Creating Sensory Memories at Your Special Event, Meeting, or Fundraiser
02/01/2023
How do you create sensory memories at your next special event, meeting, or fundraiser? We will discuss why having a Fragrance Bar will do just that!
You may ask, why the sense of smell is so important, maybe even more than any other of the five senses.
According to Verywellfamily.com, your baby’s sense of smell is one of the first senses to develop in the womb. The olfactory (smell) receptors begin to develop as early as 8 weeks gestation and become fully functional at about 24 weeks. This means that your baby is born with a completely developed sense of smell!
Babies know to latch on to the mother’s breast because they can smell the milk.
Samantha N. Goldman, OTD, OTR/L, an occupational therapist says, “Many mommies can remember that initial ‘crawl,’ where the baby is able to locate the breast to feed right after birth,”
You may have noticed that when you smell an apple pie baking, it brings you back to your grandmother’s house, or the smell of skunk or the woods brings you back to camping experiences. What smells trigger your memories? Robin Darrow, Scentrifugal Events, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, says she has vivid memories of her pediatrician wearing Old Spice cologne. “So now, every time I smell that cologne on someone, I immediately think of Dr. Weinstock!”
Can you smell grandma’s apple pie baking?
Ashley Hamer from Discovery.com, says “Smells have a stronger link to memory and emotion than any of the other senses. When you see, hear, touch, or taste something, that sensory information first heads to the thalamus, which acts as your brain's relay station. The thalamus then sends that information to the relevant brain areas, including the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory, and the amygdala, which does the emotional processing.
“Today, the aroma of a home or office is big business. Scent branding is in vogue across a range of industries, including hotels that often pump their signature scents into rooms and lobbies, noted the authors of 2018 Harvard Business Review article.” “In an age where it’s becoming more and more difficult to stand out in a crowded market, you must differentiate your brand emotionally and memorably,” they wrote. “Think about your brand in a new way by considering how scent can play a role in making a more powerful impression on your customers.”
Fragrance experiences have become a popular trend in recent years, especially for special events, meetings, and fundraisers. Why wouldn’t you want to provide an activity where guests not only have fun during the event, but every time they wear their fragrance later, YOU are what they remember!
By creating their own personalized scents, guests can not only engage in an interactive and sensory experience, but also take home a unique and meaningful party favor. In this blog, we will provide a guide for hosting your own create-your-own fragrance experience for guests, where we offer six foolproof scent blends to get you started.
The Scentrifugal Events, Making Scents Live! fragrance bar experience, provides the following materials, but can customize almost any experience:
Missouri Historical Society’s “Threads” Fundraiser
Marriott Corp. Pre-Philadelphia Flower Show Event, for top clients
Six singular fragrances, each can be worn alone, but when blended, create a one-of-a kind scent. Demeter Fragrance Library calls this “foolproof blending.”
Scent strips with each of the fragrances
3 ml roller bottles
Custom Labels
A velveteen bag for guests to put in the bottle with the one-of-a-kind scent.
As guests arrive, we explain the fragrance experience and provide a brief overview of the how to select their desired scents. We encourage guests to start by selecting a single scent on the scent strip they are drawn to, and then add additional scents to their selections. Once they have chosen any combination, they put the strips together and wave them under their noses.
If they feel these are the best choices for them, our “Scentrifugal Force” team members will test the combinations on their arms. If they ready to commit to this combination, we will bottle their selections.
Often, they decide to select one or two fragrances, and then a dash of this or that. There are thousands of combinations that can be created, just by using different proportions.
While Scentrifugal Events also has a sit-down, create-your-own fragrance experience as well, this is its “speed dating” version. It only takes about 3-5 minutes per person, and several guests at once can be accommodated.
And you might think this is only for women. Men enjoy this experience equally as much as women, as both perfumes and cologne can be created, and this is an activity which men rarely experience. We have found that not only do men enjoy this, but Siinya Edmonson, special events coordinator of the Missouri Historical Society said after the “Threads” fundraiser, “The highlight of having Scentrifugal Events was seeing so many men walking around with their wrists in the air saying, “Oh, smell what I made.”
When we bring this experience to an event, the categories of fragrances we will bring are:
Fruity - This can include scents like Golden Delicious Apple, Mojito (sugar, fresh mint leaves, fresh lime juice, rum and club soda; similar to the trendy drink), Neroli Orange, or choice from many others.
Woodsy - We have used many different woodsy fragrances, but our personal favorite is sandalwood. This scent is warm, grounding, and sensual, and is ideal for an evening or nighttime event, or frankly, anytime.
Floral - There are so many floral options, but we have found guests love Cherry Blossom. A soft and sheer floral scent, Cherry Blossom finishes with just a hint of the fruit of the cherry. The cherry blossom (sakura) is Japan's unofficial national flower.
Gourmand - The definition of a gourmand is “someone who enjoys good food and wine; someone who eats too much.” In the Making Scents Live! fragrance bar, we often use Hawaiian Vanilla, as is it is rich in the aromatic scent of the vanilla bean and is warm and wonderful!
Ozonic - Think of the great outdoors. This blend is invigorating, refreshing. Think of the mountains, ocean, or beach. These fragrances are what spas might be using in their waiting rooms. We love the scents Mountain Air or Ocean.
Spicy -When we select spicy scents, we think of warm, aromatic mixtures of spices and herbs. These often include Green Tea or Chai Tea, depending on the other five scents we have curated.
PreVue Summit— Wellness Opening Night Fragrance Bar
In conclusion, a create-your-own fragrance experience is a unique and interactive way to engage guests at special events and fundraisers. By offering six foolproof scent blends, guests can create their own personalized fragrance while also engaging in a sensory experience. And best of all, they can take home their creation as a meaningful and lasting party favor.