Happy 2024!
The new year is finally here, the time we start setting new company goals and planning exciting events that inspire us to reach greater heights. From mind-blowing virtual experiences to eco-friendly parties and personalised adventures, 2024 is shaping up to be a game-changer for the events industry. So, whether you’re looking to kick this year off with an inspirational conference and team building, or you are looking ahead to the ultimate summer party, join us to discover what’s taking the spotlight in the events industry that will make this year’s events unforgettable!
1. The Importance of Interaction
Measuring Return on Your Event
In 2024 we are expecting to see more requests from Senior Management for ROI on corporate events. Smart, we agree but the reality is this can be difficult to measure. The experts in events at Eventurous share a top tip for measuring Return on Event (ROE).
Charlie Cavin, Assistant Operations Manager says;
TOP TIP: “No matter the scale or level of technology at your corporate event, you can always gauge some form of return on investment with one important metric – ENGAGEMENT! The more your guests are reacting to your brand, message, and activities through tangible action, the better the return. Engagement shows effectiveness in achieving the objectives you set at the start of the event planning process.”
If you find your audience falling asleep or losing interest after sitting down for hours at a time at an awards dinner, product launch or conference, then fear not, as we have a range of forward-thinking solutions that promise to keep your audience engaged and entertained throughout your event.
All hail the rise of Interactive Entertainment
We love it and you will too, it’s a great way to bring feeling and emotion to your event. Interactive entertainment is quick replacing the traditional methods whereby an audience will sit and watch acts or performers, although traditional acts and performers still have a place in the corporate events industry. However modern forms of corporate evening entertainment now focus on getting the audience involved as much as possible to improve their enjoyment.
Participation at Preferred Pace
Your audience’s preferences and personality types will determine how they choose to interact but activities such as Gameshows, Bangers Bingo or our Haka Workshop are great for the more outgoing groups who love to get involved, whereas Casino Fun and Free Play Games offer more freedom for those who prefer to go at their own pace and get involved as and when they please.
Award Winning Team Building
Voted Team Building Company of the Year 2023, we pride ourselves on offering innovative indoor events and outdoor team building activities that fit alongside your conference, meeting or away day with ease! Perfect for getting your audience up, moving and working together at essential points in your agenda such as post lunchtime, when the carb coma strikes.
Examples of or latest team building events include the new Master of Tasks Challenge, The Lost Pages and our new range of Charity Team Building events, including Fairway to Foodbank, Sustainable Cooking or Build for Charity!
Whether you go for Bangers Bingo as evening entertainment at your next gala dinner or a tabletop escape rooms at your next annual conference, interaction is vital to give your guests time to connect and energise.
2. Technology is Top
Create Positive Vibes
Having the right technology is key to creating a successful evening event, product launch or conference, it is what can turn your event into a truly memorable experience. Audio Visual production plays a vital role in shaping your attendee experience and setting the mood of the room. Immersive visuals, lighting displays and powerful audio can transport your audience into a different world, heightening their senses and leaving them in awe. Having professional AV equipment and supporting technicians at your event can also significantly impact your perceived level of professionalism and can send a positive message about the efforts allocated to in the celebration and development of your internal teams. Making the audience feel like a priority.
Poorly planned AV solutions or old technology can increase the risk of interruptions or diminishing the flow of your event due to muffled sound, blurry visuals, or lighting interferences. All of this can leave the attendees feeling confused or frustrated throughout the event, which will hinder engagement, negatively impacting the goals you may have set out to achieve.
Gather Data
Aside from AV, the implementation of tech at your event, allows you to gather live data from your attendees. This gives you valuable insight into their journey during the event, what made them tick and what didn’t. As they say feedback is a gift, and this data can come in handy as part of the continuous improvement cycle, when planning your next event.
3. Festival Fever
Festival Fever continues to sweep the UK! Imagine the sun is shining on a beautiful British summers day and your employer gives you the opportunity to step away from your desk to interact with colleagues, play games, listen to music, eat new and delicious cuisines, and bask in the rays. Who wouldn’t love that?
Inclusivity
The demand for corporate festivals doubled in 2023 vs 2022, says the event management specialists at Eventurous, with the trend is expected to continue into 2024. Company festivals are popular as they offer a base to showcase gratitude for your team, to celebrate their achievements and develop strong working relationships. Corporate festivals are so popular they are even replacing the annual Christmas party! Why you ask? Well, you may have noticed the rise in adverts on the TV regarding alcohol-free drinks… that’s because there is a growing market of people taking their health and wellbeing seriously. Research from leading drinks manufacturer, Fentiman’s, shows that in 2023 a third of Brits considered giving up alcohol. Christmas is typically associated with heavy drinking and people find it far easier to focus on employee wellbeing with outdoor summer events.
Wellbeing
It makes more sense from an inclusivity and well-being point of view for companies to have their annual celebration in the summer when they can get their employees feeling good outdoors. The festival format allows for a wide variety of aspects such as fairground rides, fate stalls, games, sports, entertainment and so on, offering something for all interests and preferences. After all, it has been reported that 57% of indoor workers rarely step outside for more than 30 minutes a day during their working week! Outdoor events such as company carnivals can stop your employees from feeling like Vampires!
