Author: Tim Decker

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Corporate Event Ideas

5 Eye-Opening Statistics About Employee Recognition

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Employee recognition programs offer numerous benefits, some of which are obvious while others are more discreet. Unfortunately, many employers overlook these programs, assuming it’s nothing more than a drain on their finances. But in reality an employee recognition program is almost certain to yield a positive return on the employer’s investment. To learn more about these programs and why their important, keep reading.

#1) Reduces Turnover Rates

According to a study conducted by Forbes, companies that embraced a “recognition-rich” working environment experienced a 31% lower turnover rate. A high turnover rate can quickly burn through a company’s finances in the form of conducting interviews, analyzing job applications, training, insurance, and more. This can be avoided, however, by implementing an employee recognition program.

#2) Improves Engagement

Lack of engagement is growing problem in today’s workplace. When workers are disengaged, they are more likely to make mistakes, burn professional relationships with clients, and create a negative brand image of the company. However, a 2010 Psychometrics poll found that 58% of workers said recognition is the most effective way to improvement engagement. When workers are recognized for their hard work and dedication, they are more willing to push themselves on the job.

#3) Recognition Over Cash

Employers often assume that the best incentive to drive workers for excellence is cash or a pay raise. But several studies have shown that workers prefer recognition over monetary compensation. Something as simple as a verbal “thanks for the hard work” can make a world of difference in the workplace.

#4) Recognition Is Widely Embraced

A Bersin study revealed that approximately 75% of organizations have an active recognition program. Now for the bad news: only 58% of employees believe their organization has a recognition program. This signals a disconnect between management and employees, which is why it’s important for employers to spread the word about their program. Whether it’s an employee-of-the-month program, a quarterly recognition program, etc., it will only prove effective if workers know about it.

#5) Peer-To-Peer Recognition

Rather than focusing strictly on management-to-employee recognition, you should consider using peer-to-peer recognition as well. A study conducted by Globoforce found peer-to-peer recognition to be 37.5% more likely to yield a positive financial return.

Of course, there are just a few statistics attesting to the power of employee recognition. So if you’re still on the fence about implementing an employee recognition program, you’ll probably want to reconsider after reading this.

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Corporate Event Sponsors

Attracting Sponsors For Your Corporate Event

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Hosting a major corporate event isn’t cheap. You’re typically required to pay for the venue, transportation, hotel rooms, food and beverage, and entertainment, in addition to the regular pay of employees. Thankfully, you can often recoup some of these costs by selling sponsorship packages. To learn more about corporate event sponsors and how to negotiate the best deal for your next event, keep reading.

What Is a Sponsor?

A sponsor – when used in the context of corporate events – is exactly what it sounds like: a company, organization or person that pays for certain “perks” at the event. This perks usually include limited advertising and branding privileges, such as the ability to display a banner, set up a booth, or include their name on the itinerary.

Identify Your Audience

The first step in attracting sponsors is to identify your target audience. Ask yourself: who would be interesting in advertising at my event? If your company sells nutrition supplements, for instance, then perhaps you can connect with local doctors, massage therapists, acupuncturists, etc. The added exposure at your event will likely yield new customers and professional connections for these service providers. The key thing to remember is that you want to avoid sponsors who are direct competitors with your business.

Get Out The Phone

After identifying the target audience for your event sponsorship, you should start making phone calls to local businesses. As with most cold-calling, you’ll have a very short window of time to tell the person on the other end of the phone who you are and why they should purchase a sponsorship at your event. It’s not a bad idea to create a template before you start calling, with something along the lines of “Hi, my name is so and so from company X. We have an upcoming event that would benefit your business.”

Create Multi-Level Packages

Rather than selling a single “universal” sponsorship package, create several different ones with varying prices and perks. A level 1 package may allow companies to display their name and logo on the literary, whereas a level 2 package allows them to display their banner, and a level 3 package allows them to set up a booth. This type of multi-level sponsorship format encourages companies to spend more money so they can reap the benefits of additional perks.

