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Holding a successful corporate event can have many benefits,
from the obvious, such as team building and problem solving, to
the not so obvious, such as increased productivity and morale.
But what is the best way to go about this sometimes daunting
task?
Define your goals, e.g. team building Before you think about the
event itself, you need to identify what you want to achieve from
it. You may want to reward your employees for a job well done,
or perhaps have a fun day to increase staff motivation. Many
events are designed to enhance skills such as team building,
problem solving or leadership, and most events can be a
combination of fun and learning. Compile a list of goals in
order of importance so you can stay focussed on the aims of the
day when deciding which event to run.
Organise internally or out-source to an event management
company? The next decision to make is whether to organise the
event internally or to out-source the event to an event
management or training company. Organising a corporate event
internally is time consuming and costly, but it could be given
as a development task to suitable staff. One of the pitfalls of
organising corporate events yourself, is using an inexperienced
facilitator, as they may not be capable of keeping the event on
track or preventing things getting out of hand. Not only could
an event management company provide an experienced facilitator,
there is also the advantage of having an independent presence
(or referee in some instances). Many companies have been shocked
at the amount of time organising an event actually takes, from
designing the event, sourcing the venue, booking the venue,
sourcing and organising the equipment, preparing the venue,
sorting out transport, organising the food and refreshments and
obtaining public liability insurance, to paying the bills to
various companies. An event management company will quote you
one price covering everything, which leaves you free to enjoy
the event, rather than worry about it.
Choose your event So you know what you want from an event, and
you know who will be organising it, but what exactly will you be
doing on the day? The event needs to be chosen carefully to
ensure you meet your desired goals whilst getting the most from
the participants. Consider your audience. If one of your goals
is to give people new experiences then you may want to run a
very creative event for IT people or a chaotic event for
auditors, but otherwise you may not get the best out of the
staff if they are feeling way out of their depth and
uncomfortable. Event management companies will offer a list of
events to suit your goals and people, leaving you to choose the
most appropriate one. They will also tailor events to your
requirements, and will have run these events many times before,
so you can be sure of the outcome. If you are organising the
event yourself, you need to ensure it does actually give you the
required benefits. It is all too easy to get carried away with
an idea, and later realise it changed so much that the event did
not achieve many of the original goals. If you are organising it
internally, you will also need a practice run, preferably at the
actual venue, to iron out any practical problems before the big
day.
Analyse the outcome Particularly if the event had goals other
than just having fun, it is important to analyse the outcome.
You, or the event management company, can obtain feedback from
the participants in the form of questionnaires. You also need to
consider the less tangible benefits from the event, for example,
are the team now gelling better together, is productivity up due
to a better team morale, or has sickness reduced? Think about
what you can learn from the feedback, such as understanding your
staff better, making changes to the workplace/procedures, or
shaping future events. An event management company will often
help with this analysis if required, and even facilitate
follow-on sessions if necessary.
Good luck with your event!
About the author:
our Seasons Event Management is a Hampshire based Event
Management and Event Planning team. Offerring a range of
extensive corporate events across the UK. For more information
visit the company website
http://www.fs-em.co.uk/corporate_hospitality_n.html or email
info@fs-em.co.uk
Four Seasons - Greencroft, Manchester Road, Sway, Lymington, New
Forest, Hampshire, SO41 6AS
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