The difference between a corporate event and a corporate event experience
Why is it that so many employees dread corporate events? Whether it’s an award ceremony, gala dinner, product launch, conference, or cocktail party, there’s often a fair bit of eye rolling and sighing around the office when the event details are announced. But that’s ludicrous; after all, corporate events are supposed to be special and enjoyable and, ideally, memorable highlights of the year.
The problem could be that in some industries and organisations, there’s still something of a stigma around corporate events. They’re seen as stuffy, boring, mandatory torture sessions that require employees to plaster a polite smile on their faces while they pretend to be interested in the speakers on stage. It’s high time all that changed.
Don’t plan a corporate event, plan a corporate event experience.
Traditionally, corporate event planners didn’t focus much on guest engagement. Audiences were expected to fill a chiefly passive role, obeying procedural cues from the MC, listening quietly to keynote speakers, and often only interacting with whoever else was seated at their table. Today, corporate events of this nature are largely obsolete – or at least, they should be. Modern event attendees expect a higher level of guest engagement from corporate events. Guests don’t want to feel like passive bystanders, they want to feel like they’re an integral part of the action.
Use ‘pull’ tactics to market your event.
Creating a corporate event experience begins with how you market the event to would-be attendees. If you’re planning a conference, for example, employ ‘pull’ tactics to garner interest. Instead of placing ads online and in magazines – which modern consumers are likely to ignore anyway – publish interesting, engaging articles, videos, or social media content that potential guests would find useful and relevant. Use social media to start online conversations and interact with attendees. Even better, encourage attendees to contribute to the planning process. Which speakers would they like to hear? What issues would they like discussed? What kind of food would they like to eat? Let guests help you create the kind of experience they actually want.
Talk with attendees, not to them.
Nothing sends an audience to sleep faster than a monotone speaker droning on and on in front of a deck of PowerPoint slides. Flip this outdated format on its head by encouraging a high level of speaker-audience interaction. This can be facilitated by social media. For example, audience members can tweet questions and insights in real-time during a talk, which can then (after a quick moderation process) be displayed on a screen on stage. The speaker can then address these questions, creating an experience that’s more like a stimulating conversation than a long speech.
Engage attendees at every opportunity.
Attendee engagement and interaction can – and should – extend beyond talks and presentations. Try to engage your guests at every opportunity. For example, instead of simply serving ready-made lunch or canapes, organise an interactive chef station where guests can experience the food being prepared by a charismatic, engaging chef. Better yet, organise a mini cooking class where guests can roll up their sleeves and prepare an aspect of their own lunch, or learn how to mix a fancy cocktail. By introducing this hands-on element, guests are immersed in tastes, textures, and cooking techniques. This will make your corporate event so much more memorable than one where nameless, random canapes were simply eaten on auto-pilot.
Creating a corporate event experience really comes down to putting guest engagement first, and brand promotion second. The interesting thing is that this approach tends to result in many more guests going on to become brand advocates.
Need professional help putting on an engaging, never-to-be-forgotten corporate event experience? Get in touch with us to discuss your event planning and event management needs.