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Corporate Entertainment General

Questions To Ask When Choosing a Venue

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If you’re plan on booking a venue, there are some certain questions you’ll need to ask beforehand. Taking the time to ask these questions will ensure that your party or event goes smoothly and as planned.

How Much Does It Cost?

This is an obvious question, but it’s important that you fully understand how much the venue costs for your event. While there may be a flat “per person” fee, most venues are willing to negotiate discounts for large groups of people. After you’ve negotiated a deal, be sure to sign a contract so they’ll be legally obliged to honor that price.

How Many people Does It Hold?

Find out how many people the venue is capable of holding before you sign any agreements. You don’t want guests to be turned away simple because it’s too small.

What Type of Entertainment Will There Be?

You can’t expect to throw a successful event if there’s no entertainment. Whether it’s a DJ or live band, there needs to be some form of entertainment to keep everyone interested. If there’s no entertainment provided at the venue, you should consider hiring your own.

What Type of Parking Does It Offer?

Your event can turn into a real nightmare if there’s not enough parking available for all of your guests. Ask the venue owner/manager ahead of time what type of parking they have and how it costs. Be sure to convey this message to all of the expected guests as well.

What Type of Food Will Be Available?

Even if your event is only scheduled to last for 2 hours, you should still try and set some food up for your guests. There’s nothing worse than expecting food at a party only to find out that you’re going to have to wait until after it’s over to pick up some fast food.

Where Are The Restrooms?

You might feel a little silly asking where the restrooms are before the event takes place, but this is crucial information that your guests will thank you for later. You may even want to plan your event out so you’re in close proximity to one or more of the restrooms at the venue.

What Are The Hours?

It’s easy to let the hours slowly slide by when you’re having fun at an event. However, you have to keep in mind that most venues have certain hours which they operate within. Find out what these hours are beforehand so you can let your guests know when they need to leave.

These are just a few of the questions you should ask the venue before booking your event. Take the time to sit down with one of their employees and discuss these issues. It will save you time, money and possibly a headache in the long run.

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Charity Event Ideas

Corporate Event Invitation Tips and Ideas

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When you’re busy scouting prospective venue locations, booking hotel rooms and transportation, hiring entertainment acts, and performing all of the other tasks associated with planning a major corporate event, it’s easy to overlook something as simple as the invitations. But failure to send out the right invitations in the right manner can result in an abysmal turnout.

Casual vs Formal Invitations

Depending on the type of event, a verbal invitation or even a sticky-note tacked on the company bulletin board may suffice. This “casual” style of invitations is suitable for company picnics and holiday gatherings – assuming the message is conveyed to all of the employees. Larger corporate events, however, require formal invitations.

What To Include In Your Corporate Event Invitations

While each and every corporate event is different, invitations should include a few key points of information. See below for a list of general information to include in your event invitations.

  • Host of the event.

  • Name of the event (if applicable).

  • Where the event is taking place, along with directions.

  • When the event starts and when it ends.

  • Whether or not food will be provided.

  • Dress code.

  • Planned activities.

  • Topics covered by keynote speakers.

  • If attendees are allowed to bring a guest, include this in the invitations.

Ordering Corporate Event Invitations

If your company owns or has access to a commercial-grade printer, you may be able to create your own invitations without using a third-party printing service. On the other hand, if you intend to order them, be sure to place your order several weeks in advance to ensure they arrive on time. You don’t want to receive the invitations a couple days before the actual event.

So, when should you send out the invitations? A good rule of thumb is to mail them between three to four weeks before the event. This should give your employees plenty of time to mark their calendars and make the necessary preparations.

Facebook Invitations

In addition to sending out paper invitations, employers and event hosts should consider using Facebook as well. The world’s largest social media website has a built-in function designed specifically for this very reason. First, you’ll need to create an event by clicking the “Events” tab on the left-hand side of your Facebook page. Next, choose “Create,” and fill in the name of your event, venue address, time, and privacy settings. You can then invite friends to RSVP by clicking the “Invite Friends” button and selecting everyone whom you wish to attend.

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Corporate Entertainment Corporate Event Ideas

What Is a Keynote Speaker?

