Corporate events ideas: What is the purpose of it? What should be included in a corporate event and how to make it memorable?

A corporate event is one that is paid for by a company for either its employees or clients. They can be endlessly useful, informative or fun if done right – and a snooze-fest or abject failure if done wrong. If you are planning a corporate event and are looking for information and inspiration, read on to find out more…

What is the purpose of a corporate event?

Corporate events can be held for many reasons at different times and to achieve different goals. All corporate events are put on for some reason, and your event is not a success unless those goals are met. Some of the most common reasons to hold a corporate event are:

• For sales or lead-generation
• To raise brand awareness
• To educate on a policy change or shift in direction
• To release new information about a product or service
• For team building
• To reward a success or milestone
• For networking purposes

There are of course other reasons to hold a corporate event, but generally, it is to promote relationships within the company or with clients, to inform, reward your employees and, of course, to make sales.

What should be included in a corporate event?

You may have specific ideas about what you need to include in your corporate event, but in general, you can stick to the main principles of event management and do what you need to achieve your purpose. You should:

• Identify your goals
• Set a venue and time
• Organise vendors and suppliers
• Market and promote the event
• Ensure it runs smoothly with a detailed plan
• Evaluate your success.

As you can see, these are generalities for corporate events that don’t include everything that you may want for your corporate event. It is essential that you research corporate catering services for instance to find the best fit, but what kind of food you want is up to you. You may decide on a buffet, something more formal or canapes to aid in mingling.

The theme or type of event that you choose may vary based on the goal you are trying to achieve and who the event is for. A team-building event may be far more informal or even silly when compared to those launching a new product or trying to generate leads. Your theme or style of event will then determine exactly what extras you need to include.

How do I make my corporate event memorable?

Whatever goal you are trying to achieve, the best way to do that is to make sure your corporate event is memorable – and not for being the most boring way your guests have spent an evening. The key is engaging with your attendees and inspiring them to connect emotionally with your message or goal.

If you want to make your corporate event memorable, there are 4 key ways to do this:

• Engage – people at corporate events want to feel included, not to simply be talked at all night. Make your guests feel like they are a part of the event by taking a poll for example, or utilising an activity to get people talking, moving and interacting throughout.
• Immerse – one surefire way to make your event memorable is to immerse your audience in your world. Whether this means creating an interactive theme with costumes or experiences or encouraging a lack of devices, there are many ways you can do this well.
• Encourage intimacy – social activities, games, and anything that encourages human interaction are a great way to make the night memorable, while a lack of this will likely make it a flop.
• Inspire people – whether it is an impassioned speech, a moving story or customer feedback, there are many ways you can inspire your attendees and that in turn will make you more memorable.

Corporate events ideas

You can engage and inspire your attendees through your choice of activity, theme or setting as well. Some are more suited for employees while others will fit any end goal. Here are a few of our favourite ideas to help inspire your own corporate event, as well as the employees and clients that may attend…

• Have a scavenger hunt – get outside, get people interacting, working together and having fun all at the same time.
• Organise a quiz – again, encourage competition and teamwork as your employees work to prove they are the smartest and win fun prizes.
• Throw a murder mystery party – nothing brings people together quite like solving a murder. Get people interacting and engaging, and it will undoubtedly make for a memorable night.
• Have an elaborate banquet – you can choose a theme for this as well such as 1920s and get people to dress up, or simply enjoy a good meal and good conversation.
• Throw a dinner party – instead of an elaborate affair, you could go more informal and have people bring themed or favourite dishes that they cook for the group.
• Play games – games can be the key to a truly memorable affair. Most people relish the opportunity to grow down a little and enjoy themselves. Whether this is through sports day type games, a bouncy castle, or even board games is up to you.
• Masterclasses – if you are looking to inform or educate, having your guests take part in a masterclass can be a great way to do it. You could plan a cooking class, get your attendees up and acting, writing, or really anything that you like, and that you think they will enjoy.
• Auctions (or silent auctions) – you can engage your guests and do some good at the same time with a charity auction or similar to raise money.

Final thoughts

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to make your corporate event memorable. The true key is to make sure that you know your goal before you start planning, and that you evaluate whether or not you met that goal afterwards.

If you are looking to host a memorable and successful corporate event, remember to engage, immerse and inspire your guests so that when they think back on your event, it is with a smile and not a shudder or a yawn.