The event atmosphere.
Part 1: Vision

The event atmosphere is created by many different factors. In this posts series, we are going to discuss how the outside world affects human emotions.
All information about the world comes to a human through senses. Our emotions strongly depend on what we see, hear, touch, smell and taste. Therefore, it is very important that everything that surrounds the guests at your event is perfect.
The task of the event planner is to activate all senses of your guests in such a way that all incoming information emphasises the concept and the idea of your event. If everything is right, then the emotions created by every sense enhance each other. That means that the atmosphere of your event will stay in people's hearts.
Light influences greatly on our mood, emotions, creativity and decisiveness. Unsurprisingly, the selection of proper lighting is one of the ways to create a special atmosphere. A professional event planner considers the characteristics of light in each zone of the event to drive the participants into the necessary mood.
Imagine yourself entering an expensive restaurant. Soft dimmed light. Tables are decorated with burning candles. You are seated at a table and in a while, you begin to feel relaxed. Restaurants use such lighting intentionally. In 2014, scientists have proven that soft dimmed light relaxes, and besides that, people tend to eat slower and consume less food.
A few other examples of how to use light wisely. Bright light amplifies any emotion, and natural light makes us happier. Light of the blue shade increases our productivity, and warm white light improves our social skills, helps to resolve conflicts and enhances the abilities of team-working.
In my work, I always take into account the properties of light, because the event mood depends on it.
The colour palette also plays a rather important role in creating a unique atmosphere of the event. A tremendous number of research projects has addressed the influence of colours on the human state. In psychology and medicine, there exist entire divisions that work with colours.
Colours are actively used in marketing and advertising to control our decisions. The task of an event planner is to use colours as a tool to create a desired atmosphere at the event. Research, conducted by Mehta and Zhu in 2009, has shown that the blue colour improves creativity and innovativeness, while the red colour is associated with danger, improves productivity and sharpens the attention to detail. The yellow and orange colours increase appetite, and an environment of the sky-blue or green colour has a calming effect.
Besides, colours possess different symbolism and have various meanings depending on the country or region. In Western culture, the white colour is associated with purity and elegance; it is the colour of the bridal dress. But in some Asian counties, it is the colour of death, and people do wear it at funerals.
When planning on a colour palette for your event, we will consider also lighting and setting, because they greatly impact on the perception of colour shades. All in all, colours will help us create the desired mood at your event.
Visual details also play an important role in the atmosphere of your event. Organiser's task is to think up the style and location of the details in advance to maximally exploit their usefulness for your guests.
There are two critical aspects: informational and aesthetic. Both are equally important in creating the atmosphere.
Let us first discuss the informational part. The guests should be able to locate themselves at your event. Informative invitations, various marks, sitting arrangements, menu—all these signify concern about your guests.
The aesthetic part ensures that all the details are created in the identical style and highlight the theme and the idea of your event. The decorations of the venue also create certain aesthetics. Too little or too much decor will ruin the overall impression of your event.
All visual details must perform their functions precisely and not annoy the guests. In my work, I pay great attention to details because I consider them exceptionally valuable for building a special atmosphere at your event.

In conclusion...

Of course, all the above-mentioned information is just the tip of an iceberg of possible visual effects. You can find tons of materials in the books and the Internet :)
And next time we will talk about hearing and how to use it for our goal to create an unforgettable event.