By definition, a corporate event is a form of event, hospitality or social activity which is organised or funded by a business. The typical audience at a corporate event can include, but is not limited to:
- Employees
- Board members
- Stakeholders
- Customers / clients
- Potential clients
There are lots of reasons why a business may want to organise a corporate event. It may be to celebrate a milestone, educate or reward their employees, discuss future opportunities or many other reasons.
Let’s take a look at 8 different types of corporate events:
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Team building
Team building will normally take place with just the employees in a company. They often involve a challenge which requires teams to work together, in order to overcome or deliver a solution.
Team building events work for improving employee engagement, building team morale and increasing employee motivation.
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Conferences
Conferences are often used for businesses to provide information to a specific audience. They will usually last for more than one day and are a wonderful way to educate or motivate collaboration for your business.
Conferences will often have key speakers and different break out areas where different people can discuss more in depth and specific topics. If you need help writing a speech for your next corporate conference, check out our top tips here.
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Annual general meeting (AGM) / Company Meetings
This might be a more formal meeting in which stakeholders, board members and shareholders meet to discuss business performance. Some companies will keep these as low key affairs, whilst other businesses will use these as an opportunity to show off business successes and an opportunity to reward & thank shareholders.
At an AGM, companies meet with their shareholders and a presentation will take place going through the company’s financial performance for the year. This meeting allows shareholders to ask questions to the directors of the company and allows them to express any concerns they may have. They might also be voting sessions on any issues which need addressing at this annual meeting.
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Launch Events
Launch events can be as simple or complex depending on what is required. Businesses use these events to create hype and generate PR around the launch of something new including:
- Products
- Services
- Buildings / offices / locations etc…
Launch events often have a very varied audience. The audience could include customers, press, stakeholders, influencers and employees. These events need to be both a celebration but also educational in order to teach people about what you’re launching. They can be open to all or invitation only.
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Trade Shows / Exhibitions
Businesses will sometimes rent a space or book a table at a larger event to promote their products or services to potential customers. Often all the tables/areas at a trade show will be related to a particular industry. They will display, demonstrate, and discuss their latest products and services. Major trade shows usually take place in convention centres in larger cities and last several days. Local trade shows may be held at a local arena or hotel and allow businesses in the area to connect with prospects. Exhibitors participate in the hopes of connecting with potential new customers, reinforcing relationships with dealers and distributors, and networking with influencers and the media.
Attendees come to trade shows to become familiar with the latest products being introduced and to become better educated about their industry. For these events businesses will need to create promotional materials, exhibition stands and bring their most motivated and engaging sales team.
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Awards / Gala Dinners
Award ceremonies and gala dinners often happen together but are 2 separate events.
Award ceremonies are often organised by businesses to reward and motivate their employees, suppliers, resellers and customers. They provide awards across several categories to recognise different achievements.
Gala dinners can often run alongside awards ceremonies or can be organised independently for all audience groups. They are usually an opportunity for your brand to improve relations with attendees and communicate its message.
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Corporate charity events
Corporate charity events play an important role in how businesses interact with the community. There could be lots of different layouts of corporate charity events like concerts, golf tournaments, or anything else that raises awareness and money for charities. Corporate charity events can unite people from all levels of the organisation and are another form of team building which positively influences other aspects of work.
Why are corporate events important?
“Your employees are the best thing about your business and corporate events are important for recognising that.
Corporate events are fantastic for team-building. If your employees do not have a chance to see each other or get to know and respect each other, it can be difficult to work together efficiently. Team building events are fun and social – bringing everyone together to enjoy themselves and win a task!”Read all about the importance of corporate events here.