10 Corporate Event Ideas to Set Your Conference or Meeting Apart

Every year, approximately 1.8 million events and meetings take place throughout the United States, many of which are business-related events and meetings.

Do you have a big event coming up for your business?

Some people assume that conferences and meetings are always boring and stuffy. That definitely doesn’t have to be the case, though.

If you need some corporate event ideas to take your next business meeting from drab to fab, keep reading.

Listed below are ten great options to consider.

1. Make it “Instagram-Worthy”

This tip is especially important if you work with a lot of millennials and younger people. The more “Instagram-worthy” your event is, the more fun people will have while they’re there.

What does it mean to make an event “Instagram-worthy”? Start by creating a great backdrop. Focus on fun decorations and make sure the room is well-lit so people can take great pictures of themselves.

Create a hashtag for your event, too, so that people can share and find their pictures easily.

2. Bring in Great Food

One of the best things you can do to keep attendees happy during a long conference or corporate event is to feed them well.

Bring in great food and folks will be much more willing to stick around and participate in the event.

Don’t just serve stale muffins and lukewarm coffee. Focus on the latest food trends and consider hiring a popular restaurant in the area to handling catering for the event.

If the event is going to go later into the evening, consider serving a signature cocktail or two to get people excited and eager to stick around.

3. Give Out Good Swag

These days, it’s pretty much par for the course for swag to be distributed at corporate events.

The problem, though, is that the swag is usually not so swaggy. A lot of it ends up stuffed in the back of a closet when the attendees return home.

To avoid this and to get people excited about the event, invest in the kind of swag people will actually want and use. Things like portable phone chargers, pop sockets, and laptop cases are all great examples.

4. Choose the Right Location

Consider the location of your event, too.

Whether you stick close to home or plan a destination event, look for a place that is comfortable and will provide your attendees with everything they need.

Remember to consider the accessibility of the building and try to find a place that is located close to hotels if people are coming from far away.

5. Use Tech

Use technology to your advantage when you’re planning your event.

There is lots of technology available these days that is designed just for corporate events. Holograms and augmented reality can create a fun and unique experience for your attendees.

Consider other smart technologies like smart badges, too. These badges give attendees access to all the information they need regarding the event (schedule, locations, etc.) and are sure to impress.

6. Think About Your Attendees

Remember to think about what the event attendees will want to experience when you’re planning the event. Just because something sounds fun to you, that doesn’t automatically mean it’ll be fun for them.

Consider their needs and preferences during every step of the planning process to ensure you’re putting together an event they’ll remember fondly for years to come.

7. Choose a Theme

Planning your corporate event around a particular theme can be a great way to get people excited and turn a humdrum conference or meeting into something that’s fun and memorable.

Work with your fellow event planners to create a theme for the event and figure out how you’re going to implement that theme into all aspects of the meeting or conference.

Include it in everything from the swag and the menu to the titles of the panels and the entertainment choices.

8. Arrange Immersive Activities

This is especially important for multi-day events.

Planning some immersive activities for when the meetings and panels are over will help to keep people excited and give them a chance to kick their heels up at the end of the day.

Things like escape rooms and arcade games are great options.

9. Reward Your Attendees

Use your upcoming corporate event as an opportunity to celebrate those in attendance.

Handing out a plaque award or certificate is a great way to let them know that you appreciate them and all their hard work. 

You might want to let those whom you’re going to honor know about the award ahead of time to ensure they’re present during the ceremony. 

10. Bring in Entertainment

If your attendees have a great performance to look forward to on the last day of the event, they’re going to be much more excited about and eager to attend the event.

Consider bringing in a popular singer or band to entertain everyone at the end of the event and thank them for their participation.

You could also hire a different type of entertainer, such as a standup comedian or a magician to put on a fun show.

Bonus Tip: Don’t Forget to Follow Up

Finally, don’t forget to follow up with attendees once the event is over.

Send an email and ask them what they enjoyed about the event and what they’d like to see done differently in the future. This will make planning next year’s event much easier because you’ll have plenty of information to work with.

The sooner you can follow up with attendees the better. Try to send out emails within a week of the event so that it’s fresh in people’s minds.

Need More Corporate Event Ideas?

As you can see, there are tons of ways that you can make your next corporate event a bit more fun.

It’s definitely possible to combine work and play with these 10 corporate event ideas. 

Do you need more help coming up with ideas for your business? Whether it’s planning business events or making positive changes to your workplace, we’ve got lots of resources available to you.

Be sure to check out the business articles on our site today to learn more!