People mean a lot. The workforce is what drives the success of any business, be it a gigantic corporation or an itty-bitty start-up.
“Hey, it’s 2017, we’re on the verge of the robot-era”, – you might claim. Well yeah, robots can make our lives easier, but the thing you have to learn here: there’s nothing that can substitute human ideas and genuineness. Moreover, with tech development, employees’ expertise changes. People adjust to the requirements of the global market, get qualified in several spheres, and develop entrepreneurial skills faster than ever before. So, the wind speed gets higher and if you want the best wind turbines to stay with you and help your business grow, engage them.
Planning corporate events is only one road to your employees’ hearts. But you’ll be surprised how big it can work. The values of modern workforce reach much deeper than financially rewarding. Today people want to be socially engaged within a company. According to the stats of 2016, those businesses that engage employees outperform the ones without engagement programs by 202%!
Planning a corporate event: 5 success strategies
How do you help a business retain its precious workforce with the help of a single event? We’ll fill you in on the details.
#1. Focus on stakeholders’ objectives.
Experienced as you’re, you still can’t capture the values of a corporation better than its key stakeholders. Talk to the people who have their hearts and minds dedicated to the company. Get the idea? Now it’s time to start investing your expertise.
Align the aims that the corporation chases with the themes you’d like to embrace, choose the venue that would emphasize your common goals, and select the right event management software to help you with the planning. “Mission completed” is close!
#2. Construct the marketing campaign that would excite employees’ feelings.
Promote it. Even if you’re setting up an event for 20 company members, your goal is to make it fascinating before the start. It’s like a vacation. Everyone loves that happy chatter about each part of the long-waited elevated relaxation. So, get off on the right foot and keep it going.
#3. Build hype around inspiring speakers.
Even if you’re going to engage people from the inside. Even if the stories they’re going to tell are not a genius. Always invest in thought-provoking speech rounds. What matters in corporate event planning the most is the ability to predict what the attendees would like to hear. And then just give it to them.
The presentation topics that fascinate + a bit of humor + an intriguing element = success.
#4. Collect the ideas from inside.
Once again for emphasis: people matter the most. While planning a corporate event, capture the voices of company employees and make a good use of them. You can create a social media network or a survey to catch the expectations of event attendees and then turn them into reality. A crystal-clear message sent to the employees: “Your opinion matters. Your initiative is appreciated.”
#5. Post-event debrief must be.
It takes a whole lot of effort to plan a corporate event. Setting up its evaluation is double trouble. But no matter whether everything went just as you expected or not, provide a chance to rate it. Offer a post-event debrief to the management and make the recommendations that’ll bring a corporate event to complete perfection the next time.
Tips for planning a corporate event
Not knowing where to start shouldn’t scare you. Corporate event planning takes a good pile of aspects to consider. To help out, we’ve created a framework of 4 tips that should guide you along this steep driveway.
TIP 1. The target for perfection. An ambitious goal is always the right thing to start with. Don’t engage with any stage of corporate event planning before doing the math of aim setting. Decide what you want to reach with this particular event. And our tip is: go for big. The larger distance you intend to travel, the further you get.
TIP 2. Select a theme that will hold the audience spellbound. Relying on your analysis of the corporation and personal experience, choose a unique theme that will kill more than one bird with one stone. Note that it should grab the attention, coincide with the values of a business, and carry a big message. Focus on a friendly attitude to the surroundings, incorporate a marathon into the program or take a super fun direction. It’s up to you how you empower the attendees.
TIP 3. Let them immerse themselves into the event. Engagement is what keeps people tuned in. Let attendees derive the highest value out of the corporate event by making them participate in it. A random speech, a quiz, an onsite contest… There’re so many options to perk their curiosity!
TIP 4. Make it last longer. A golden rule for planning any event: it isn’t a one-round deal. To enable mutual improvements both on the side of corporation and event planner, make a good use of retention tools. Employ post-event surveys, establish networking, and prove a long-lasting dedication to your work.
Do’s and dont’s of corporate event planning
With corporate event planning tips in your pocket, you can give new breath to the whole corporation. But we don’t stop on that. To have a super safe road, we want you to feast your eyes on the following do’s and dont’s.
DO IT
- Establish a RSVP system at the beginning. Remember: you don’t need a one-night show, you’re that type of event planners who opt for long-lasting.
- Stake out different venue options and negotiate a networking rate for accommodation if necessary.
- Be a mood booster and maximize corporate event value by entertaining the audience.
- Provide attendees with plenty of notice and promote your event, no matter what.
- Establish partnerships that’ll solidify your event strength.
- Use the chance to monetize your corporate event space with merchandise & inventory.
- Consider using an event management software that’ll simplify the planning for you.
DON’T DO IT
- Don’t hesitate to delegate. Completing everything yourself if it’s a “boiling-the-ocean deal”. The winners manage the projects.
- Don’t plan on organizing a corporate event when the vacation boom has just started.
- Don’t organize a one-day event, build the strategy for impacting corporation success in a long run.
Conclusion
Corporate events are not only fun-for-everyone affairs. They work for building a culture of integration and engagement within the specific company. If you sense the power to become the portion of fresh air for the whole corporation, accept the challenge!
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