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Many people are confused as to what exactly a keynote speaker is. While they share some similarities to motivational speakers, there are some noticeable differences between the two that shouldn’t go unnoticed. In this post, we’re going to take a closer look at keynote speakers and their role in the modern-day corporate world.

Basically, a keynote speaker can be described as an individual who researches the audience and topic days ahead of time to create a concise theme-driven presentation — usually lasting around 45 minutes to an hour.

So how can a keynote speaker empower your service team? Unlike traditional speakers, keynote speakers utilizes a more “down-to-earth” approach with their presentation. It’s not uncommon for them to have a presentation which uses a lot of comedy, interesting facts and off-the-wall antics to keep the audience watching. Instead of having to sit through a boring old traditional speech, your customer service team will be entertained throughout the entire keynote presentation.

If you want a speaker to have an effect on your customer service team, they have to keep their attention. A keynote speaker is trained in doing just that – keeping the attention of the audience. In their presentation, a keynote speaker will likely stress the importance of the customer service team in a fun and enjoyable manner that’s easy to watch and listen to. This is vital in having a impact on the audience.

No matter what field of your business your company operates in, chances are it will benefit from an empowered customer service team. In today’s fast-paced age of the internet and social media sites, any wrong-doing by a company is quickly voiced through cyberspace. When other people hear about these wrong-doings, they will in turn avoid your company. If you train your customer service team to perform their job better, you’ll find that positive reviews and praise are voiced instead of complaints.

As you can see, there’s little question as to whether or not a keynote speaker will help your business. Their fun and easy to listen to speeches will keep your customer service team entertained throughout the entire presentation. While they may seem like more a a fun getaway for your employees, you’ll find that a keynote presentation actually produces a more professional customer service team.

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Corporate Entertainment Corporate Event Ideas

How To Break The Ice at a Corporate Networking Event

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Corporate networking events offer the perfect opportunity for employees to develop invaluable professional relationships while meeting new people. Employees can make their rounds from group to group, telling who they are and what they do. This often leads to strong relationships that improve productivity and efficiency – two key components of any successful business.

The problem with corporate networking events today is that many attendees are stuck in the mindset of handing out their business card and performing little-to-no interaction with the other attendees. There’s certainly nothing wrong with giving someone your business card, but you should put forth the effort to build new relationships and make the most of your time at the event. So, how can you break the ice to start a conversation with someone whom you’ve never met?

Introduce Yourself

Arguably, one of the easiest ways to break the ice at a corporate networking event is to introduce yourself. Walk up to the person and say “Hi, my name is [insert your name] from [insert company or branch].” Most people will gladly respond by telling you their name, at which point you can begin to strike up a conversation. If the person recently performed a speech or presentation, you can direct the conversation towards this topic; otherwise, keep it simple and focused on the event.

Ask a Question

Of course, another foil-proof way to break the ice is to ask a question. If there’s a contact on the floor whom you’d like to meet, think of a question relevant to his or her profession. Being that this is a networking event, attendees are probably expecting to hear some questions. If the contact leads a different branch of the company, for instance, perhaps you could ask them about the nuances between their branch and the one in which you work.

Entertainment First

If you’re hosting a corporate networking event, you can break the ice for everyone by setting up some entertainment and/or activities before the actual business begins. Rewarding attendees with an entertainment act will create a more fun and relaxed environment, which subsequently makes it easier to network.

The Bottom Line…

When it comes to meeting new people at corporate networking events, don’t overthink it. You can run through dozens of scenarios in your head, trying to predict how the person will react, what will they say, etc. However, this will only lead to further anxiety. So the next time you want to break the ice, take a deep breath and personally introduce yourself to the contact.

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General

5 Ways To Improve Employee Productivity

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Improving employee productivity should be a primary focus for all business owners. When productivity drops, the entire business suffers as a result. Your store may notice lower profits, more customer complaints, higher ‘shrink,’ and more technical errors.

Set Goals

One technique that’s incredibly helpful for boosting employee productivity is to set goals. When the company’s goals are clearly defined, employees will have better guidance towards running a successful business Make sure the goals are displayed in an area where employees can easily see them, such as the break room, cash register, office, etc.

