A corporate event can be a drag when it’s poorly executed. It can either be forgettable or memorable for the wrong reasons. Well, your goal should be to create positive memories for attendees when you’re organising your own corporate event. Whether you’re hiring a corporate event planner or handling most of the planning yourself, you should not overlook any detail, ensure you have the right equipment, and have enough people on board to carry out every task. Therefore, this article includes corporate event management tips that can help you make your event memorable.
The focus of this article is to go beyond the usual planning tips of offline or online event production. Instead, we’ll help you do certain things that your audience will remember for months. So, here’s what you should know.
Encourage Social Interaction to Create an Intimate Setting
Corporate events can often feel detached from people because they deal a lot with numbers, goals, and results. You can help change that by encouraging social interaction among attendees. One way to do that is through the seating arrangement. Instead of having all attendees face the stage where keynote speakers will address them, you could have round tables where small groups of attendees can sit together. This way, they’re more likely to talk to each other during the breaks than if their view was simply focused on the stage.
If you have limited seating options, you can consider creating break sessions where small groups can interact with each other. It can help to have a planned activity. For example, one attendee could discuss an idea or an issue, and the rest can offer their feedback.
Fostering communication and interactivity through an intimate setting can help many attendees take away ideas and new connections, for which they’ll have your event to thank. Better interactivity is something that should be prioritised with all corporate event management.
In the case of an online event, you could have attendees interact virtually. Perhaps in certain segments, they can communicate through video or audio calls within small groups. If not, then a live chat is another way to communicate.
Allow Your Attendees to Interact with the Keynote Speakers
One of the main features of a corporate event is to promote networking among professionals. Therefore, it’s a good idea to give your audience members enough time to engage with the keynote speakers of the event. Whether that’s through a ‘Q and A’ section after their presentations or simply allowing them to interact with people afterwards is up to you. In some cases, people attend an event simply because of the speakers (provided that they’re renowned for their work). So, if you enable and encourage interaction among speakers and audiences, the latter can get some great educational experiences that they’ll surely remember.
Set the Ambience with Good Décor
If you’re hosting an in-person event, then you should pay close attention to your décor. Create the right ambience that’s hard to forget by taking into account how you can positively affect your audience’s senses.
Incorporate colours into the design of the event. You can use it as an expressive element to showcase a fresh and unique feel. Also, using your company logo’s colours can keep some consistency with the theme. That said, it’s best to pick bright and warm colours for a comfortable atmosphere. Make sure the lighting is exceptional and the furnishing is comfortable and elegant. Good lighting can help attendees take photos with ease.
It can help if the venue smells good too. Instead of using artificial air fresheners, you could include flowers and plants as part of your décor. So, in addition to looking great, it will also help leave a fresh and pleasant fragrance in every room.
You’ll have to approach this aspect a little differently with online event production. In that case, you could focus on the visual and aural aspects. Make sure that your video quality is high and the audio is crisp and clear with minimal to no distortion.
Make Your Event Inspirational
Your event can only be truly memorable if it appeals to people’s emotions—not just their minds. Therefore, you should tailor the content of the event so that it’s inspirational and informative. An informative event alone can be forgettable, so don’t approach it that way.
If you’re inviting speakers, then have them talk about their journeys. Allow them to discuss certain hardships and what they did to overcome those problems. Therefore, it can help when they contextualize their solutions instead of simply presenting them. When attendees can begin to see the struggle and the growth, they can picture themselves doing the same. In some cases, it can help change their outlook on their lives and careers, and they’ll also remember your event as the place where it all started.
Thank Your Attendees and Give Them a Token of Appreciation
It’s vital that you close your event strongly. Thus, you can consult your corporate event planner to help create customizable gift options for attendees as thanks for being a part of the event. For example, you could attendees pick between a large gift and multiple smaller ones.
On the other hand, you could conclude the event with a fantastic lunch or dinner. Keep multiple options so that there’s something for everyone. Also, include vegetarian and vegan options so that it’s more inclusive. Better inclusivity will not go amiss.
Last Few Words
When you’re planning a corporate event, it’s important that you focus on your attendees’ experience. If you prioritise a fun, exciting, inspirational, and informative event for them, the event will automatically become memorable.
If you’re looking for an in-person and virtual event solution in the UK, you can check out Seven Events. This company can help organise a variety of events, including corporate ones, by offering the necessary supplies, planning services, and much more.