No Left Turns: What Events Can Learn from UPS

When UPS made the surprising decision to redesign its delivery routes to avoid left turns, the move seemed counterintuitive. Turning right more often appeared to lengthen travel paths. Yet this operational shift produced significant gains. By reducing idle time at intersections, UPS cut fuel costs, improved delivery efficiency and lowered carbon emissions (Goldman & Gorham, 2006). The strategy worked because it removed a repeated friction point that slowed progress.

Events have similar friction points. They often emerge not from dramatic failures but from routine habits and inherited processes. Event leaders can unlock meaningful improvement by examining their own left turns. These are the decisions that feel familiar but reduce efficiency, increase cost or limit strategic impact.

Understanding and removing these turns can reshape the effectiveness of an event portfolio.

Overloaded Agendas Reduce Learning and Engagement

Many conferences attempt to deliver more value by adding more sessions. Packed agendas may seem productive, but they ignore how adults absorb and retain information. Research shows that learning improves when participants have space to reflect, process and apply what they have learned (Brown et al., 2014). Overloaded programs reduce this space. Participants move from room to room without time to synthesize ideas, which weakens both satisfaction and long-term impact.

Strategic event design requires intentional pacing. Reducing session volume can enhance the quality of interaction, increase relevance and create more meaningful engagement with speakers and peers.

Defaulting to Keynotes and Panels Limits Modern Learning

Keynotes and panels are reliable formats, but they often fail to support deeper learning. Panels in particular tend to dilute insight by overcrowding the conversation. They provide breadth, not depth, and they reduce opportunities for attendees to interact with content in meaningful ways.

Contemporary learning design has demonstrated the value of formats that promote engagement, peer exchange and practical application (Taylor & Marienau, 2016). Workshops, roundtables design labs and facilitated discussions often outperform passive formats in terms of relevance and retention. Reducing reliance on traditional formats can increase satisfaction and support stronger learning outcomes.

Legacy Sponsorship Models No Longer Deliver Value

Many event teams still organize sponsorship programs around branding visibility and physical presence. These models were effective in previous decades, but they no longer reflect what sponsors expect or what attendees find meaningful. Research across the events industry has shown a shift toward outcome-based sponsorship where partners seek engagement, impact and measurable return (Event Marketing Institute, 2022).

Saying no to poorly aligned sponsorship opportunities creates space for stronger partnerships. Integrated sponsor activations tied to attendee needs can increase value for all stakeholders. Event teams can benefit by shifting from transactional models to relational ones that emphasize relevance and outcomes.

Measuring Volume Instead of Value Limits Insight

Events have long measured success through metrics such as attendance session counts and page views. These volume-based indicators are easy to track, but they provide an incomplete picture of effectiveness. Value-based metrics show whether participants learned something useful, felt connected or changed behavior after the event.

Organizations that evaluate learning retention, networking quality and sponsor outcomes develop a more accurate understanding of impact. Shifting from volume to value increases strategic clarity and strengthens future planning.

Using the Same Venues and Vendors Without Reevaluating Fit Creates Missed Opportunities

Venue and vendor decisions often remain unchanged for years. Familiar partners provide comfort, but market factors change. Attendee expectations evolve. Costs fluctuate. New models emerge. When organizations do not reevaluate their assumptions, they may overlook opportunities for improvement.

Regular venue and partner assessments can help event teams identify better alignment, negotiate improved agreements and ensure operational decisions support strategic goals.

Technology Adoption Without Purpose Creates Inefficiency

Technology continues to shape the events industry, yet not every tool offers measurable value. When event teams adopt platforms without clear objectives, they risk increasing complexity rather than improving outcomes. Technology should remove friction, deepen engagement or expand reach. If it does not achieve one of those purposes, it becomes another left turn.

Effective technology planning begins with desired outcomes, not tools. When teams define what they want participants to learn, feel or do, they can identify solutions that support those goals.

The Final Word

Routine decisions can carry hidden costs. UPS demonstrated that removing small inefficiencies can produce large gains. Event teams have similar opportunities. When leaders identify and eliminate left turns, they free time resources and focus for decisions that strengthen strategy and improve participant outcomes. The result is an event ecosystem that performs with greater clarity, purpose and value.

How We Can Help

Eventcraft Studios works with associations and mission-driven organizations to reduce inefficiencies and strengthen the strategic impact of their event portfolios. We help teams align purpose, modernize experience and build measurable outcomes that support long-term growth.

Contact us at todd@eventcraftstudios.com or www.eventcraftstudios.com/contact.

References

Brown, P. C., Roediger, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A. (2014). Make it stick: The science of successful learning. Harvard University Press.

Event Marketing Institute. (2022). EventTrack: Event marketing industry report. Event Marketing Institute.

Goldman, T., & Gorham, R. (2006). Sustainable urban transport: Four innovative directions. Technology in Society, 28(1-2), 261–273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2005.10.007

Taylor, K., & Marienau, C. (2016). Facilitating learning with the adult brain in mind. Jossey-Bass.

© Eventcraft Studios. Originally published 2025. All rights reserved.
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