Successful corporate events require a delicate balance between being informative and interactive, productive, and fun. While finding that balance isn’t always easy, with a little know-how it’s always possible. Turn even the dullest annual meeting into a fun-filled, productive affair with these 5 foolproof ways to host successful corporate events:
There’s nothing more frustrating than a meeting or conference that doesn’t have a point. Talk about a waste of time! Add real meaning to your corporate events by coming up with a clear objective for each one. Try the SMART method when setting a meaningful goal:
Once you’ve settled on an objective, share it with participants, presenters, staff, and volunteers. More people will participate in your event if they understand what’s at stake.
You know what an unengaging event looks like: droning speakers, staff members checking their watches, participants dozing in their folding chairs. Keep everyone engaged by introducing interactive elements—like team-building exercises, seminars, real-time polls and quizzes, and immersive learning opportunities—that draw participants into your event.
If the goal of your event is to teach new skills, interactive activities are even more important. Immersive learning opportunities give participants a chance to practice their new skill set, which increases knowledge retention. It also gives participants the chance to get immediate feedback from the event’s instructors.
Embrace the learning curve. It can help you involve participants in new ways and, ultimately, grow your events. Plan, promote, and manage successful corporate events by taking advantage of new technology. Here are a few ways to add innovation to your event:
To host a successful corporate event, flexibility is key. Welcome innovative changes, like those above, that make your event more responsive to the needs of participants.
Great corporate events don’t end after the last session. Instead, they live on in lasting business connections, compelling anecdotes, and real change. Create great post-event materials–like online videos and webinars–that reinforce the objective of your event. Participants can return to these resources when they need a refresher.
Find out how you can improve your next event with a post-event feedback survey. Because participants, presenters, and staff all see different sides of an event, create a separate post-event survey for each of these groups.
Ask each group for their final thoughts in an open-ended question. This question reveals a lot about what each person finds important in an event. Construct a roadmap for future success by aggregating the answers you receive in this, and other, feedback questions.
When it comes to something as dynamic as a corporate event, success is a moving target. To stay on top of the game, gather as much feedback as you can from every event. The feedback will help you identify ways to continue hosting events that are engaging and relevant.
For more help in planning future events, check out our event planning checklist and survey scientist-approved questionnaire templates.