Corporate Events: What? How? When? And Ideas!
By: Admin Posted on Fri, 19-01-2024
Corporate events are purpose-based company-sponsored events for employees. More than not, these events are for promoting office culture, celebrating achievements, fostering team building, launching products, celebrating victories, or engaging with a client or partner. Here's complete information about corporate events, their types, ideas, and best steps to follow.
Table of Content
Type of Corporate Events
Though corporate events can be about anything, certain corporate events happen more often. Here are 11 examples of the most common types of corporate events.
1. Award Ceremonies
The company itself or the entire industry often hosts events to give awards and celebrate the individual or collective achievements of the best performers in a specific timeframe. These events can be small gatherings in restaurants or huge ceremonies in event halls. Such ceremonies help promote morale and help foster better employee-to-company relationships. It also promotes a sense of competition among other employees to improve their game. Moreover, those rewarded for their contributions feel valued. The ceremony awards also present incentives such as money, cars, stock options, all-expenses-paid vacations, and more. Industry award events also give companies a chance to promote their business and services.
2. Company Milestones
Many companies host celebrations for anniversaries or achieving milestones. The size of such events can vary based on the size of the company and the nature of the celebration. Certain companies have one guaranteed yearly event to celebrate the years passing. These events are often similar in nature to award ceremony events. Moreover, offices internally celebrate these events. However, if the company is large, they also use halls and grounds.
3. Congress Event
A congress event is similar to a conference event. However, congress events are more focused on a particular topic. Such gatherings serve as an opportunity for experts in a particular field to socialize and discuss relevant topics. Companies send their employees to congress events often hoping that they will learn new practices and concepts with the expectation of skill improvement.
4. Shareholder Meetings
Companies do shareholder meetings as a way to showcase their strategies, future goals, and operational performance to their shareholders. These meetings can be large or small-scale events depending on the number of shareholders and the type of organization. The goal of these meetings is to ensure the confidence of shareholders in the future of the company.
5. Team Building Activities
Team-building activities are important for employee collaboration and morale. These activities are done with the intention of bringing employees closer. It is a way for employees to socialize outside the workplace and see aspects of their teammates they would not normally see in the office. More than often team building activities are done outside of the office in natural surroundings like parks. There are certain companies that specialize in providing team-building activity services. These professionals are usually hired for such events.
6. Board Meetings
The board of directors, company heads, and stakeholders hold board meetings to discuss performance and company activities. The discussions in the board meeting draw conclusions
that are used to determine the direction of the company's future. These meetings are pre-planned events. There are specific time frames within which such meetings occur.
7. Achievement Celebrations
An achievement celebration event is conducted to show appreciation to a company’s clients to its outstanding employees. These events are informal and include a variety of fun activities. HR, team leads, and the CEO commonly decide on the activities for these events. Such gatherings are often held at popular leisure activity venues such as sports arenas, musical venues, restaurants, theaters, holiday spots, and more.
8. Product Launches
In this technologically advanced era, such events are very common. As the name suggests, a product launch is a corporate event conducted to announce an organization's new service or product. For example, Apple conducts this each year for the launch of its new products. The reason is awareness in the market, for clients, and the media. Companies often hype such events in advance to increase their reach.
9. Trade Shows
Think of trade shows like a convention or an education fair. Since they are often planned and executed similarly. The purpose of a trade show is to help different companies connect with their potential customers. Companies leverage this opportunity to create some awareness. New companies hold the most benefit in such events, while industry giants can see how the curve is changing and how they can keep control over the market. Such events are held in large spaces be it indoors or outdoors. The cost of the event is divided between sponsors and companies. Such events are also a great way to get customer feedback face-to-face and respond to questions.
10. Conferences
The main goal of a conference is to provide relevant information, motivation, and education for a company’s target audience. These events are often used as an opportunity to promote collaboration and networking among conference attendees. Such gatherings typically span the entire day and are hosted in hotels. Sometimes conferences can range for a few days, with each day specified for a particular reason. Companies also make hotel arrangements for guests at times. Conferences also feature keynote speakers and others who speak on different topics.
11. Company/Industry Tournaments
Companies host sports tournaments as a way to connect in the industry. Moreover, it also gives a chance for employee families to interact with other families. Different companies across the industry build teams of their employees to represent them in such friendly tournaments.
However, based on the sports in question, corporate sports events occur in special venues or parks.
