We live in a modern paradox. Thanks to the internet, we are more digitally connected to more people than at any point in human history. Yet, study after study shows that many of us feel more isolated and lonely than ever before. We have mistaken digital connection for genuine human connection.

Think about the difference between watching a concert on YouTube and being in the pulsing energy of the crowd, sharing the music with thousands of other people. The first is a sterile consumption of media. The second is a transcendent human experience. In our increasingly digital world, the value of authentic, live, in-person experiences is not diminishing. It is skyrocketing.

The Electric Current of a Live Audience

A live audience generates a palpable, electric current of energy that simply cannot be replicated through a screen. Laughter is contagious. Applause is a wave of shared appreciation. And most importantly for my work, a gasp of astonishment is a communal, instantaneous bond.

When a moment of impossibility happens in a live show, there is often a collective, audible gasp from the audience. In that single, shared, unspoken moment, a room full of individuals becomes a single, connected entity. They have shared an experience that is unique to them, in that room, at that moment. My work is designed specifically for this live environment. It relies on the dynamic, real-time feedback loop between the performer and the audience, a powerful current that only flows when people are breathing the same air.

The Danger and Delight of Unpredictability

A pre-recorded video is, by its nature, safe and predictable. It has been perfectly edited. There are no mistakes. A live performance, on the other hand, always has a thrilling element of risk. Anything could happen.

This is especially true for an interactive show where the audience’s choices genuinely affect the outcome. The possibility of failure (for me) and the delight of the unexpected (for you) makes the final, successful conclusion all the more exhilarating for everyone involved. A live show is not a perfectly polished object; it is a living, breathing thing. This aligns with my “intimate and conversational” style. A real conversation is unscripted, dynamic, and alive. A great live performance should be, too.

Creating a Landmark in Time

A live event, by its very nature, commands our presence in a way that digital content does not. We scroll through our phones while we watch Netflix, our attention fractured. But at a great live event—a concert, a play, or an interactive performance—we put our phones away. We are present. We share a single, focused point of attention with the people around us.

It is this act of collective, focused attention that transforms a simple evening into a “landmark memory.” In the endless, flowing river of our digital lives, a powerful live event is a large, unmissable boulder. It is a fixed point in time that we can look back on and say, “I was there. We shared that.”

Don’t just give your team another Zoom call. Don’t just send them another link. Give them a reason to be in the same room. Give them a landmark.

Internal Links: The Power of a Shared Mystery, The Stage Show

External Link: An article from Forbes on the enduring power and importance of live events