Planning out corporate events is stressful, let’s face it. There are a lot of moving pieces involved that make this task feel like a big puzzle, especially if it’s one of your first events. You have to balance a fun and entertaining experience for all of your employees while also making sure that you meet everyone’s dietary restrictions. A well-planned corporate event can leave a lasting impression in your employees’ minds and really make them feel like they’re appreciated by your company, but a poorly executed event can do just the opposite. Finding the right things to do for the people that attend is crucial for success. That’s why it’s so important to ensure that you’re planning out your event perfectly to ensure that your employees get the experience that you want for them.
What Separates a Good Corporate Outing from a Great Corporate Outing?
One of the first things you should look at when you’re planning your outing is what exactly you plan on doing and where. There are a variety of corporate event venues you can host your event at, we’ll delve into them a little later in this article, but what’s important is that you get the right tone for your event. People notice when things are well planned out, and the majority of your employees will be able to notice the tone of the event.
If you’re looking for something informal, make sure that you make that clear in all of your choices. From food to venue to activities to decorations, you want everything in your event to scream that it’s an informal event. In inverse, if you want a formal event, make that clear with your choices. This is probably the most important thing to get down if you want to be sure that you’re going to throw an event that will stick in your employees’ minds.
The second most important thing to keep in mind is food. Everyone needs to eat, and everyone loves food that they don’t have to pay for. This can be very tricky because different people have different dietary preferences. All you need to do is make sure that you understand what your employees prefer to eat, as well as what they’re allergic to, and you can be sure to pick the best caterer possible.
How to Find Out Your Employees Preferences
One of the things that employers struggle with the most is finding out what their employees like and then balancing all of their employees’ preferences. It’s not necessarily a difficult task, but what do you do when one employee only wants to eat Indian food and another only wants to eat pizza? What if one employee wants to go mini-golfing and others would prefer a party-type environment? How do you plan on getting that information in the first place?
The acquisition of this data is actually incredibly easy, and it can be more or less difficult depending on the nature of your business. If you’re throwing this event for employees in an office-type setting, all you need to do is send out an email with a survey attached. Make sure your employees are aware of the survey, and once they fill it out you’ll have all the data you need to move forward with confidence. One service that many people use for these kinds of surveys is Survey Monkey, but plenty of people also just use Google Forms.
Now, to the point of compromising on employee preferences. This can be tricky, and you might not be able to please your entire team if their needs are different enough. All you can do is try your best and see what options are available in your area. For instance, if one person wants Indian food and another wants pizza, see what caterers you have in your area and move from there. It’s unlikely that you’ll have an Italian-Indian fusion restaurant in your area, but you never know until you look. If you can’t find a compromise, it may be worth your time to approach the employees to find out what elements of their preferences are the most important. From there, you may be able to find an option that fits their core desires.
Fortunately, this is a lot easier when it comes to venues and activities. If one person wants to play mini-golf and another wants to have a mixer situation, all you would really need to do is get a space that can facilitate both. This is a lot easier to compromise on than other things because you have a lot of control over the activities available, depending on the venue you choose.
Choosing the Right Tone for Your Event
As we mentioned, the tone of your event is incredibly important. Choosing the wrong tone for your event can cause some cognitive dissonance for your employees and that’s about the last thing that you want them to take away from an event like this. The goal of corporate outings should be clear in your mind when you first start planning. That’s the best way to ensure that you’ll get the tone right.
For example, if you’re throwing a corporate event to reward your employees and give them a chance to blow off some steam, you’ll want to be sure that you pick something fun that will give your employees a chance to bond outside of work while also relaxing from any challenges that they had recently faced as a team.
If the reason for your event is to have something more serious like a big sales meeting, you’re going to want to pick something a little more formal that will allow you the tools you need to make sure that it’s a successful meeting. That probably means a desk or table where everyone can sit and maybe a projector that can show everyone on your team any slideshows or other documents you need to present to them.
Best Places for Corporate Events
We’re gonna break this section into three different parts to ensure we cover all of our bases. One section will be for informal events, one will be formal events, and one will be flexible venues. It’s good to have all three in the back of your head so you can be sure that you’ll provide the best possible experience for your employees
If you’re looking to have an informal event, you’re going to want to look for something fun for your employees. For instance, there’s an indoor go-kart track in Chicago that hosts corporate events and has even hosted big companies such as Tesla. They’ll give your employees the chance to race each other on their track which is great for blowing off steam, and they’ll even help you find the perfect caterer for your event. That’s one less thing on your plate while you’re planning this event.
Other places that are worth looking into for an informal event are places like restaurants and bars. Both of these types of venues are great for informal events because it provides your employees a chance to socialize amongst themselves while also taking care of your catering solutions. There are other venues that are just as good for this, but we’ll cover those more when we get to the more flexible venues.
If you want to have a formal event for a big meeting, your best bet is to rent out a conference room. Many hotels have conference rooms, and you can even shop around to make sure that it has everything you need. Whether that’s just a good view of the city or a solid projector so you can make sure everyone sees the documents you need them to see. Many hotels are used to hosting this type of corporate event which makes it incredibly easy, just make sure to plan out a lunch break and caterer if you want to provide food.
For more flexible venues you have a lot of options. Many companies will rent out mansions or warehouses because they provide a high level of flexibility. You can have a black-tie affair with an open bar and caterer, or you can host something more casual with games and prizes. Some companies will even have something like a silent auction or a raffle. Both of those are great ideas for keeping spirits high for the entire night. You could even arrange to have a small mini-golf course or you could stick to the classics like cornhole.
The most important thing here is to just be aware of the tone you’re setting. Your employees will notice and appreciate if you get the tone of your event just right. It shows that you put a lot of thought into planning, and everyone appreciates a well-planned event.
Getting Your Corporate Event Just Right
You’ll probably spend months planning out your event, so it’s a personal matter that you get it right at that point. With all the hours of research and planning that you’ll likely pour into this endeavor, you always want to be sure that it’s going to stick in your employees’ heads for as long as possible. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to show your employees that you appreciate them or you just want a change of scenery for an especially important meeting, planning this out well will make all the difference in the world.