No one wants their corporate event to be boring and uninspiring, but it can be hard to come up with new ideas year after year.
Constantly finding new ways to motivate, teach, and convey your vision to those in attendance is no easy task. So, here are five tips to help you make this year’s event stand out from years past.
1. Take advantage of social media and technology.
Encourage attendees to use Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook to post their thoughts and photos from the event. Create a hashtag for the event that allows your employees or clients to interact online. If you really want to be ahead of current trends, create an app for your event. Those in attendance can see the events schedules, learn about speakers or entertainment, get news and updates, and connect directly with your social media platforms.
2. Present information in new ways.
Change up the way you present information throughout the event. You’ll put people to sleep if you plan to just stand in the front of the room and lecture all day. Ideas include creating short videos to supplement what you are saying, setting aside time for dialogue and collaboration instead of a one sided presentation, using infographics to drive facts and statistics home, and even simple slideshows. Try using props, playing games, telling stories. There are many alternatives to using numerous PowerPoint presentations and the best corporate event ideas are cutting edge.
3. Use food to keep the spirits and energy high.
Fed people are happy people. Having drinks and snacks available throughout the day boosts morale and when people’s stomachs aren’t growling they can stay focused. The same can be said for providing actual meals. Even if it’s as simple as pastries for breakfast or sandwiches for lunch, attendees will appreciate the gesture and it will save them time and money. If you want to try something fun and unique, consider hiring food trucks instead of a standard buffet.
4. Use giveaways to brand and excite attendees.
Yes, giveaways are an excellent way to brand yourself, but to be effective they must be something that people are excited about and will actually use. The days of pens and mugs are behind us. Technology based gifts are a great way to go. One great idea is external battery chargers. People can keep use it to keep their smartphones charged during long days of sessions, but it will come in handy long after your event is over. They can keep it for years, hence resulting in successful branding.
5. Hire one of a kind entertainment when corporate event planning.
Rewarding those in attendance by hiring a fun corporate entertainer is a must if you want your event to be memorable. This is just another way to show appreciation and keep morale high. Set aside time purely for entertainment. It doesn’t have to directly connect to your company or message, just let everyone escape from meetings for a bit to loosen up and have some fun!
Sometimes you can even combine the entertainment with the giveaway. Hiring Tim Decker Speed Painter can do just that. His high energy performance will leave attendees in awe as legendary icons appear before their eyes in minutes! The original portraits are then raffled off to attendees as a fun surprise. You can also consider purchasing prints of a performance piece as an unexpected giveaway!
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Don’t be afraid to think outside the box while corporate event planning. Trying new ideas will take your event to the next level and keep attendees talking about it until next year’s corporate event!
Tired of throwing the same stale corporate event year after year? Take a look at 5 ways you can take your event to the next level.
