As event planners look towards the latter half of 2021 and beyond, it’s hard to not get excited about the possibilities that will be before us: restrictions are quickly getting lifted, live events have been only growing in their capabilities, virtual meeting technology has rapidly improved, and hybrid meetings have offered planners, producers, and attendees an enormous collective win. It’s for this reason that Wizard Studios believes the next important step in the events world that we should consider is what corporate events will look like when things get back to a true sense of normal - and the reasons that now is the perfect time to start planning them!

Real Connection In Real Time

Let’s face it: we’re not meant to be on a screen all day, every day for the entirety of our lives. This year has only proven the heartfelt truth that we need human connection, face to face, and that’s where corporate events can play a major role. Beyond exceptional key speakers and sponsors, meaningful networking opportunities are high on the priority list for attendees in 2021. As an organizer, part of your event strategy should always be to facilitate networking between attendees in order for them to get the most value, but especially after the year and a half we’ve had, events will be remembered by the connections and relationships it helped to cultivate and nurture. 

To Start, See How to Best Connect Attendees

Networking can be a funny thing to navigate if attendees aren’t immediately familiar with a group, especially in a post-COVID context. Whether it’s before or during the event, try pairing attendees with shared interests, industries, or even hometown. This can mean an automated notification when registrants sign up for your event, which can be developed into an in-person matching station that helps attendees find connections in a fun and interactive fashion!

At C2 Montréal, participants were set up on “Brain Dates,” which were meetings for attendees to learn and connect. Organizers orchestrated a Brain Dating Lounge, where appointed matchmakers would help attendees find pertinent matches. This ingenious meeting setup gave attendees an excuse to introduce themselves, knowing that a tailored, significant connection awaited them! Consider your company and its next event: how could you do the same for your team?

Offer High-Quality, Mid-Session Activities

Attendees will be hungry to get back to the hustle and bustle of an in-person event, but their focus may be scattered if they haven’t attended an event in over a year. If that’s the case, don’t let them sit through numerous sessions without something new and exciting - spark their interest with mid-session activities that excite and inspire!

Ask your speakers to interact with attendees through mid-session activities like live polls, digital/hybrid breakout groups, and session ratings. These inclusive activities urge participants to share and compare responses, which is particularly valuable when sessions are back to large groups and run the risk of being inefficient. Through this tactic, speakers will have the opportunity to engage attendees in meaningful conversation.

Offer Team Building the Way Your Team Needs It

The biggest reason that we know it’s the perfect time for corporate events is because our world’s morale needs a serious boost. People may be anxious to come back into the office after such a long stretch; they might have grown comfortable working remotely, but they may now not know all their employees or team members. As the world begins to put this pandemic behind us, corporate team-building events or outings are going to exactly what your organization needs.

There’s a caveat here: no two team-building activities are the same. Be purposeful in what you want to accomplish, because your team has likely been through enough mediocre to downright uncomfortable outings to come into yours with some timidness. 

To start, remind yourself that the right activity and outing breaks down barriers among employees and creates an environment that is enjoyable and relaxing for everyone - a critical component to a successful and well-functioning business, especially in 2021. 

Here are a just a few simple ideas to get you started:

• Competitive Challenges - Nothing builds morale like working as a team outside of your usual work duties. One popular challenge is a fitness challenge, encouraging healthy behaviors while also building a little healthy competition between team members

• Scavenger Hunt - A classic but trusted solution. It gets your team members enjoying a beautiful day, working with their colleagues, and taking fun and silly pictures. Go one step further and create a slideshow or presentation with the pictures everyone’s taken

• Cook-Off - Needless to say, the most fun is when team members of varying levels of cooking expertise need to work together to create the perfect meal. Remember to take pictures!

• Board Game Tournament - Any fans of trivia? How about strategy games? Card games? The options are limitless!

Corporate events are needed in a post-COVID world. Team members from every industry need a break to relax and simply enjoy one other’s company. If you’re interested in seeing how much a well-designed and well-executed corporate event could offer your organization, contact the event pros at Wizard Studios today!