Corporate events: what they are and why they are important for your company

Corporate events are planned meetings organized by companies with a specific objective, such as announcing new launches to suppliers, training employees, or attracting investors. These events can include conferences, strategic meetings, product presentations, teambuilding activities, or training workshops, among many others.

These events are an important marketing and communication tool and generate a significant positive impact both internally and externally. Internally, they foster communication between employees, foster a sense of belonging, and motivate them. Externally, they allow for direct connection with clients, investors, or suppliers, increasing brand visibility and projecting a strong image, differentiating themselves from the competition, and, of course, generating new business opportunities. Properly executing these corporate events is key to a company's strong positioning and strategic growth. In fact, according to the Visme report, "83% of brands say they've increased their sales thanks to corporate events."

Types of Corporate Events

As we've mentioned, the event will vary depending on the objective the organizing company wants to achieve, as there are countless types and ideas for corporate events. In this post, we'll highlight some of the most common:

1. Congresses and Conferences

These events aim to raise awareness about a specific valuable topic, whether to share knowledge or present data, etc. They are highly oriented toward promoting networking, and guests are typically clients, suppliers, or investors.

2. Strategic Meetings

These types of events host company boards of directors to present data, make key decisions, or align internal objectives. They are very common and tend to be much more private and formal.

3. Product Launches

More common than the previous ones, the aim is to generate a major impact with the presentation of a new product or service, generate expectations, capture the attention of customers, and strengthen relationships with existing ones. Some corporate events of this type also aim to bring together the media to cover the event.

4. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Events

These events are based on celebrating charitable actions that align with the company's values.

5. Awards and Recognition

These events are held to recognize individual or collective achievements within an organization or externally. In the case of the latter, they usually attract a large number of people.

6. Teambuilding

These corporate events can last one or several days. They usually take place outside the work environment and include leisure activities and workshops unrelated to daily work. They foster a sense of belonging, motivation, and interpersonal relationships within the team.

7. Workshops

These are ideal for developing specific skills and strengthening organizational culture. They also encourage practical learning and teamwork.

8. Company Anniversaries or Gala Events

Much more timely than any other type of corporate event. This is usually a celebration of a business milestone or achievement, a company anniversary, or an annual meeting with employees, clients, suppliers, or investors.

9. Incentive Trips

These types of company events aim to motivate, build loyalty, and improve the work environment. It's a way to reward or thank employees, generally for achieving certain goals or to strengthen personal relationships between them, although there are many more reasons, which we discussed in our previous post.

How to Organize a Corporate Event

Organizing a corporate event requires commitment and time. It depends not only on choosing a date and location, but also on aligning the action with the company's objectives and planning and coordinating it perfectly, from start to finish.

Whatever the type of event, it is a very important opportunity to enhance the brand image, strengthen relationships, or generate new business opportunities, so execution must be impeccable.

The following steps are key to organizing a professional and memorable corporate event:

1. Define the objective

As we mentioned previously, we must define what we intend to achieve with this action. This objective will guide the following decisions: from the type of event to the location.

2. Define a budget

Before choosing the right venue, we must define the amount the company is willing to invest, including all aspects: space rental, technology, speakers, catering, transportation, merchandising, decoration, and setting aside 10% for possible unforeseen events.

3. Choose a venue and date

The venue selection should be consistent with the desired objective, the company's identity, and the nature of the event. It's important for the venue to have several additional extras, such as food and drink, or natural spaces. As for the date, make sure it doesn't coincide with other important industry events, holidays, or vacation periods.

4. Define Communication

Everything communicates. Use a polished and consistent image on both digital and physical media.

5. Plan the Agenda

Organization is crucial. It's necessary to define the timing of all the event's activities: presentations, interventions, breaks, networking, etc. A well-structured program is very important to ensure the attention and well-being of attendees.

6. Impeccable Protocol

On the day of the event, the protocol team will have to execute all planned actions from start to finish according to the established schedule. Having a well-defined protocol conveys professionalism, strengthens the company's image, and avoids awkward situations.

7. Evaluate the Results

A corporate event truly ends once everything it entails and generates has been analyzed and measured. To extract this information, organize a post-event review meeting, conduct satisfaction surveys, conduct testimonials, conduct case studies, and monitor social media, among other things.

Corporate Event Trends

The corporate events sector is constantly evolving due to ongoing and rapid technological, social, and cultural changes. Among the most current trends are the use of technology, sustainability, and personalization.

Technology at the Service of Experiences

The use of technology elevates the experience and has recently become a major differentiator. Immersive experiences are a new way of capturing brand stories. They create an atmosphere that stimulates the senses and engages emotionally, creating a deeper and lasting connection.

Event personalization is also on the rise, and increasingly, technology is the key to achieving this. It achieves a greater emotional impact and improves the connection with the company.

Hybrid Events

After the pandemic, virtual meetings have gained momentum, but not enough to displace traditional in-person events. Therefore, hybrid formats, which combine in-person and virtual events, have positioned themselves as a good way to expand reach and participation. Streaming platforms, live chats, and interactive virtual spaces can be some of the options.

Sustainability as a Priority

More and more companies are considering sustainability as one of their pillars, and this is reflected in corporate events. Carbon footprint offsetting, sustainable transportation, and the use of recyclable materials are some examples.

Ultimately, corporate events are much more than one-off meetings. They are an integral part of the business strategy and essential for strengthening its image, motivating teams, or generating business opportunities, among many other things.