Ideally, you should come up with both short and long-term goals for your business. A short-term goal could be something like hitting X amount of sales within a fiscal period or month, while a long-term goal could be to bring in twice as many customers. The goals need to reflect your vision with the business, which in turn serves as a road map for the store’s success.

Recognition Events

Hosting an event to recognize employees for their hard work and dedication will encourage higher productivity levels. During the event, employers can hand out awards to employees who go above and beyond the call of duty. By acknowledging and recognizing employees for their hard work, they’ll be more inclined to strive for excellence in the future.

Focus on Positivity, Not Negativity

If you truly want to improve productivity, focus on positivity and not negativity. Far too many business owners maintain a stern approach towards communicating with employees. Rather than threatening and punishing employees, remain positive in your approach. For instance, you could develop a reward system for employees who meet a certain criteria. If an employee is able to generate 50 sales or leads, give them a gift card, plaque or some other reward. This is an excellent way to keep employees dedicated and driven to excel in their profession.

Remove Distractions

Distractions can eat through a store’s productivity. There’s a fine line between creating a ‘comfortable’ work environment and allowing too many distractions. Allowing the radio to play in the back storage room is usually acceptable, but you probably don’t want employees browsing their Facebook page during work hours. Go through your workplace and identify possible distractions to determine whether or not they should be removed.

Allow For Professional Growth

Employees are more likely to work harder and strive for excellence when they are given the ability to move in the company. Let your employees know that professional growth is available in your company, and maintaining good work ethics and productivity will lead them a more lucrative position.

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Employee Motivation

How To Keep Company Employees Motivated When Downsizing

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Downsizing isn’t something owners and executives enjoy doing, but it’s oftentimes necessary for the overall survival of the company. When employee salary and/or wage costs become too much for the company to handle, they must make the hard decision on whether or not to downsize. By freeing up some of those costs, even at the expensive of certain positions, they might turn their business back around into a profitable model. However, it’s imperative that you keep your employees motivated if you are considering downsizing, as you don’t want their emotions to affect the state of your company even more.

Laying Off Employees

Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to lay off employees who’ve been loyal to you and your company for the past X amount of years. Some companies may have guidelines and instruction books offering advice on what to say, but there’s just no easy way to do it. Telling someone who depends on their job for money to pay the rent or mortgage that they are no longer wanted is depressing for everyone involved; so, how are you supposed to approach the situation?

First, be upfront about the company’s current situation and financial crisis. More often than not, companies are forced to downsize simply because they can no longer afford to pay all of their current employees’ salaries. If this is the case, let the employees know the financial hardship at hand, and that there’s no other alternative for the company to survive. Most people will respect your honest and humility in this sensitive situation.

When laying off employees, act more as a friend and less like a boss. If you’ve worked with some of these employees for several years, there’s likely an authentic friendship already built. Let them know you are there to help them in any way possible.

Keeping Current Employees Motivated

You must also think about your current employees and how they will take news of the company’s downsizing. Even if they are left on board, they could feel a blow to their overall stability at work; thus, making them work less efficient. There are a couple of things you can do to prevent this from happening, one of which is talking to each and every one of your employees. As long as your company is relatively small, have each of them come in to your office for a one-on-one chat regarding the situation. This is more personal than a general employee meeting where you are simply talking to a crowd.

Another way to keep your employees motivated during a company downsizing is to recognize them for their hard work and dedication. Perhaps you can hand out special awards and plaques for certain achievements? Ideally, you want to set goals for your employees to strive for during the work week. If they successfully meet these goals, you can then reward them in the form of recognition plaques, gift certificates, catered lunch, etc. Think outside the box to come up with innovative new ways to show your employees their work is appreciated at the company.

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Corporate Entertainment Corporate Event Ideas

Corporate Event Trends To Look For In 2015

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The corporate event landscape continues to grow and evolve with each passing year.

iBeacon

If this is your first time hearing about iBeacon, let me give you a brief explanation on its function and how it’s used in corporate events. Developed by Apple, iBeacon is a revolutionary new wireless technology that uses Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) to provide location-based information.

