More Programming Isn't Meaning
Why events don't replace clarity.
Welcome to Issue No. 034 of Sojourn. An independent publication delivering strategic interpretation for leaders shaping the future of travel and hospitality.
A pattern I keep noticing in hospitality right now: the more uncertain a brand is about what it actually is, the more programming it tends to put on the calendar. A wine night. A wellness panel. A pop-up dinner. A residency. Another residency. The activation calendar gets fuller, but the brand somehow gets harder to describe. That’s not coincidence.
Interpretation: Programming has become one of the most overused tools in hospitality, and one of the least examined. It tends to get treated as a sign of vitality, as proof that a brand is alive, current, in ‘conversation’ with culture. But constant activation isn’t the same as meaning. In many cases, it’s actually a substitute for it. When a brand doesn’t have a clear enough point of view, programming starts doing the work that identity is supposed to do. And it can’t, at least not for long.
A calendar isn’t a brand. It’s only an indicator of how often you’re trying to be one.