The sun may still be shining and the windows open on occasion, but there is no point denying that Christmas will arrive eventually. Despite climate change, we can still recognise the four seasons (just about!) and for most of us that is reassuring. The golden leaves of Autumn and the crisp white Winter landscapes provide the contrasts with Spring and Summer that keep our senses sharp and our memories warm. So we should all be aware that seasonal events play an important part in the business calendar too.
Get together
One of the reasons for valuing corporate events is their ability to bring people together in a sociable setting. Although you do not necessarily need an excuse to arrange a team meeting or activity day, a company-wide or divisional event is less common during normal times. A seasonal celebration, however, provides a natural reason for including everyone. These days, it does not have to be a “conventional” affair with excessive consumption and bad behaviour! There are plenty of ways to create entertaining, enjoyable occasions that reinforce how much people are valued by your organisation.
A seasonal party offers the chance for the company, especially senior managers, to show their appreciation to the whole team as well as getting to know individuals better. A truly interactive live event, professionally produced, will allow for genuine engagement and dialogue about the issues that may be concerning employees and other stakeholders, in a non-threatening situation. If the event is planned and managed well it can be a catalyst for change, an opportunity for improvement, a special day in the company calendar.
Events for all seasons
There are good reasons for planning corporate events across the calendar, to reflect both natural seasons and differing market conditions. Some examples of calendar events are:
- Kick-off meetings in January
- Launch events in the Spring
- Hospitality and celebration events in the Summer
- New trading period conferences in the Autumn
- Company parties and entertainment events in the Winter
You will know of many other times in the year that have particular significance for your business, but you may not have previously thought about the impact of live events in marking those milestones in your company’s journey. Live corporate events can highlight the best of everything, from personal and company achievements to historic moments in the company’s development. A major company anniversary, especially 50 or 100 years, is a great reason to share the celebration with the people who have contributed to the success story. These are unique events and they deserve a place in your events calendar!
Mark Soanes, MD of Adventure Britain highlights ten good reasons for organising corporate events, particularly in his specialism which is team-building activities.
Making an appearance within Soanes’ list are:
- Increased morale – breaking up the monotony of the daily grind, providing both something to look forward to and something to look back on fondly
- Improved relationships – both building new relationships and reinforcing existing ones, spanning hierarchy, business units and locations
- Company-wide integration – you’ll find that people who typically wouldn’t interact in the office are paired up when team building, providing long-lasting innovation and efficiencies
- More productivity – as a direct result of increased morale you’ll see a surge in productivity, which when nurtured can be much more than short-lived
- Greater efficiency – with the easier relationships, clearer understanding of roles and improved abilities gained through the team building you’ll find that there will be much less wasted time and resources
- Happier working environment – having regular out-of-office activities which encouraging open communication and friendly relationships can eliminate this possibility of a boring, stale workplace
- Developing and defining roles – team building activities encourage people to implement themselves in the best way they know how. This is great for people figuring out their roles within the team, helping to set the analysers, leaders and ‘doers’ apart
- Building better teams – create more efficient, tight-knit teams who work well together and produce great results
- More fluid communication – Communication is key and developing relationships that are open can help make everything work much smoother
- Creating an office culture – team building activities can help to inject some culture into your office, making it a much nicer place to work and helping to appeal to future employees and customers alike
We believe there are plenty of opportunities to get a workforce together, not just when times are hard, with the benefits of collaborating with a professional event management services provider allowing your event to shine through and bring the ROI you require.