September 2022 : Heroic Productions

Choosing Your Corporate Event Entertainment

Posted on September 30, 2022October 5, 2022 by KHart

As an event highlight, corporate event entertainment has the potential to engage and inspire your attendees. It creates shared memories that will last far beyond the event. It’s a chance for them to snap out of their everyday thinking and experience something new. Your attendees might as well be back in the office if they don’t think they’re using their time productively—or if they’re not having a good time.

Choosing the entertainment for your event can be the difference between a so-so event or a great one. You can avoid common mistakes when you book corporate event entertainment for your next event. Like every aspect of event production, entertainment choices are most effective when guided by strategy.

Strategize a balanced event

When designing and producing a corporate event, it’s crucial to understand what purpose the entertainment will serve at the event. Once you’ve uncovered the need for entertainment, you can make strategic entertainment choices. You can then determine how best to measure the success of those choices.

For example, if your primary event goal is to share new information, you may want to formulate a plan to balance entertaining and educating your attendees. Seating your attendees in classroom-style rows to listen to speakers all day might not be the best way to keep your attendees engaged.

You might consider live music or a dance group to create energy as people walk into the General Session or an idea wall during a break outside the ballroom (or meeting room). It’s essential to capture the collective brain power in the room that will be lost by the time everyone gets back to the office. If your attendees have been watching PowerPoint presentations for a few hours, allow them to get up and move with a dance instructor or something that involves interaction. It may be exactly what your event needs to gain more powerful momentum.

DISCOVER UNIQUE CORPORATE EVENT PLANNING IDEAS

Consider timing and location

Timing is essential for corporate event entertainment. Understandably, the entertainment for an awards show on the final night will differ from a general session. The entertainment should benefit the overall flow of an event. That can mean a musician between breakout sessions or an illusionist to reveal the CEO. Corporate event entertainment is an excellent opportunity for event managers to get creative within the strategy for the event.

The room layout will affect the entertainment experience. If you want your attendees to dance or sit during a musician’s performance, you’ll need to plan for that and create the room layout accordingly.

Think about your audience

Who’s going to be in the room? Corporate event attendees are often a very diverse group of people, and it can be challenging to find entertainment that reaches every demographic of your audience. Consider what will be most exciting and engaging to everyone who’s there.

For example, executive leadership may have different entertainment preferences than most younger employees. Is there an entertainer that the 30-somethings and the 60-somethings can all enjoy? It may be that Lionel Richie would create a better overall experience than Harry Styles (assuming both are in budget).

To create a successful experience, work with leadership and follow their lead to create the appropriate experience. If a team has experienced significant setbacks this year, they may not be looking to celebrate with a concert. But if sales are up and employees are ready for their first post-pandemic reunion, then it may be time to party (Karamu, Fiesta, forever…all night long).

Artists with corporate event entertainment experience

Once you know what you’re looking for, you’ll want to prioritize finding artists who can be enthusiastic about your event, ideally with experience and a willingness to give the audience the attention they deserve. A corporate event requires special attention and great performers willing to provide it.

You must be ready to set your entertainers up for success. For example, they’ll need information about the organization, the attendees, and the messaging of the event. Your performers should know who they are performing for and the event’s purpose. Performers should also understand any challenges with the company or venue regarding timing, content restrictions, or sound ordinances.

When given preparation time and information, we’ve seen rockstars bring down the house with unforgettable performances of original songs written specifically for a corporate event. On the flip side, we’ve seen what happens when comedians haven’t been correctly informed or guided, to the shock and dismay of leadership (particularly HR). For better and worse, the effectiveness of corporate event entertainment strategy lies in attention to detail.

Have some fun

Corporate event entertainment has the power to transform the mindset of your attendees. When it’s all said and done, you can measure an event’s success by your attendees’ engagement. Best case? Your event attendees will be talking about the performance long after it’s over, cherishing the lasting memory of an event that brought people together around a common goal.

If you’re looking for corporate event production that goes above and beyond, call Heroic.

Unique Corporate Event Planning Ideas

Posted on September 21, 2022September 28, 2022 by KHart

If your team already knows what to expect from your annual company meeting, or they’ve seen some version of the same PowerPoint presentation ten times now, you may be due for some fresh corporate event planning ideas. Your attendees will thank you for it!

