Company activities to liven up

With careful organization, occasions such as corporate events can be used to convey important company messages and event themes in a human and enjoyable way to achieve the highest levels of customer loyalty. It is true that a company event can be sponsoring a sports event or entertainment event; more often, a company will organize and plan independent events to convene, motivate and excite target participants.

While some companies still look to some form of annual event, such as a golf outing with big clients, for marketing purposes, according to Goldblatt, director of the corporate event management program at George Washington University ( Joe Goldblatt), the trend in corporate activity has reversed. Spending on corporate events has risen for many businesses, but generally tends to have multiple smaller events rather than one or two large events. He pointed out that some of the most common company events involve some internal company affairs, such as training, motivation and recognition activities.

Hosting a company event can bring a variety of opportunities to a company. For example, most people do not want to grow old, and most companies want to have a long history. The company will celebrate the milestone events in the company's development with great fanfare, and by rendering the company's long history, it shows that the company is strong and stable in the volatile market. In addition, a company anniversary can boost morale by creating a sense of security for employees.

In order to ensure that company activities achieve their stated goals, everything must be done without fail. A successful corporate event depends on many factors, such as venue layout, transportation arrangements, entertainment programs, etc., and should also be creative. Most importantly, every aspect of the event should revolve around the goal of the event.

One of the tried-and-true ways to delight event attendees is to create a litany of surprises. Do as one professional event planner reminded: "If an attendee leaves early, he's going to regret missing something."

A recent event at the Four Seasons Hotel by a company caused attendees to Overjoyed. Is there anything more beautiful than this feast? Every time a dish is served, the setting for the banquet switches to a different season. The appetizers are accompanied by a bright spring light, the banquet hall is full of pink rays of light, dotted with beautiful cherry blossoms in bloom; while the bright yellow light depicts the bright summer; when the seasons are reincarnated and autumn comes, the banquet hall is full of thousands of leaves. When the frosty sky and the forest are dyed, the fallen leaves fall on the table; after that, when desserts are served, people are intoxicated by the winter scenery. In the banquet hall, snowflakes are falling. Everyone was pleasantly surprised, and every season switch was accompanied by people's lasting cheers.

The Ten Elements of Event Planning

There is no need to be too rigid about running a successful event. But in general, you need to be prepared in the following areas.

Goals Clearly define the purpose of company events and ensure that each company event has its own mission. Is the goal of the campaign to impress someone like a big client? Is it to boost employee morale? Is it to recognize outstanding people in the company? Introducing a new product? Celebrating a goal? Encourage team building? Do you still expect this event to be the climax and highlight of an occasion, such as a corporate marketing conference or a major opening? The goals of the campaign must be specific and measurable.

Budget Determines the budget for the event. How much is the company going to spend to host the event? The budget must be as detailed as possible.

Participants Identify target participants. Are company activities employee-oriented, dealer-oriented, or customer-oriented? Are the participants predominantly male or female, married or not yet married? What are the economic conditions of the participants? Does the company plan to invite family members or others of employees?

Traffic Consider any possible traffic issues. Unless the event is only for employees at the company headquarters or a certain workplace, some transportation arrangements must be made, including air tickets, airport transfers, and hotel accommodation. If event attendees are staying at one location and the event is taking place elsewhere, find out how far away attendees are willing to travel.

Theme Creates the theme of the event. The choice of theme must be relevant to the goal and, more importantly, memorable. Many companies held some outreach activities during the event, such as interactive games, to enhance everyone's team awareness.

Time Set the time frame for the event. When does the event start? Will it end on time? Or do participants decide for themselves when to leave?

Venues Take an on-site inspection of the event venue, including parking, catering facilities, and other features. Ask two companies that have used the venue recently and how they feel about it.

Invitations Invitations should be creative, the first opportunity to create excitement for the event. The invitation must be relevant to the theme of the event, make sure the invitation includes the date when you are requested to reply, and designate a dedicated person to track the response.

Details No detail should be overlooked for its subtlety. For example, be aware of the food provided by the event. Does the participant have any dietary restrictions? Does the event venue provide its own catering, or do you plan to order from outside restaurants? Whichever option you choose, it's worth getting a list of their past clients and getting to know them, ideally asking for a private tasting before the event. What entertainment, music, dance and skits are popular with event attendees? This should also be consulted for reference. Also, take into account the decor of the event venue you will be using. Will there be major decorations on the dining table? Will there be someone in the room responsible for signing? Will there be large props or stages to match the theme of the event?

