How to choose the right corporate entertainment for your next event
Why your corporate entertainment is more important than you think
People love a good party. While your corporate events aren’t designed to be a complete knees-up, your corporate entertainment plays a bigger part in achieving your marketing and brand goals than you’d think. We are all emotional beings and are far more influenced by the emotions instilled in us by direct experiences than by bold statements and words. While you want your function to be a professional reflection of your company’s image, letting your guests let their hair down a little will actually help you reach that return on investment you’re aiming for.
Corporate entertainment doesn’t just give guests a good time – it lets your attendees sell your brand and the brand sell itself
Your corporate entertainment is designed to make your guests feel special – be they employees, suppliers, current clients or potential clients. When people are relaxed and happy, they are a lot more receptive to your company’s messages than when they are sitting in the boardroom. Not only that, but corporate entertainment is the fuel which will start spreading a fire of conversation during and after the event. Tweets, pictures and conversations will be generated, drawing attention to your brand. These conversations will convey your key messages much more effectively than a tweet directly from your business stating those brand messages in plain terms.
Your event isn’t just entertainment for entertainment’s sake: it helps to achieve strategic goals
As well as being enjoyable, your entertainment can facilitate networking, help you deepen your relationships with clients, boost the morale – and the productivity – of your workforce, help you launch a new product or service and also provide a fun backdrop if education is the focus of your event. You’re more likely to remember and stay loyal to a brand that puts on a memorable event than the brand that simply emailed or cold-called you. The only way to be seen and heard through the noise of the digital space is to connect with your stakeholders in the real world.
Choosing the right corporate entertainment is the deciding factor in whether your event is successful or not
Providing entertainment merely because it’s expected, isn’t enough. Corporate entertainment must do more than just entertain – it must be meaningful for those attending. How would you feel if you went to a corporate event and they’d hired an unprofessional, untalented band to play a couple of songs? You’d think that company was unprofessional and half hearted. Even if your company has a budget that would make NASA look feeble and you hired Justin Bieber to perform – thinking his status and following would earn your brand kudos – the money spent would have been wasted if your attendees were predominantly male and over the age of 50.
Choose entertainment that bridges that gap between your guests’ interests and your brand image
This is where knowing your guests comes in. Find out their preferences and background. Then choose entertainment that will interest them. Whatever you choose – a comedy show, DJ, outdoor movie screening, cooking class – make sure the impression it gives is also the impression you want people to form of your brand. If your company is ahead of trends and innovative, perhaps having an interactive gaming arcade or a print-your-own 3D printing attraction might be the way to go. Factors like the venue, time of day and whether the objective of the corporate event is team-building or networking will also influence your final choice of entertainment.
Getting to know your guests, even if that number is in the hundreds, in a detailed way can be made fast and hassle free with Event Management Software. Get in touch with us and we can advise you on how to incorporate our Guest Concierge Management Software into planning your next event.
