Event creativity in the DMC world isn't about copying Pinterest boards... it's about building something no one's ever seen before. In this episode of Event Planner Confessions, Cara Pratt sits down with Danny McMillan, Director of Design and Development at COA Orlando, to unpack what it really takes to stay creatively sharp when you're producing thousands of events a year. From his journey as an intern in Boston to leading one of the largest creative teams in the Orlando market, Danny shares the behind-the-scenes truth about how top DMCs push past cookie-cutter theming and deliver experiences that actually surprise attendees.

They dive into the tension between what clients think they want and what will actually land, why "be creative" can't be the whole sentence on an RFP, and how inclusive event design isn't optional anymore. Danny also drops a hilarious confession involving 20 hand-assembled wire chairs, a living room full of boxes, and a promise he'll never make again. 

• How to build trust within a creative team so every proposal has an edge 
• Why "cookie cutter creativity" is killing your competitive advantage
• What to do when a client says "just be creative" and gives you nothing else
• How to pitch bold event concepts without diminishing the client's original vision
• The overdone event themes you need to retire immediately (looking at you, Vintage Florida)

Don't risk losing your next bid because your creativity didn't match the client's undefined vision. Learn how to ask the right questions, propose in threes, and deliver experiences that attendees have genuinely never seen before.

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