There are many types of corporate events, each serving a different purpose and audience. That means they require different planning and execution strategies. By understanding these various types of corporate events, businesses can identify those that are most relevant to their industry, attract the right audience, and align best with their corporate goals and objectives.
Not only with this knowledge help you target your event budget on the right events, it allows your business stay competitive. Corporate events are an important way to connect with customers, employees and industry partners, as well as build your brand and reputation. By staying current with the latest trends and best practices, you can ensure that the events you attend are providing valuable and engaging experiences for everyone—especially the business.
Types of Company Events
Corporate events can be divided into two basic categories: employee and customer. Employee events focus on improving the employee experience and building a positive work culture, while customer events create opportunities to engage and build loyalty with customers. The types of activities and experiences offered each event will differ based on their respective goals and objectives.
Employee Events
Employee events are intended to build morale, improve teamwork, reward employees for their hard work, and promote a positive work culture. These are captured in the following sub-categories.
Team-Building Events
Team-building events are designed to help employees become acquainted and build stronger working relationships by engaging in games, sports, or problem-solving challenges. Team-building events are typically shorter, highly focused activities that foster greater collaboration and help employees develop new skills.
Company Retreats
Company retreats typically—though not always—involve taking employees offsite for a day or two to participate in strategic planning, training, or team-building activities. They are more immersive events, giving employees a break from their daily routine and allowing them to recharge and refresh their minds. Aside from achieving the overarching goals, company retreats have the added benefit of helping employees relax, bond with one another, and gain new perspectives that will help them be more creative and productive back in the office.
Employee Appreciation Events
Employee appreciation events are designed to recognize and reward employees for their hard work and achievements with activities such as award ceremonies, appreciation dinners, or other types of programs. Publicly recognizing and appreciating employees boost morale, motivation, and job satisfaction, leading to greater productivity and employee retention. Recognizing and appreciating employees also contribute to a more positive company culture by demonstrating that management values and supports employees. Happy employees are productive employees, which leads to greater customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Holiday Parties
Holiday parties celebrate special occasions shared by the workforce in a certain location—for instance, Thanksgiving or Halloween in the U.S. These parties may involve festive decorations or special types of food and entertainment, offering a fun diversion for employees during the workday and giving them a chance to relax with colleagues.
Note that, in today’s multicultural workplace, celebrating holidays with overtly religious overtones or origins, such as Christmas, should be approached with caution. This is not to say they should be ignored; rather, they should be presented as an opportunity to share the holiday with cultures that might be unfamiliar with the custom—for instance, celebrating Diwali in the U.S.
Sales Kick-Off
Sales kick-offs typically take place at the beginning of a new sales cycle or fiscal year to motivate, educate and align the sales team around the company's goals, initiatives and sales strategies. The company may take the opportunity to introduce new products or services, provide training on new sales techniques, and set goals and targets for the upcoming year. The event also provides an opportunity for the sales team to connect with colleagues from different regions, share best practices, and build a sense of unity and common purpose.
Leadership Conferences
Leadership conferences are geared towards providing executives and senior administrators with insights and strategies designed to improve their leadership skills, create positive organizational change, and drive business growth. Such events can be a valuable investment for companies looking to improve the performance of their organization through better management. Employees can also indirectly benefit by gaining insight into the company's mission, values, and strategic direction.
Training and Development Conferences
It’s always a good idea to provide employees with the opportunity to learn new skills, enhance their existing skills, and develop their careers. Training and development conferences provide these opportunities, benefiting the company by improving employee performance, increasing productivity, and reducing turnover. Companies that invest in the professional development of their employees create a more engaged and committed workforce, leading to greater success and profitability. Plus, having employees that are up-to-date on the latest trends and technologies help the company stay competitive.
Customer/Prospecting Events
Customer and prospecting events are designed to help businesses find new and retain existing customers, showcase new products or services, and promote brand awareness. Following are examples of customer and prospecting events.
