Tiffany Rose Goodyear encourages event planners to make scent a priority. | Photo courtesy of Scentex
When people think about what makes an event memorable, they usually picture lighting, music, food or décor. But, according to Denver-based Scentex founder Tiffany Rose Goodyear, there’s another element shaping how guests experience a space: scent. We asked Goodyear about “scentscaping,” how fragrance can shape an experience, and why it may matter more than people realize.
You say scent is often overlooked when people design experiences. What do you mean by that? “I feel like thinking about scent (should) encapsulate 99.99999% of the experience creation industry,” Goodyear says. “It is my personal manifesto to get scent on the event checklist.” She says scent is always present in a space, even if people don’t consciously notice it. “Every venue, every space you’ve ever walked in, has a scent. We don’t talk about scent. We’re not taught how to talk about it.”
What exactly is scentscaping? Goodyear describes it as “a shared, intentional, strategic scented experience to pair with the rest of the event elements.” Her background in advertising shapes how she thinks about scent’s role in creating a memorable environment. “Research says that the more parts of your brain that are activated at the same time, with the same storyline, the greater the memory is,” she says. Because the olfactory system connects directly to emotion and memory centers in the brain, scent can help deepen engagement and recall long after an event ends.
How does scentscaping work in practice? Scentex collaborates with planners and designers to add fragrance as an additional layer to an existing experience. “We think of ourselves as the sprinkles on the icing on the cake,” Goodyear says. “You don’t have to have the scent. It’s purely an additive.” Because scent behaves differently from visible design elements, the work often requires adjustments in real time. “Every event is different,” she says. “You can’t see it, but we’re making real-time decisions.”
Why do you think scent will become more important? Goodyear believes scent may become more relevant as people seek deeper in-person experiences. “I think scent lends itself to a more human experience,” she says. “For that alone, it will become more important.” Her advice for anyone curious about scent is simple: “Use your nose. Every time you walk into a venue, take a deep breath and smell the space you’re inviting your guests into, and know that you can use scent as a tool in your toolbox to create an experience.”
