Make sure your corporate events exceed expectations by following our guide.
Successful corporate events require a delicate balance between being informative and being interactive, productive and fun. Although finding that balance isn’t always easy, all it takes is a little know-how . Turn even the dullest annual meeting into a fun-filled, productive affair with our five foolproof ways to host successful corporate events.
One of the keys to successful corporate events is to request feedback from participants throughout the process. Use our event management survey software to assess multiple aspects of your conference or meeting before, during and after the event. These surveys let you know in real time what you can do to improve your event.
Bear these tips in mind when planning your corporate event. These are factors that only the best corporate events utilise.
Turn even the dullest annual meeting into a fun-filled, productive affair with these five foolproof ways to host successful corporate events:
There’s nothing more frustrating than a meeting or conference that doesn’t have a point. It's just a big waste of time! Add real impact to your corporate events by coming up with a clear objective for each one. Try the SMART method when setting a meaningful goal:
Once you’ve settled on an objective, share it with participants, speakers, staff and volunteers. More people will participate in your event if they understand what’s at stake.
You know what an unengaging event looks like: speakers just droning on and on; staff members checking their watches; and participants dozing in their folding chairs. Keep everyone engaged by introducing interactive elements, such as team-building exercises, seminars, real-time polls and quizzes, and immersive learning opportunities, that draw participants into your event.
If the goal of your event is to teach new skills, interactive activities are even more important. Immersive learning opportunities give participants a chance to practise their new skill set, which increases knowledge retention. It also gives participants the chance to receive immediate feedback from the event’s instructors.
Embrace the learning curve. It can help you involve participants in new ways and, ultimately, grow your events. Plan, promote and manage successful corporate events by taking advantage of new technology. Here are a few ways in which you can add innovation to your event:
To host a successful corporate event, flexibility is key. Welcome innovative changes, such as those above, that make your event more responsive to the needs of participants.
Great corporate events don’t end after the last session. Instead, they live on in the form of lasting business connections, compelling anecdotes and real change. Create great post-event materials, such as like online videos and webinars, that reinforce the objective of your event. Participants can refer back to these resources whenever they need a refresher.
Find out how you can improve your next event with a post-event feedback survey. Because participants, speakers and staff all see different sides of an event, create a separate post-event survey for each of these groups.
Ask each group for their final thoughts in an open-ended question. This question reveals a lot about what each person finds important in an event. Construct a roadmap for future success by aggregating the answers that you receive in this, and other, feedback questions. For more information about gathering feedback from your corporate event, see our ultimate guide to event surveys.
When it comes to something as dynamic as a corporate event, success is a moving target. To stay on top of the game, gather as much feedback as you can from every event. The feedback will help you identify ways in which you can continue to host events that are engaging and relevant.
Start by signing up for SurveyMonkey. We have all the tools you need to gather and analyse survey data that will provide you with a basis for superior event decisions. Then you can choose your plan to ensure that your events are successful every time.
For more help with planning future events, check out our event planning checklist and survey scientist-approved questionnaire templates.