Corporate events should bring your team together, get them thinking outside of the box and ultimately having fun! Below are some of our tips on how to do just that:
- OBJECTIVE
Firstly consider what is the objective of the event? What do you hope yourself and your team will take away after it? Remember that the purpose of all corporate events is to keep your team energised and happy. It’s almost like building a psychological contract between the company and employee to improve staff retention.
- BUILDING RAPPORT
Communication is key within a company, and sometimes this can deteriorate over time, doing the same routine. Holding an event that challenges employees, gets them working together and makes them think creatively will help them to understand each other’s feelings or ideas better and communicate well. Therefore, building rapport can help to increase productivity within the workplace.
- REWARD
Make sure to reward your team with time off for the event so that they don’t feel rushed getting ready, or that they need to finish that last work email so therefore might be late to the event. You could even include a meal before or after the event- people are always happier when they are fed and watered!
- CREATIVE ACTIVITY
Look into an event that takes you away from the workplace and allows for a brain break. Something that is ideally creative and hands on to engage different parts of the brain and help your mind switch off from work. Also, make sure that it is a new skill for people to learn so that the team feels more invested in the activity.
- TREAT ELEMENT
Having some form of treat tied into the event will make it extra appealing and allow colleagues to feel valued. At My Chocolate, all of our events include delicious chocolate to make and then eat- we’ve combined the treat element within the event already- it’s a no brainer really 😉
- CONSIDER THE WHOLE TEAM
Think about your whole team: are there any dietary requirements, religious beliefs or family commitments they may have that you need to factor into the planning of the event? This will help your team feel hugely valued that there have been considerations put in place to ensure everybody can (hopefully!) make it. For example, with a My Chocolate event, we can always send a chocolate kit to employees who cannot come to in person events or we can cater to most dietary requirements so no one is left out!
- REFLECTION
Make sure that there is an element of reflection at the end of the activity to give awareness to strengths and weaknesses to take back to the office. This allows people individually to see where the skill set is but also, it allows colleagues to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses, which will improve the understanding of one another, leading to better productivity!
