Crossmedia: covered in profiles?

By Wendy van der Steen on 18 April 2009

The season of events has started again. In the coming fortnight Utrecht alone will be hosting a youth-theatre festival, an international meeting for modern dance, all kinds of festivities around the queens birthday and much more. The aim of all these events is to offer me special experiences. But how do they get me there? This was the main question during the workshop ‘Beleving en het 5 wheel concept’ that Marcella Bos hosted in the CrossmediaLab on April 15. She is the co-auteur of Events & Experience; The 5 Wheel Drive concept.

The season of events has started again. In the coming fortnight Utrecht alone will be hosting a youth-theatre festival, an international meeting for modern dance, all kinds of festivities around the queens birthday and much more. The aim of all these events is to offer me special experiences. But how do they get me there? This was the main question during the workshop ‘Beleving en het 5 wheel concept’ that Marcella Bos hosted in the CrossmediaLab on April 15. She is the co-auteur of Events & Experience; The 5 Wheel Drive concept.

The 5 wheel concept distinguishes four characteristics for every event: 1) the value of meaning (B), 2) the social relational value (S), 3) the value of competence (C), and 4) the enjoyability value (G). Marcella Bos showed how all these values could be filled beforehand in the design of an event. For experience based on the demand, wishes, expectations and/or needs of the sponsor and the potential visitors. The outcome of the values can be put into a horizontal and vertical axis. When the points are connected a quadrangle is formed. The shape of the figure can vary, which is shown in examples of different types of events (see: www.5-wheeldrive.nl).

These profiles of different types of events are obviously not very specific, but in practice prove to be a good base for discussions. I started thinking whether these profiles could also be applied to other media. Would it be possible to ‘profile’ a magazine, a mobile application, a website or an online community? And would it be possible to create a profile for a crossmedial concept? If so, you would be able to compare the profiles of the single media and see if the combination will cover your concept. Which you then could compare to your organizational profile. A broadcasting company could then, for example see, if the different formats together would cover the profile of the company.  And – well yes - if all the events together would cover the cultural profile of a city. I think we should have a talk to the city council of Utrecht…

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