Ahead of their annual idea exchange event, thinkAbout, Pine and Gilmore, the gurus of the experience economy, spoke exclusively to Julie Cramer in the current edition of Leisure Management magazine about the importance of subtle considerations when planning consumer experiences.

According to the gurus of the experience economy, creating a clearly designed, subliminal theme based on an organised principle is key to success.

The pair have worked together for 15 years advising companies across the world on how to apply ever-evolving principles to help stage engaging experiences.

“What’s lacking in many of today’s environments is an organising principle,” Gilmore told Leisure Management magazine. “The theme is the essence of the experience - and if you have to tell people what it is then it’s not a very sophisticated theme.”

To create authentic, memorable experiences the pair have developed a THEME acronym to be considered when creating themed environments.

• Theme experience: to design around a dominant organising principle.

• Harmonise impressions with positive cues and intentionally create memories with signals from the space (set) or staff (ensemble).

• Eliminate negative cues. Remove whatever runs counter to the theme or desired impressions.

• Mix memorabilia. Let guests attach memories to physical objects they actually use in the experience.

• Engage all five senses by richly staging all sensory phenomena.

The pair’s thinkAbout events are personally designed by Pine and Gilmore to give delegates a highly-interactive, immersive and thought-provoking two-day tour around the “Experience Economy” of a chosen city.

Having began in 1998, in Gilmore’s hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, thinkAbout moves to Washington in September 2013. In previous years the event has taken followers to such places as Baltimore, Hollywood, Las Vegas, Nashville and San Francisco.

The exclusive interview with Pine and Gilmore is published in the current edition of Leisure Management magazine, available here: http://lei.sr?a=J7T4q

Pine and Gilmore’s Strategic Horizons website can be found here: http://www.strategichorizons.com