Successful Corporate Events – Do’s & Don’ts

As you can see from the infographic, there are things that can help and things that can hinder your corporate event day success. Let’s start working through them, one by one.

The first point we talk about refers to inclusivity. A corporate event is for everyone, and that might mean making special arrangements to ensure those with special needs can get to it. It means providing transport and accommodation, as well as food and drink, as we mentioned later. Your event should not inconvenience people. The more inconvenience, the less people will show up.

The second main point from the things you should do to organise a successful event, lies in the planning. It is partially in the planning of the day, and partially in the planning of the fun times you will have. This is another key watchword for any corporate event: fun. It shouldn’t feel like a tedious event you were dragged to at work. It should feel like something you look forward to every year. The main problem with corporate events is attendance. The more exciting your event, the better the attendance.

How do you make your corporate event exciting? You hire entertainment they would never get for themselves. You challenge them with team building exercises that feel like fun pub events, not work-based team building events. You hire professionals to come and give lessons in something amazing – like gourmet dining, bouldering, or archery. You can even give the whole event a theme, making it a party atmosphere before they even step in the door. Eventbrite have further tips on planning if you need inspiration.

Just as there are positives you should aim for, there are also things to avoid when planning an event. Although we agree that you ought to invite all employees equally, we would similarly caution you to monitor that guest list a little. If you end up inviting disgruntled ex-employees, you risk having them show up and make a scene. This is a bad situation for everyone – but especially for you, the event planner. The aim is to have your corporate fun days be so inspirational that the ex-employees try to show up even when they don’t work for you anymore – but without the scene.

The next top tip for things to avoid on your perfect team-building day out, is charging a fee. Nobody wants to pay for the commute to come to work, never mind an entry charge for your corporate event. Don’t even ask them to club together for the bus. The employee should feel valued in an event, not left out. In fact, studies suggest that throwing in some free branded merchandise is a good way to boost staff morale and company pride.

There are two major mistakes you can make when picking a date. Pick a holiday or a match day and you could see nobody show up. Second, picking a date on the weekend is a no-go. Thirdly, think about that location. If you have a corporate event in the office, you half the chances of everyone coming. The point in a day out is to free everyone from the usual shackles. This lets them make new friends and bond with each other, thereby giving you a stronger, healthier, happier team.

The golden rule is this: keep your event exciting and fun, make it an adventure, a trip out of the ordinary. If you can do that, you can capture their imagination. If you can capture their imagination, you might just hold onto them for another year.

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Source: RH Nuttall