Technical jargon aside, iBeacon allows vendors and organizers to send relevant information to event attendees via a smartphone app. For instance, event organizers could provide attendees with floormaps, messages related to keynote speakers, time schedules and more. The range of standard near-field communication (NFL) is just 20 cm, but iBeacon has a range of 50 meters. iBeacon is still relatively new, however, so its function is somewhat limited at this time.

Fun Venues

Long gone are the days of hosting corporate events in hotel conference rooms. Now, more and more companies are opting to host their events in fun and unique venues. Doing so promotes a more positive experience for attendees, as it’s a step away from the traditional style of events. Fun venues may consist of barns, lake-side parks, sports/concert venues, or event activity-based venues like murder mystery dinners.

Sponsorships

Sponsored corporate events are new by any means, but they’ve become increasingly popular over the past few years. As companies struggle to tighten their budgets, they often look for ways to recoup the costs of hosting a major event. One possible solution is to sell a sponsorship to a non-competing company, allowing the sponsor to display its name, logo and other branded material throughout the event. This is a quick and easy way for companies to offset the costs of hosting an event.

Attendee Engagement

Another corporate event trend that we’ll likely see more of in 2015 is higher attendee engagement. In other words, organizers are placing an emphasis on making attendees a part of the event. Rather than sitting for hours on end while listing to various keynote speakers, attendees can participate and pitch in.

High-Tech Events

It should come as no surprise to most seasoned corporate event attendees that more organizers are implementing technology in their events. Aside from the traditional WiFi, events may use advanced lighting setups, lasers, slideshow presentations. As previously stated, mobile technology like iBeacon is a hot new trend in corporate events as well.

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Employee Recognition

How To Plan an Employee Recognition Awards Ceremony

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Throwing a company award ceremony offers several unique benefits, one of which is the ability to recognize employees who go above and beyond the call of duty at work. Far too many corporate owners and executives fall into the mindset that payroll is enough for their workers. If you are only giving your employees a paycheck, you aren’t rewarding the ones who stand out in terms of sales, ethics or other criteria. The bottom line is that every company should throw the occasional award ceremony to recognize their hard-working employees.

Of course, another advantage of throwing a company award ceremony is the fact that it gives your employees a chance to step outside their comfort zone to relax and unwind, even if it’s just for the evening. Studies have shown that workers who are given additional downtime, whether it’s vacation or just a company party, are more efficient when they go back to work.

Rent Out a Venue

Some corporate executives might be inclined to cut corners by having the award ceremony at their office, but this probably isn’t the best option. Having the ceremony at the office will definitely be cheaper and less of a hassle, but it doesn’t give your employees the opportunity to get a change of scenery. Instead, a better idea is to rent an indoor venue with plenty of seating to throw the ceremony.

When you are choosing a venue for an awards ceremony, try to find one that’s near the company office. You have to remember that employees drive from long distances in all different directions to reach work; therefore, keeping the ceremony near the office will help to accommodate everyone’s needs. It’s impossible to please everywhere, but keeping the venue close to the office is a non-biased approach that should give everyone the opportunity to participate.

Catering Food and Beverages

Every company award ceremony needs to have good food and drinks available on site. After all, you can expect your employees to have quite an appetite built up by the time they reach the venue.

Call around for some price quotes on food caterers in your area. Depending on the size of your company, this may or may not be an easy task. Small companies shouldn’t have much of a problem locating decent caterers who are able to meet your needs, but larger companies could require several caterers. Just remember to have event stocked with plenty of good food and beverages for your employees to enjoy.

Handing Out The Awards

When it comes time to hand out the awards, say a little bit about what the award is for and why the recipient was chosen to receive it. This will help to reinforce the importance and significance of the award to others, which in turn will make the recipient feel recognized. Continue going through all of the awards in this same fashion, as you give a short speech about each of them before handing them out. Once the ceremony is over, you can then have all of the employees gather somewhere for food, drinks or other activities.

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