As 21st century companies continue to rely more on technology to contact and communicate with their customers and colleagues, coordinating several special events per year ~ where the attendees can celebrate, learn, raise awareness, or make new connections in person ~ has never been more important. Successfully bringing people together at a thoughtfully chosen central location can boost morale, increase camaraderie, secure new accounts, inspire great ideas, or build confidence and understanding about a product.
Seminars
Whether your company is planning a seminar for potential new investors or to educate employees about a service, seminars require lots of space. Since seminars typically take hours, being able to have your attendees dine, drink, and take breaks while still on site is a priceless convenience ~ especially for those out-of-town guests who may not be familiar with the venue’s neighborhood. A venue that can offer designated areas for dining and the event’s breakout sessions saves time and creates an overall stress-free, enjoyable experience. Expecting attendees to snack on crackers all day while simultaneously seated in a row of folding chairs trying to jot down key notes doesn’t pair well with the ingredients of a truly successful seminar. Seminar venues require space, access to technology, and lots of on-site options for food and beverages.
Product Launches
Whether your company just designed a new running shoe or developed a new app, creating a buzz around its release will ensure its successful launch. Venues that welcome media from the local press, can accommodate lots of displays and demonstrations, and are as modern and fresh as the new product will contribute to getting the word out about your company’s creation. Selecting an inappropriate venue that will be captured on the evening's news or in videos-gone-viral will garner more attention to the location than your product. Launching a new skincare line at a local brewery would not make sense, because the location would take too much attention away from the product.
Award Ceremonies
Acknowledging and rewarding the initiatives and accomplishments of individuals, groups, or companies inspires others. If you want to award others at an organized event, you must do it in style – and that includes choosing just the right venue to reflect how much they are appreciated. Having a celebration at the local pizza shop for sales executives who have earned millions for the corporation will surely have those sales executives talking about your company. It is the thought that matters. If you are going to award others at a venue, go big or don’t go at all.
Networking Events
Meeting clients, colleagues from other regions, or potential customers ought to be an exciting, fun, and rewarding experience. If an individual is open to attending a networking event where he/she may not know many people at the onset, you don’t want the common denominator or conversation icebreaker between the guests to be about the event’s obvious low-budget or disorganization. A welcoming, comfortable venue where attendees have different places to gather, connect, and network will speak volumes about its success and your company.
Business Luncheons and Dinners
Even though these types of corporate events are all business because the attendees are on a very tight schedule in their respective professions, your choice of venue is all that more impactful and critical to accomplishing the objective for hosting the lunch or dinner. Whether you are a pharmaceutical company inviting doctors for dinner or a publishing company inviting agents, the venue must provide exceptional food, be well-organized, and in a convenient (for both locating and parking) location.
Fundraising
Celebrating and empowering special groups, cultures, or causes is a great way to increase awareness and raise funds. A venue for this event must be impartial and non-discriminatory in the food it offers, its décor, and the staff it employs.
Customer Appreciation Parties
Who better to thank for your corporation’s success than its customers? The venue must create an ambiance that is right in sync with the customer. If you’re an animal-awareness company, you are not going to want to book the event at a hunting lodge. If you sell products for football tailgating parties, you don’t want to book a black-tie only event at an exclusive venue.
Holiday Parties
Whatever the particular culture’s holiday celebration, you’ll want the venue to be appropriate. Since not everyone celebrates Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanza, choose a venue that accommodates all your attendees’ particular preferences.
There are as many different reasons to gather groups of professionals, clients, or staff members together as there are different services and experiences venues can provide. The more flexible, creative, and versatile a venue, the more diverse corporate events it can accommodate. As you add one, several, or all of these corporate events to your company’s schedule this year, ensure that the venue selected has the essential ingredients to host the event without a hitch.