Whether you’re eyeing up a gala dinner, an outdoor thrill adventure or an exotic getaway for your team, there's an event for every group or occasion. We’re all social animals, and after the lockdowns of 2020, 79% of employees said they were most excited to get back to in-person events, meeting colleagues and building meaningful relationships. Of course, they are also great for making moolah – 93% of senior sales leaders say it’s the face to face meets that close deals. In short, events are awesome.
But if you want to organise one alone, strap in for some serious stress. Our advice? Get an event planning team. (They're experts at looking cool and calm on the outside, while on the inside, they're detecting a lukewarm cocktail, when a DJ's about to drop the worst song of the night, or when a guest plans on making a sneaky exit.) Not convinced? Let us tell you what’s involved!
Why plan a team event?
1. Build team friendships across departments
According to Gallup, when employees have genuine friends at work, their work improves. A connected team works harder together and has each other's back, all conducive to great results and profits. So tell stakeholders you need a day of hiking, cocktail making or punting, in the name of building better friendships.
2. Show staff their wellbeing matters
Stats show 50% of employees say they would leave a job to improve their work life balance and the key to keeping half your workforce could be the promise of some fun. While downtime is part of running an event, consider the effects of not investing in wellbeing and downtime. Your promises of care may not be resonating. In fact, a study by Gallup showed that those who believe their organisation actually cares about their wellbeing has plummeted to a record low of just 24% of employees.
3. Make vital business connections
There’s something special about in person meetings for converting prospects to clients and enemies to friends! 96% of small business owners say in-person meetings yield a return on investment, and in the sales world a huge 93% of senior-level managers believe face-to-face meetings improve their ability to close deals.
Types of events
There are a range of different types of events you should be considering including:
Conferences
Incentive travel
Gala dinners
Team building
Hospitality
Conferences
Great for: Knowledge sharing, networking, professional development
Aim: Increase sales or customer/ prospect connections.
Creating a conference is like planning a wedding, so don’t go it alone! It can be deceptively hard to coordinate the day without bride-zilla levels of stress! You’ll need the right space, conference facilities and audio/ video systems, an agenda for the whole experience, dietary requirements need to be catered to, speakers co-ordinated, drinks and food, transport considered, as well as those special touches like gifts or merchandise that make it a stand out day.
A conference is easy for a dedicated events team, but hard for mere mortals!
See how we helped Meridian run a conference for a significant company milestone
Incentive Travel
Great for: Inspiring employees to work hard and achieve targets
Aim: A safe, memorable and eventful trip, including ‘money can’t buy’ moments
Incentive travel programs are designed to reward and motivate employees by offering unique travel experiences as a recognition of their achievements. Whether it's an exotic destination or a luxury retreat, incentive travel fosters a sense of accomplishment, boosts morale, and contributes to employee retention.
BUT it’s not as simple as it is when you consider booking a family holiday! An events team will help ensure your strategic investment in employee well-being and loyalty pays off. Ultimately the incentive should focus on enhancing performance, with a desirable location that's shareable and a ‘money can’t buy’ experience. From booking tours around the Las Vegas strip to husky sledding or a multi-tour approach that takes employees island hopping or across multiple cities, your events team can help make it happen like magic without headaches, missed connections or travel restrictions.
See how we helped Sunbelt Rentals with an unforgettable incentive travel trip
Gala Dinners
Great for: Rewarding long service and spoiling employees
Aim: Show employees they are valued and recognised
Gala dinners are more than just lavish gatherings; they provide a platform for celebrating milestones, recognising accomplishments, and reinforcing company values. These events create a positive and memorable experience for employees, clients, and partners, strengthening relationships and instilling a sense of pride in being associated with the organisation, which means everything has to be perfect!
The reception, the drinks and the menu has to be tailored. The venue should align with the company and the occasion. The night should be focused on the team, not wondering when the DJ will start or layout of the tables. An event team will handle all the small details for you and make it feel effortless.
See how we created a Gala Dinner for Eurostar to delight their employees.
Team Building
Great for: Bringing team members together to connect in person
Aim: Help build relationships for better communication
Team-building events are crucial for promoting collaboration, communication, and camaraderie among team members but they can be hard to get right. Often it’s getting the ideas! When you’ve done go-karting, paintballing and a day on a riverboat, what’s left?
The connections an events team makes are invaluable in ensuring a memorable and unique event. Your team might be up for outdoor activities, workshops, or challenges, or might prefer warm and dry land, perhaps in a stately home or cottage. They’ve got the little black book to make it happen!
Read about how we helped the CEX team connect in a Channel 4 style ‘Hunted’ experience!
Hospitality
Great for: Impressing prospects or clients and building relationships
Aim: Show a client or prospect how valued they are
Corporate hospitality is an unforgettable treat, if you are lucky enough to get it! From being spoiled with a suite at a major sporting or cultural event to a box at a famous stadium, race track or golf course, corporate hospitality is all about you and your brand. It should be a memorable day and a platform for relationship-building with clients and partners.
An event planning team will focus on a layout and venue where meaningful conversations and business collaborations can happen, where it’s impressive but not intimidating and costs are kept in control, but the experience still shouts ‘VIP’.
Make 2024 the year of events for your business
Are you inspired to create an event? A partnership with an events management team can open up your business to everything from running gala dinners and conferences to team building events and incentive travel. From culture and brand perception to employee satisfaction, and stronger external relationships, there’s nothing events can’t do!
Get in touch with your team today to discuss the event type you have in mind, and we can offer a free, no obligation quote.