Corporate event planners need to connect the dots between specific business goals and types of events. Trying to determine what types of events are best for achieving your organization’s unique goals can be challenging because there are so many possibilities.
Some dilemmas can be resolved by focusing on the top 6 best types of events for companies and what you can expect to gain from each of them. We will also include plenty of data to help you start planning. But first, a quick definition:
How are event types classified? Types of events can be divided into corporate, private, or charitable. Corporate events are focused on business and users, while private events are focused on private purposes, and charity events are intended for a humanitarian purpose.
The best corporate events have concrete and achievable goals. This makes sense given the cost and amount of planning required by each of them. If you’re new to corporate event planning or just looking for more inspiration to achieve business goals, you’ll find it helpful to keep reading.
The best types of business events to achieve business goals
In this section, we will deal with the top 4 best corporate events. Each type includes a brief description and details of what business goals are best for, what type of space you need, how to plan the look of the event, and examples of leading brands from which you can learn something.
1. Conferences
A conference is a large event (visitor numbers are usually in the hundreds or thousands) focused on a central theme or industry, and usually lasts for several days. Activities for this type of event include speakers, exhibition space, competitions and networking opportunities for participants, as well as more informal gatherings before and after the conference.
Best for the following business goals: increasing product or brand awareness, increasing sales, positioning the company as an expert in a specific area.
Ideal locations for this type of event: congress and conference centers.
Setup for this type of event: The setup will work well at the conference, allowing participants to be as close to the speakers as possible, to have a good view of the stage and enough space. The cinema set-up will allow you to keep your attention on stage, and the banquet set-up will make it easier to group people during breaks.
Real-world example: TechCrunch Disrupt is an annual conference aimed at connecting startups with investors and educating participants about the latest trends in technology. Their list of speakers includes a number of prominent names, and it is these partnerships that help them secure their image as the most important resource for the latest news and innovation in technology.
Conclusions:
Conferences are a great spot to help your audience get to know your company and brand better. Follow the good example of TechCrunch and invite speakers who are recognizable to your audience. Don’t limit yourself to just the famous – micro influencers have a more affordable price and often have a loyal fan base.If you want to learn more about our conference organization service, click on the link.
2. Trade fairs
Fairs under one main theme bring together a lot of brands. This interactive event tip weakens the exhibition spaces and interesting partners to create unforgettable experiences for your audience.
Best for the following goals: when you want to show new newspapers and look at products, connect with your public in-ear, gather a list of contacts for sales and marketing activities.
Ideal locations for this type of event: congress and conference centers, universities.
Set up for this event tip: set in the form of a solution, it is recommended that exhibition spaces be placed in alleys, which is a spatial use and brands can be grouped into relevant categories. Such a set public will help to better pay for what the exhibitions will simply visit, as well as to discover some new brands nearby that they might like.
Real-world example: Natural Products Expo West offers trade fairs in several cities, where hundreds of organic and healthy products can be found. With a variety of food, a beauty product and a food supplement, participants can take advantage and discover attractive new brands.
Conclusions:
Fairs are fun and exciting for participants because they like to get and try out samples, participate in hands-on product demonstrations, and learn about services that can be really useful to them.
For Instance, Natural Product Expo West ,organized in several large cities makes it even easier for all those interested to come to the fair. He also shares many online educational programs on his website, so anyone who is not able to physically come to the fair can join virtualy.
3. Seminars
At first glance, seminars and conferences are quite similar. The biggest difference is that the seminars are completely dedicated to learning and training. Due to their educational nature, it is logical that they are often done on multiple occasions / sequels and involve smaller groups of participants than conferences.
Best for the following business goals: product training, employee training, certification or courses, developing or strengthening long-term customer loyalty
Ideal locations for this type of event: classrooms, meeting rooms, smaller multifunctional spaces
Setup for this type of event: Classroom-like arrangements or conference-style desks help participants learn in a group, and also allow them to split into partners or discussion sections as needed.
Real-world example: The Academy of Business Leadership holds one-day seminars called “Got Big Dreams?”. Among the attendees are elementary and high school students who have big dreams that usually involve some level of entrepreneurship. Guest lecturers guide them through a series of exercises and discussions that help them shape their ideas and devise what next steps to take to start their own business.
