Corporate events are a way for you to make time and give back to your employees. These functions give you the opportunity to reward your company as a whole. Corporate events allow employees to talk freely outside of work and allow everyone to connect.
If you’re planning on hosting a work function, we recommend that you plan ahead so that you can make the most of everyone’s time. We’ve put together a list so that you can make sure you plan the most outstanding corporate event, no matter the occasion.
Organize Early
Before you start planning your work event, make sure that one person is not responsible for the entire thing. If you have a party planning committee, make sure that you use them. They will help you to keep things organized and provide input if you need any advice along the way.
Send out calendar invites to your potential attendees well in advance. This way, you can foresee any conflicts and change the date of your event if needed. Calendar invites will appear on your guests’ calendar closer to the date so that they are well aware beforehand.
Creating an itinerary will help you make sure that all aspects of the event stay on track and on time by assigning a time slot to each portion. This way, you are using everyone’s time wisely. Don’t forget to create a budget, and ensure that you don’t overspend. A detailed budget outlines the maximum amount that should be spent on each aspect of your event, as well as the total.
Make sure you include all the details in your invite outlining if they can bring a plus one, where they can park their car, and if they need to bring anything. The more information you can provide, the more enthusiastic your guests will be.
Ironing out all the details and staying organized before the event will guarantee that everything runs smoothly on the day.
Provide Food and Beverages
Having catered meals at your event can eliminate the hassle of trying to assemble the food and beverages on your own. Ordering take out also leaves unnecessary room for mistakes in the order or delays in delivery, it also does not appear as professional as having food prepared before-hand at your venue of choice.
Look for a venue with top catering staff who can meet all your needs in an orderly fashion. That way, any mistakes that have been made can also be rectified immediately so that everyone can enjoy their meals at the same time.
Prior to making arrangements for food, ensure you take into account any dietary restrictions that your event attendees may have. This is another benefit of having your meals catered; the chef will know well in advance what needs to be prepared and how much of it so that everyone can feel included and welcomed at the event, which will help everyone to participate fully.
Providing a catered meal at your work function will ensure that nobody has to leave the conference partially through or feel that they need to bring their own food. This way, your event will continue to run smoothly.
Aside from this, paying for your employees’ meals helps them to feel appreciated and respected by their company, contributing to their level of fulfillment at work. Depending on the atmosphere and occasion of the work event, cocktails can also be provided, especially if it’s a staff social or if your company is celebrating its success.
Overall, providing event attendees with food and beverages helps them to feel comfortable so that they can have productive discussions with one another. This will increase the level of communication and rapport that your employees have with each other and boost company morale.
Make it Engaging
If seating is a part of your work event, make seating arrangements. You can seat employees from different departments with each other so they can interact in ways they would not be able to in a work setting. This helps everyone feel equal, no matter their department or position in the company; employees can talk to higher ranking co-workers without feeling intimidated.
Casual conversation throughout the day or over lunch and dinner can help employees see eye to eye. Having employees from multiple sectors and occupations socialize with each other helps increase company culture and give them the ability to see things from another perspective.
Having a fun corporate event is the key to making sure your attendees look forward to any future work functions that your organization may host. One way to make your work event more enjoyable is by incorporating interactive team-building exercises.
Team building helps organizations be successful by creating effective teams. Taking your employees out of the office helps break down any political barriers that may seem present in the workplace, giving staff the chance to have fun with one other. These activities will benefit your company in the long term while providing entertainment for your employees in the short term.
If your corporate event is being held for networking purposes, nametags are a useful way to encourage attendees to approach one another. You could have a table at the front with each person’s name and occupation on it and have a person dedicated to handing these out at the beginning of the function to welcome your guests.
Invite Guest Speakers
Bringing someone in from outside of your organization to speak to your staff can be beneficial and entertaining. Consider inviting a relevant guest speaker to your corporate event. A fresh set of eyes and a new outlook on your company can be invaluable. Your employees may also be more inclined to listen to what they have to say because it’s not someone they are used to hearing from. Guest speakers can also be very entertaining and even provide your company with advice that could help your organization grow in a positive direction.
At the end of the day, the goal is to make your corporate event a memorable experience that your employees will talk about positively later. Make it something that they will be able to look forward to each year if it’s an annual function, or make it an experience that they can reflect on later in life and even suggest to a future employer. The goal is to grow as a company and learn from each other in a safe space.
For more top tips on planning a corporate event for your company, call Château Le Jardin at 1-888-517-0682 or contact us here.
