Four Ways to Breathe Life Into Your Corporate Event Ideas

Along with an armful of opportunities to impress your current clients – and wow your new ones – comes with the challenge of finding the right corporate ideas for each. As the events industry continues to evolve – influenced largely by emerging event technology and the way we relate to it – event planners are pressed to better their current corporate event ideas. If you’re on a mission to provide your clients with innovative, timely and downright awe-inspiring experiences, read on to see which trends to embrace.

1. Amplify your event exposure – and add an element of personalisation – by incorporating crowd-streamed content

Similar to live-streaming – which has been around for a while – crowd-streaming entails the use of technology whereby your participants can broadcast their experience to audiences who’re accessing the event remotely. Making sure your content is relevant and engaging can be somewhat of a challenge; by making use of video or audio that’s generated by your participants, creating bespoke content is that much easier. Crowd-streaming can be incorporated in a number of scenarios and ways – if you’re holding an EXCO meeting, for example – this content can be used to unite attendees who aren’t necessarily in the same location. Attendee-generated images, tweets and video are all effective types of content that can instantly transform a stale corporate event idea into one that’s future-forward. As well as facilitating interaction with your brand and among attendees, content that’s crowd-streamed automatically increases the reach of your event. Crowd-streaming video apps to try: Periscope, Facebook Live.

2. Make use of cashless payment facilities for increased attendee convenience

If you’re looking for a simple corporate event idea that will make the lives of your guests easier, this is just the ticket. Large-scale events like conferences often see attendees having to hand over cash for parking, registration or a well-earned Jameson on the rocks. Apps like SnapScan or FlickPay are easy to use, secure and far more convenient that having to rummage for a wallet. What’s more, they make your life easier by eliminating the need for a float or a till. Identifying the common payment pain points particular to your event, and then implementing a cashless alternative.

3. Digitalise as many of your event touchpoints as possible

Online invitations aside, many events still rely on printed out agendas, maps, info packs and corporate gifts. One of the corporate event ideas that’s cropping up with increased frequency is digitalising all event content. These events eschew physical incarnations of the above, choosing to provide their attendees with a far more eco-friendly, user-friendly and (possibly best of all) budget-friendly alternative. An easy way to ensure your guests have all the information they need (their ticket, agenda, seating plan, etc.) is by generating QR codes that are sent to their mobile devices. All of the information they need can be accessed by the swipe of a finger. Some brands are taking this trend further by opting to gift their guests with digital gift bags – in the form of online gift codes or discounts, exclusive content such as an eBook or video, product demos, or free tools. Besides being something that people actually want to receive (read our blog on why corporate gifting as we know it is dead), opting for the digital equivalent of a gift bag, you’re able to leverage off your guests’ interaction with it in the form of data, via a follow-up email campaign or a landing page that serves as the ‘gate keeper’ for their gift.

4. Add an element of philanthropy to your team building activities

When it comes to corporate event ideas that facilitate team building, finding one that truly motivates participants can be trying. The good news is, convincing attendees to embrace a group challenge is that much easier when their effort benefits a worthy cause. Whether incorporated into a charity auction, treasure hunt or golf day, more and more events are adding an element of philanthropy to their agendas. The benefits are two-fold: one, guests are more willing to participate, and two, brands can use these exercises as part of their social responsibility program.

However you choose to rejuvenate your corporate event ideas, make sure that you’re setting them up for success by making use of email invitation software. One of the easiest ways to streamline your event from the get-go, email invitation software is a necessity. Learn more about ours, here.