential events aren't necessarily the most expensive or the most elaborate; they're the most thoughtful. Here are a few tips for designing a modern event that sticks:

1. Build anticipation before the first drink.

The event starts the moment the invite hits. A cryptic RSVP, a password-only entry, or a teaser menu item gives people a reason to arrive curious. Maxwell’s Valentine’s mixer worked because guests came in already knowing they’d be pitching their matches.

2. Mix the guest list like a playlist.

The right combination of people creates its own rhythm. At Maxwell’s Tony Awards party, Broadway stars mingled with comedians and film actors; the diversity of voices kept the night unpredictable. A one-note guest list is a one-note event.

3. Give ownership back to the room.

The best nights let guests shape the story. When Bryan Johnson hosted his “Blueprint” event, teams weren’t watching him cook — they were recreating his recipe themselves. Ownership creates memory.

4. Close strong.

The last impression lingers longer than the first. A surprise dessert, a late-night DJ set, or even a small takeaway gift ties a bow on the night. At Maxwell’s debate watch party, guests left with T-shirts depicting Trump and Biden in a boxing match — a playful memento that carried the conversation into the next day.

5. Design for what happens after.

The most valuable events don’t end when the lights come up. They seed new collaborations, friendships, and ideas. Maxwell’s Le Alfré fashion takeover blurred runway and party, and weeks later members were still wearing — and talking about — the pieces they picked up that night.

Above all, make it personal. The most successful events feel like they couldn't have happened anywhere else or with any other group.