Hosting any type of Corporate event is a very important part of any company’s strategy whether that be the AGM for employees or a showcase for customers. Corporate Events help to promote the business internally and externally, as well as reinforcing brand values and corporate messages.

They can reinforce internal communications amongst employees, they help to raise awareness amongst existing and potential clients and raise the profile amongst suppliers. A lot can hinge on the success of a corporate event – be it an Awards Dinner, exhibition, conference, showcase or just a party.
There are many aspects to hosting a great corporate event such as Venue, theme or styling of event, content, food, atmosphere and entertainment. Each week, we will give hints and tips about some of these aspects.

This Week We Talk About Themed Events

Themed events can be a brilliant ice breaker as guests can be instantly transported to another world, space or era. A themed event can be based on a film theme, an era, an occurrence but themed events can also be colour based. Good themed events can leave guests with a memorable experience and reinforce a company’s image, brand and corporate message. Great themes with amazing visual props, installations can even attract publicity and today’s age of social media, it will filter through all sorts of communications and could become viral.

Choosing the Right Theme

Corporate event specialists will first have to take a few factors into consideration when ensuring that theme is suitable for the event:

• Understand the age, social background and sex, and choose the theme accordingly. A Frozen Theme or Alice in Wonderland theme may be suitable for a corporate family day event, but not for a serious dinner where maybe a colour based theme would be more suitable.
• Venue size and location is critical to understand so that the appropriate quantity and size of installations, theming and props are selected. For example in an area with tall ceilings and vast space, it’s important to look at features that will fill the vacant air space to get real impact as people enter the room.
• Themed events are not just about putting props out. In fact doing this at an event can sometimes look out of place because thought has not been put to creating a theme that is seamless and in line with the rest of the room. The position and placement of products is paramount to getting the impact.
• Cost. Do you have a strict budget that you have to work within, or is money not a problem? The amount of money a company is prepared to spend on theming will determine how and where we prioritize the theming. For instance the Gatsby theme has been a big hit, as it encompasses catering, theming, fancy dress entertainment etc . However with a smaller budget we would recommend focusing on table centres and chair covers only.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Corporate Entertainment

There are plenty of themes which work really well for corporate events and if it’s a Christmas Party the themes can be more fun as people want to let their hair down! To get the most out of your corporate event you must make sure that:

• You pursue a wow factor or bespoke themed idea that will impress guests and ensure that the event is talked about.
• The themed event could be in line with a corporate message and in which case we recommend working closely on a bespoke themed event
• You are aware of the latest film, interiors and entertainment trends to select a theme that is relevant and accessible to the audience. Enhance this further with entertainment and catering to create a seamless flowing theme.

Top Tips for Corporate Event Planners

Corporate event planners must keep a few key points in mind to ensure that their event is a success.

Themed for corporate events need to be selected carefully to ensure it is appropriate for the key target audiences. Event specialists dealing with corporate theming can assist to scale the event and select the most appropriate theming that fits well within budget and hits objectives. As they are striving to seek out the best theme, they will make sure that they suggest a product mix that will make lasting impression.

The more unique and immersive the event is; the better the reaction from the audience. Today the best events are memorable because they are experiential, interactive and quirky to ensure a truly theatrical experience, and this will go a long way towards creating an amazing memory for the audience as well as some great publicity on social media.