Does this sound familiar to you?
Employee A: We went to our company sales meeting this past week.
Employee B: Did you learn great stuff?
Employee A: It was fine, but the location was great! We played golf, had some incredible food and drank way too much! We sure do love those meetings. (Laughter ensues.)
Does your audience know why they are at your company sales meeting? Did you intend it to be all about the golf and the great food? I highly doubt it. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing bad about destination locations and all the amenities that they provide. However, if this is all they remember, you are wasting your money and time. Despite what you might think, your audience is capable of being engaged. It’s possible that you just aren’t engaging them in the right ways. Here are five ways to spruce up a company event.
Don’t Be Predictable
Keep the format fresh and keep them on their toes. Do not make a decision that ever ends with the statement, “we have always done it that way.” Look for ways to change the events around. Do something crazy.
Spend Real Time Developing Content
Content is king. It shouldn’t be an afterthought. Plan your presentations and breakout sessions with valuable and applicable content. What makes this worth their time? What are giving them that they didn’t already have? Stats and charts are not it. Dig deeper. There is something more.
Know Your Team: Ask Questions
Learn your team’s preferences and who they are. Maybe they like offsite events or maybe they want to get the business done in one day. Who knows until you just ask.
Use Emotion to Your Benefit
People love experiences and they love to connect. Use emotion to connect your audience and your brand. Whether it is a fundraiser or sales meeting, don’t shy away from true emotion. Emotions are memorable. Dry and stale is not.
Tell Your Story
This is the most important one! Every event has a story and a message. Every decision should be about telling that story. What is your story? It may change from year to year but your audience wants and needs to know.
Our team of experts excels at storytelling and creating high-level events that deliver your message in a memorable way. We want them to love the event destination, but more than that, we want them to think about what they have learned and experienced. If you want our team to provide ideas and creative content for your next company event, check out our website or contact us for more information.
