Corporate events were once synonymous with grueling, long sitting hours, and unending speeches, save for refreshment breaks. They’re nothing to look forward to, especially because the event speakers wouldn’t involve the attendees. They’re merely spectators expected to sit through the events. Fortunately, all that has now changed. Corporate events are now carefully organized to encourage interaction among employers, employees, and stakeholders.
Bringing all employees or stakeholders together and keeping them engaged for hours can seem daunting. But, with an interesting layout of events, it can be a day to look forward to. When planning a corporate event, you must know your audience before making any arrangements. For instance, if you’re planning your company’s event, you could do a survey on a list of ideas and make your employees choose what they’d like to do.
Here are some ideas that you can float:
1. Live Band
There’s nothing that transforms the ambiance of a place faster than good music. No wonder cover bands and events have now become popular. Hiring a band that sings popular covers that people can sing along to will make the event lively and keep people entertained.
The good news is that you don’t have to break the bank, especially if you’re on a budget. You could hire a local band and even have the attendees grace the event with their vocals.
2. Talent Showcase
Most people in an office setting interact on a suit and tie level. They only know each other professionally. Letting people showcase their hidden talents is one of the best icebreakers for corporate events. It enables people to let down their guard and show their rarely known side.
For instance, you could put a mic on stage for musicians and comedians, make room for dancers or other art forms, and allocate specific time for everyone to perform. Such activities will ensure that everyone is involved, not to mention it allows for easy interactions.
3. Circus Magicians
You’d think that it’s only kids that get fascinated with magic. Well, a. Well, adults, too! Hiring a magician who does grown-up tricks could be the highlight of a corporate event. It can be a great transition after having a chill night. Imagine getting fire eaters to perform after having a couple of speeches, or watching balancing acts where people hang in some strange positions or stand on humanly impossible objects.
4. Blind Wine Tasting
Wine tasting is exciting, but doing it while blindfolded heightens the experience. A stand with different kinds of wine for tasting can be an excellent way to entertain people at a corporate event. You could take this opportunity to even do endorsements and advertise for different wine companies. It can be a way of making some money while having fun. This is especially interesting if the audience (employees or stakeholders) are wine lovers and the activity doesn’t go against your corporate culture.
5. Polaroid Photo Booths
Photo booths will afford your employees or guests the opportunity to capture moments. They’ve become the trend for many corporate events. Such booths are mostly exciting because the photos come in different sizes and shapes. They’re fun because they’re private and let people take even silly pictures.
Just encourage the event attendees to post the images that they take on photo booth rental San Francisco, on social media using your company’s hashtag. It’s a way to promote your brand while having fun.
6. Body Paints
Body painting will make your employees or guests release their inner child and re-live their childhoods. Body art will be sentimental, considering that people will choose what they want to be painted on their bodies. It could be done before or in the middle of the event. To have an unforgettable experience, this could be paired with the photo booth session for greater memories.
7. Dancing Games
You could prepare for such games in advance or make them spontaneous. There are many inclusive dances from different cultures, like the Scottish dance that requires you to dance with a partner. Alternatively, you could play the dancing chairs that challenge people and keep them on their toes throughout. This is a light moment to make both employers and employees connect as a team.
8. Random Trivia Session
Having a series of questions and prizes to be won for those that get them right is a clever way to keep people engaged and entertained. They could be silly, laid-back, or general questions. They could even be questions about the company.
9. Virtual Reality
Virtual reality isn’t only interesting, but also immersive. Everybody gets to participate and feel involved. This will let participants experience games or even short videos technologically, and could also be a learning opportunity. It can be a window of introduction if you want to incorporate virtual reality into your company.
10. DIY Challenges
With these challenges, you could put timers and make people participate individually or in groups to draw or make simple things. Such tasks provoke participants to think creatively and have fun during the process. There could be light penalties for the teams or people who don’t finish on time or don’t do anything at all. They can do karaoke or be challenged to do something else.
Conclusion
Corporate events are organized for various reasons, like awarding achievers, team building, introducing new products, or end-of-year celebrations. They don’t have to be boring—a little creativity can balance business and fun. Just remember to stick to your budget whatever activity you choose.
Author’s bio: Felicia Thurston is an events organizer. She shares her knowledge in her field through writing guest posts. Whenever she’s not working, Felica enjoys backpacking with her friends.
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