Recording Take photos and videos of the event for future reference. Unless there is a specific reason why the process cannot be filmed, it is best to have a photographer and videographer present. Photos and photography are a fun way to relive the event.

Picking Professional Planners

Event planning is a challenge that requires consideration of all the details. Some companies prefer to hire professional event planners to arrange and guide the entire event. Hiring an event planner with hands-on experience is a good idea if you want to plan a unique and creative event. Professional event planners are well-versed, and their experience and creativity can make any event a success, especially when it comes to overcoming unexpected difficulties and obstacles.

The convention and tourism sector is a good source of information, and you can use them to obtain a list of professional event planners. Steps to follow when choosing a professional event planner: First, call past clients of these professional event planners to find out how satisfied they are with the services provided. Ask about clients the planner has recently served with events similar in size and content to yours. Second, communicate with the event planner to understand the purpose of the event, an overview of the company, and why the event is being held. Describe to them what kind of people will participate in the event. Are they VIPs or grassroots managers, are they extroverted or introverted, and what is the average age of event attendees.

Event planners should be informative, not flashy descriptions. A good plan must include detailed information, such as the number of people the venue can accommodate, how many tables will be placed, and what entertainment items will be available. If the planning book says: "The color of patriotism is everywhere, you will feel dazzled", it is better to change it to: 400 red balloons, 400 white balloons, and 400 blue balloons will be released. One minute apart (the basic colors of the American flag are red, white, and blue—Editor's note).

When your company is interviewing event planners, you can ask the following questions:

● How many years has your company been engaged in professional event planning? How many years of experience does your company have in hosting special events? Do you have any photos of your past work?

●Can I contact you on weekends or after get off work?

●Is your staff ready? How many employees are there? Who will be your contacts if you are holding an event for our company? Who will be at our event site when the event is held?

●What is your payment method?

●Which type of professional service organization do you belong to?

●Have any of the events planned by your company in the past received awards or other forms of recognition?

Hosting an event abroad

If a company event is going to be held abroad, there is one unbreakable rule that must be followed: don't go it alone, but partner with a local agency or company to ensure the event's success. First, there are two forms of service that can provide you with relevant information for any country. Many other national tourist offices have dedicated event planners. Some countries also have conference and tourist bureaus in order to promote the use of a particular city as a tourist destination. Another good source of information is the Internet. www.goeurope.com is a helpful website for traveling to Europe.

If you'd like a dedicated event planner to help you, look for a professional planner who has experience running international events in your event destination. These local planners have excellent local connections and professional experience to help you plan a successful event.

When planning an international event, you can add interest to your event by incorporating local elements into it. For example, a telecommunications company in Houston, Texas, wanted to hold a meeting in Alberta, Canada, and the opening of the meeting was planned as a country party. This is how the banquet hall of the Banff Springs Hotel, where the attendees were staying, was decorated with freshly cut pine trees and large stumps serving as chairs.

The attendees' hotel rooms were equipped with a corresponding assortment of costumes, allowing people to dress up as a variety of country characters. The wine glasses used at the party were custom-made for the event, designed and hand-painted by a local artist, and filled with Canadian Yukon Jack and Ginger Ale for guests to drink to their heart’s content.

There are also many plush bears and other stuffed animals in the venue, Canadian native art and Indian teepees, Indian chiefs and Canadian Mounted Police, a native American dance team, 15 Canadian Calgary-area violinist and country musician touring indoors. The food at the banquet was varied and local, including beef stew, reindeer, goose, salmon, boar boar sausage and hare.

Whether it's celebrating a company event, recognizing employees, or promoting team building, successful events are characterized by excitement when they're brought up in the future, even years later. Otherwise, the company event will be treated as a must-attend gathering by participants—whether customers, channel partners, or employees—for the sole purpose of "showing the company flag."

The original text is taken from The Sales Marketing Network website (http://www.info-now.com) with permission, translated by Yuan Xiaomei.

Andrea Graham is a freelance writer specializing in meetings, writing for Corporate Meetings & Incentives and Physicians' Travel & Meeting Guide.