Industry Conferences
Industry conferences bring together professionals from a specific discipline or field such as technology, healthcare or marketing, to share knowledge, connect with peers and potential partners, and gain practical knowledge and insights that will help them succeed in their careers. Organizers will offer sessions discussing the latest trends, best practices, and emerging technologies in the relevant industry. Such events may also include exhibits, demonstrations, and product launches, informing attendees about what’s new in their field. Career development opportunities might also be offered, such as job fairs, resume reviews, and networking events.
Business Conferences
Business conferences focus on business-related topics such as entrepreneurship, leadership, and management, offering attendees keynote speakers, workshops, and panel discussions. Attended by professionals from a wide range of industries and fields, business conferences offer broader networking opportunities with people from various industries and backgrounds.
Professional Development Conferences
Development conferences help professionals improve their skills and knowledge in a specific field. Like business conferences, these events typically include keynote speakers, workshops, panel discussions, and networking opportunities that help attendees connect with others in their field to gain practical insights and strategies they can apply in their work. Many professional development conferences offer continuing education credits, which can be used to maintain professional certifications or licenses. For attendees, these conferences can also demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning and professional growth—beneficial for career advancement and other job opportunities.
Product Launch Conferences
Product launches are designed to generate buzz around a new product or service through product demos, presentations, and interactive activities that highlight key features and benefits. These events may also provide opportunities to ask questions, see the product up close, and try it out for themselves.
Investor Conferences
These conferences provide investors with opportunities to learn about companies and industries, evaluate new investment opportunities, and network with their peers. Companies use the conference to make presentations on their financial performance, business strategy, and growth prospects, providing insights and information that will attract new investors.
Charity Events
Charity events, by definition, give back to the community by raising funds for a charitable cause. This is achieved through activities such as auctions, benefit concerts, or volunteer work. Participating in charity events can enhance a company's brand reputation by demonstrating its commitment to community engagement. Not only do corporate charity events have a positive impact on the community and the business’s reputation, it can also boost employee morale by providing them with a sense of pride and purpose, as well as an opportunity to make a positive impact in their communities.
Virtual Conferences
Virtual conferences, held entirely online, allow attendees to participate from anywhere in the world. Offering virtual exhibits, webinars, and networking sessions, virtual conferences offer a cost-effective, accessible, and engaging way for attendees to connect and learn from each other while reducing the environmental impact of large-scale events.
Private Parties
Private parties, often held in conjunction with a larger host event, provide VIP clients, investors and partners with a special, exclusive and memorable experience that can strengthen their relationship with the company. Private parties can also serve as a marketing tool to promote a company's brand and products to potential customers, investors, or partners.
Conclusion
Multiple types of corporate events are available to help companies achieve their corporate objectives. Each serves a different purpose, ranging from building employee morale and promoting teamwork to engaging with customers and showcasing new products or services.
It's essential to understand your goals and objectives, audience, and activities before determining the type of event you want attend or host. Choosing the right type of event and executing it well allows you to reap the benefits of a well-conceived strategy.
At OnFulfillment, we are familiar—and have experience—with every type of event. And regardless of the event, we know how much pressure and stress the event organizer is under.
We can help. Our event management module can help you simplify and streamline the planning and logistics, while the collective expertise of our team is at your disposal to make your event an unqualified success. Our event portal takes routine, time-consuming and repetitive tasks off your hands by allowing you to:
- Store and inventory materials you use consistently.
- Procure and reserve event material and giveaways for all events, or specialized products for specific events.
- Choose from an infinite number of signage and branded swag options or have one of our representatives find options for you!
- Schedule when products need to arrive at an event
Additionally, our team will perform quality checks on any signage and other reusable materials when they return after the event, as well as dry clean table throws and reassemble banners to ensure they are not damaged.
Want to learn more? Visit our Contact Us page to schedule a demo of our event management software portal.