Conclusions:
Seminars are educational events that help companies connect with attendees by giving them practical information, tools, and skills to achieve their personal goals.
Follow the example of The Academy of Business Leadership and target an underrepresented demographic (in their case teenagers and young people). Focus on addressing one major sore point, and then offer a range of extremely helpful solutions that can be reached based on that experience of addressing a key challenge
4. Corporate meetings and executive meetings
Corporate meetings and executive meetings are events that often involve high-ranking employees and / or key business partners. Companies use this type of event for a number of reasons, but it is up to the person planning the event to set it up to be successful, for which a clearly defined program, creative environment and tools that improve productivity are important.
Best for the following business goals: devising new ideas, performing a specific task, making important decisions, establishing partnerships
Ideal locations for this type of event: meeting rooms, restaurants, spaces for joint work
Setup for this type of event: Round tables are best for groups of 10 people or less (it will facilitate discussions), while in the case of larger groups a U-seating setup or a classic conference setup works better.
Real-world example: Companies like Buddytruk organize a meeting every Friday to recapitulate the main events of the week. In addition to keeping the entire executive team fully up to date with all developments, this weekly rhythm allows them to review current goals, budgets and projects more effectively. Although it would be expected that a regular meeting of this type would take longer than planned (because there are a lot of topics and it happens on a “slow” day), they have a fun policy of “keeping pace” with the meeting. If the meeting is extended outside the scheduled time, the last person to speak must do 50 push-ups!
Conclusions:
Corporate meetings and executive meetings facilitate communication and offer a higher level of collaboration that cannot be achieved by exchanging e-mails.
Face-to-face meetings can be fun and productive if you set some rules that will guide all participants to the task, just as Buddytruk did with his creative punishment.
5. Corporate parties
Corporate parties bring employees together to celebrate common victories, mark important moments, raise their morale and celebrate the holidays together. While the focus of this type of event is usually fun and relaxation, event planners can still set and achieve specific goals for their peers.
Best for the following business goals: showing gratitude to employees, facilitating socializing between departments, improving corporate culture
Ideal locations for this type of event: restaurants, unique locations, event space within the company, wedding locations, recreational locations.
Setup for this type of event: corporate parties exist for socializing so it’s best to provide enough space for dancing or for people to simply get together and talk. Add a number of tables and chairs to make them more comfortable (especially if you plan to serve food).
A real-world example: Amazon’s post-holiday party marks the arrival of the new year, celebrating recent successes and its employees through a range of fun activities. In addition to enjoying great food and drink, employees also got their own caricature, enjoyed concerts, dancing, karaoke and piano duels.
Conclusions:
Corporate parties are an important component of a successful corporate event ecosystem because they unquestionably raise employee morale.
Even if you don’t have the budget to organize an extravagant party like Amazon, you can still plan interesting activities that employees will enjoy. Make an effort to include things or places that your team enjoys as a group or have special meaning for your brand.
6. Product presentations
Product presentations help to officially spread the word about a new brand, partnership, product / service or special offer. These events encourage publicity and help attendees get to know your brand better. Best for the following business goals: increase sales, achieve greater brand recognition, better connect with brand lovers
Ideal locations for this type of event: boutiques, hotels, wellness centers, golf courses, restaurants / bars, locations that provide enough space for socializing, photography and product presentation.
Setup for this type of event: plan your schedule so that there is one focal point to which all views will be directed (the stage where you will present the product or service) and plenty of space to socialize. You can also set up mini booths where guests will be able to try the product or introduce their partners in them.
A real-world example: only 180 carefully selected guests were invited to a party featuring Fenty Beauty (organized by Sephora). In addition to being the first to have exclusive access to new make-up products, they could take part in fun activities and take photos in the photo booth or “act” with Rihanna in a digital film shot during the event.
Conclusions:
Product presentations are a more personal way to make a good impression with your brand’s new offering.
Limit invitations only to your most influential fans as Fenty Beauty did; this will make your event even more special and impressive. Add some interesting activities as well.