Corporate event planning ideas should be guided by your brand personality and strategic goals, with thoughtful consideration of location, entertainment, and timing of activities. The key to your attendees’ delight is in the details! To make your next gathering one to remember in all the right ways, here are a few corporate event planning ideas and tips to keep in mind. To illustrate how impactful these corporate event planning ideas can be, we’ll be using an example of an intimate event set at a beautiful Napa Valley vineyard that had pitch-perfect planning and execution.

Gather with purpose

Carefully evaluating a venue’s location is integral to the success of any corporate event. If you’re gathering in person, gather with purpose. With that in mind, it’s important to let the “why” of your event” inform the “where” and “when.” When companies were hosting events at the height of the pandemic, they had to select locations that allowed planners to create standout experiences while also adhering to health safety protocols. Also, sometimes it’s just more fun to be outside. For example, we were wowed by a financial service company and their perfectly executed corporate event at a Napa vineyard. The ideal location and California sun gave attendees a refreshed perspective and a memorable experience.

Timing is also a big factor here. If your vision is to create attendee experiences outside of a hotel’s 4 walls, there’s such a thing as too much heat (and humidity) and then there is the hurricane season. Consider both the geography and the time of year if you want ideal outdoor conditions.

A venue’s layout also affects the flow of the event, so be sure to consider how open or intimate a space you’d need to achieve your desired impact. Have you ever attended a breakout session in a rock climbing gym? You wouldn’t forget it if you did. How about an early yoga lesson on the beach? Don’t be afraid to get creative with the space!

Get creative with entertainment

Strategy should guide all corporate event decision-making, and entertainment is no different. Whether you’re hiring a musician to play between work sessions or a comedian to roast the CEO at your awards show, unique entertainment choices are a great way to engage and inspire your attendees. Think about what kind of performance might help your employees break out of their everyday mindset. Could they use a laugh right now? Or do they want to be inspired? The difference between the success of a stand-up comic or a motivational speaker could lie in the needs of your attendees.

Whatever talent you might hire, the best way to make corporate entertainment unique is to incorporate it in a creative and surprising way. If you’re hiring a band, consider asking them to write an original song specifically for the event. If you’re hiring a magician, think about which team members have great personalities for being on-stage assistants—it could add an extra touch of fun and connection to the performance.

Make it interactive

Interactive performances and events make an impact. Any opportunity to directly involve your attendees is only going to elevate the event. This could be as simple as inviting attendees on stage or offering attendees to “drink and draw” along with an instructor.

Going back to the winery event example, a highlight was the team of jugglers that performed at the award ceremony. Some jugglers were dressed as waiters, and, midway through the presentations, began tossing wine bottles about as if by accident. This fun and unexpected surprise kept attendees engaged throughout the ceremony. Creative entertainment choices like this excite your attendees and have them looking forward to the company’s next event for months to come.

Personalize the experience

Another great way to keep your attendees engaged is to design the experience with them specifically in mind. What do your attendees need? Let that need guide the event idea. If your employees haven’t met yet, and they need a team-building exercise, an escape room might be a fun corporate event planning idea for the team. Or even if you know that you need your attendees sitting in chairs all day, there are ways to personalize that experience.

Let’s go back to the winery example one more time (we really loved this event!). As the attendees moved through a beautiful winery all day, enjoying the wine country scenery and juggling waiters, they were also each given a personalized wine bottle. The wine was delicious, the inscriptions on their labels were thoughtful, and no one left the event feeling like a number. It’s attention to detail like this that makes all of the difference for event planners’ success.

Don’t forget the fun

When designing an event, consider your attendees’ feelings and how you want them to feel. Let the meeting agenda and your unique event activities evolve from there, and whatever you do—don’t forget the fun. It’s safe to assume everyone wants to let their hair down every once in a while, and a unique corporate event planning idea has the power to transform your attendees’ mindset.

We’ve all seen the same presentations over and over. We’ve all sat in familiar rows of chairs, facing a seemingly endless lineup of corporate speakers. For your next event, consider flipping typical event planning ideas on their heads. When you think outside of the box, you’ll inspire your attendees to do the same.

If you’re looking for a corporate event production team that thinks of everything, contact Heroic today.

Month: September 2022