Steps for Corporate Event Planning
When planning for any type of corporate event, keep the following tips in mind:
1. Purpose of Event
The basis of the entire event is on the purpose of it. It helps you determine the steps you need to take to achieve the goal of the event. For example, a conference for company partners needs to take place at a venue that suits both offices or a product launch event should be held in one of the main city hubs at popular venues. Furthermore, once you determine the purpose of the event you can think of ways to best execute it.
2. Budgeting
You can have the best ideas, but without the funds to execute them there is no point in thinking so far ahead. You need money to book a venue, for catering, seating, speakers and mikes, and more. Offices with small budgets often set up such events within the office space when tight on budget. Moreover, if the budget is substantial hotel halls and rooms can be rented for the event. (Important Tip: Keep 10% of the budget in hand for emergencies.
3. Identify Roles
Events are usually hosted and include a variety of multimedia presentations. To make sure all this goes smoothly, you need to identify who does what. Moreover, after identifying these roles it is good to have a practice session. You do not want to find out your main host has stage fright at the event now do you? Also, it is good to see if the multimedia setup works without hiccups.
4. Set the Right Location
Your venue can make or break the mood for your event. Make sure to book the right location. The event should not be too far for the target audience to travel to and it should not be secluded. Unless, of course, the theme is a getaway/conference. Companies also view events as a way to shoot two birds with one stone. They may offer employees a vacation getaway/corporate event. Huwaii, for example, is a popular destination for such activities.
5. Set the Right Theme
Once you have the budgeting, location, and assigned roles done. You can work on the theme of the event. The theme sets the overall mood, and it should be set according to the target audience and purpose of the event. For example, interactive themes carry more chances of engagement. The theme may also depend on company culture.
6. Event Schedule
It is important to schedule how the event will unfold. Be sure that you have made arrangements for all professionals, such as photographers, caterers, and decorators, and have provided them with their tasks. Moreover, this is the phase that can make or break the event.
7. Market the Event
It does not matter how big or small your event is. You should ensure that people who want to attend the event know about it. Email, forums, networking websites, phones, WhatsApp messages, and other forms of communication do this. You may also need to use events translation services to spread your message across borders. Remember, poor attendance can have a negative impact on the company and the event itself.
8. Logistics
It is important to ensure that your guests have accommodations and transportation. Moreover, it ensures the guests are stress-free. Companies often hire professional event planners for this purpose. You must also ensure that all your audio-visual equipment is working properly.
5 Creative Corporate Event Ideas:
No one says that corporate events need to follow one direction. They can be fun, exciting and creative. Well, probably not the formal events, but they are few in between many corporate events that are just for the employees. Here are 5 ideas to help you engage your employees and create great memories:
1. Comedy Night
You really can't go wrong with laughter now, can you? Try to choose the right comedian based on your employee preferences. You can even present your employees with options between comedians via voting. This voting will also do the marketing for you and employees will be looking forward to comedy night. Along with the right comedian, you should have good food and drinks flowing to keep the mood good.
2. Escape Room
Organize an interactive team-building escape room challenge. To make it more fun you can set a grand prize and play departments against one another. Those who participate can solve puzzles and complete tasks within a timeframe. Such events promote creativity, collaboration, and communication between employees. Moreover, they are also really enjoyable when done properly.
3. Hackathon
This one is probably not for all the offices, but those in development can go crazy with this. Teams compete against one another to generate innovative ideas, prototypes, and solutions for your industry. Moreover, this promotes a culture of innovation, collaboration, and creativity within the workplace.
4. VR Team Building
Here is a new innovative technology everyone wants to try. Hence, engagement rates will always be high with VR team-building activities. Employees will engage themselves in VR games and puzzles. Those with the best score win the competition. The use of prizes also intensifies the experience. Even plastic trophies are hard-fought for bragging rights.
5. Employee Olympics
This is a great way to promote collaboration, health/fitness, and team spirit. You can organize an obstacle course that employees must complete against the clock for prizes. Moreover, when the obstacle course is over, you can have a BBQ with the team. If the budget is good enough for some entertainment afterward then all the better. You can place outdoor projectors for a movie night or a band for some music.
Conclusion
Remember to create your event in accordance with your company culture and the preferences of your employees or target audience. Moreover, the ability to be flexible and adaptable can be key to ensuring a successful corporate event.
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