When creating an event experience, you want the end result to be memorable, exciting, and talked about for months, or even years, after the last light is switched off. So why is it that, when we add the word “corporate” to the mix, images of grey suits listening to drawn-out speeches come to mind as business people yawn through a mandatory event?
Corporate events don't have to be like that! You just need to choose entertainment that will wow your guests and keep them engaged throughout the event, while also reinforcing and raising brand awareness internally and externally. These guidelines will help you avoid what could make your event a disaster:
Know Your Audience
As with everything else to do with your event, this is the first and possibly most important entertainment factor to consider. The act must complement the event theme and cater to your audience's preferences. You don’t want to hire a punk rock band to play at a gathering of conservative senior corporate executives, or the hottest DJ on the club scene right now when baby boomers are filling the seats. Think about the symmetry between the theme, your chosen entertainer, and your audience. A foolproof idea: Offer three entertainment options with the event invitation and allow the intended audience to vote for their favorite.
Make Entertainment Interactive and Immersive
After keynote speeches, awards being handed out to the deserving, and more speeches, your audience members may need to get their blood pumping by being a part of the entertainment instead of merely passively watching a show on a stage. One idea to add energy and excitement to your event: the appearance, and possible disappearance, of a skilled magician. From slight-of-hand and pick-a-card tricks to larger and more complex illusions involving the direct participation of audience members, a magician can keep your crowd entertained for hours. It’s not because people actually believe in magic, but rather they enjoy being tricked on a subconscious level.
Another form of immersive entertainment is to involve your audience in the creation of certain aspects of the event. Acts such as the Mash Machine, where you can create your own song despite having next to no musical talent, are certainly on the rise. Other hot trends: Tailored comedy shows, engaging caricature artists, and the chance to learn something fun.
Choose Technology as Entertainment
Fascinating technology is always a hit when people come together. From robots serving dessert to enabling attendees to express themselves on a digital graffiti wall, to being blown away by an epic light show, your guests will be amazed by the tech brought to entertain. A QR Code Treasure Hunt and the chance to see technology in musical use by multi-instrumentalists may be something new to your audience that will have them sharing your event on every social media platform available for weeks.
It doesn’t matter whether your event is on a large scale with a big budget or much smaller with tighter financial constraints; if you get the entertainment of your event right and capture your audience’s imagination and attention, your event will increase brand awareness successfully. You just need vision, determination, a clever event plan and the tools to get the job done.
Note: This post was originally published on Eventerprise.com, a global platform that connects transparently reviewed event businesses with potential clients.