4. Diversity, Accessibility, and Inclusivity
Diversity and inclusion will be at the forefront of event planning in 2024 and as a company whose core values involve people and the planet, we are on hand to support you with your inclusivity goals. Having diverse perspectives and representation within your company can be crucial, for improved decision-making or problem-solving, enhanced creativity and overall better performance.
People and the Planet
Ok so most of us know we need to do our bit to take care of the planet, but with the emphasis on the planet, most of us have forgotten people! As part of your CSR strategy, you should be considering both. Diversity, accessibility, and inclusivity are all great ways to start.
“The value of diverse perspectives and representation is immense and spans various aspects of society, organizations, and decision-making processes.” – Speaker Agency.
When planning your next corporate event, think about how you can make your audience feel included and free to access and enjoy your event at every touchpoint. At Eventurous we can help you choose the right entertainment, venue and activities that feature a diverse range of speakers, performers, and content to help inspire your audience and represent wider perspectives of the community. Our venue-finding team can support you in sourcing a venue that is accessible for each person attending. And remember, not every disability is visible, so be sure to consider those with disabilities such as minor hearing impediments, colour blindness and alike.
5. Personalise the Experience
Know Your Audience
Making your event personal to your attendees is another core consideration for event planning in 2024. Personalisation can help your audience feel important whilst building a sense of community and brand loyalty. Getting personalisation right starts with you answering questions like ‘who are my guests?’, ‘why are they here?’, ‘what excites them?’, all of which can lead to more valuable experiences when considered.
Do Your Research
To enhance your personalised ideas, think a bit more interactively like asking pre-event questions where your audience can vote on who they would like to speak, what they would like to see and what ultimately makes them tick. You can even host live polls throughout your event allowing the audience to vote and interact with live questions where their answers can pop up on screen, allowing them to see physical evidence of their participation, making them feel heard. This insight can then be used for improved planning of your next event.
Personalised Entertainment
Ideas for personalisation can include specific company branding across the event and using colleagues’ names on merchandise or throughout speeches and presentations which can help the entire audience relate to the speaker’s content due to having a connection with those around them. A great example of personalised entertainment is our Singing Waiter evening entertainment. The singers involved pride themselves on making their performance personal to the audience by pre-planning to base their songs around members of the audience who aren’t shy of a little spotlight. This adds an element of surprise personalisation which grabs attention, encourages laughter and above all, makes the night memorable.
Personalised Experiences through AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play a significant role in tailoring event experiences to individual preferences. Attendees can expect personalised recommendations for sessions, networking opportunities, and even event content. AI-driven chatbots will eventually help you provide real-time assistance, enhancing the overall attendee experience and making events more user-friendly.
6. Sustainability
Event professionals around the world are adapting to a new eco-conscious way of working. According to a recent Amex report, 80% of event planners say they take sustainability into account when planning meetings and events, so why not make your event an eco-friendly extravaganza! Events can often create a significant amount of waste from decorations, plastic, energy usage and more, so here are some examples of quick wins for making your corporate event more sustainably focused.
1. Go plastic-free!
Think about getting rid of those plastic cups, plates, and decorations and think of alternatives made from recyclable materials such as glass, paper, and bamboo or even better, source reusable alternatives. Cups and plates can be washed and re-used and not just thrown away so maybe this could be an easy option for you.
2. Consider Car Sharing or Public Transport
Save emissions whilst sharing the adventure with fellow attendees! “Transport is the largest emitting sector of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, producing 26% of the UK’s total emissions” says the UK government’s most recent research. This supports that car sharing or public transport can significantly reduce the emissions generated by your event. Leading transport companies are heading up initiatives to go electric as we speak, offering evolving solutions to your event travel needs. In 2023, our transport partners at Roberts Travel launched their all-new TCe12 zero emission fully electric coach to their previously all-diesel coach. Ask your event agency partner to do the research for you!
3. Eat local and Plant Based
Choosing local catering suppliers will not only support your local farmers whilst reducing emissions from food deliveries, it also can help you embrace your natural environments with organic, locally sourced and some plant-based delights that are good for the health and wellbeing of your team. Even if you’re a meat eater, for an even bigger and still delicious impact, consider changing your menu to include little or no red meat and replace this with delicious vegan options for all your guests to enjoy.
4. LED Magic!
Light up the night with energy-efficient LED’s. Research from the Energy Saving Trust states that, “For every traditional halogen bulb you switch to a similarly bright LED bulb you save around 5kg of CO2 emissions.” Your event can still look magical and save the planet, if you consider these small details with your hosting venue.
5. Water-efficient Gadgets
Consider offering a water filter machine to your guests rather than bottled water or for outdoor venues and events with limited access to running water, switch from disposable plastic water bottles to aluminium canned water.
As a sustainably accredited, award-winning event agency, we can take the pressure off and work closely with you to make your event more sustainable – whether that be through small simple changes or through bold moves! Get in touch with our team to discuss using our carbon calculator service.
You’re Ready to Get Planning!
So, whatever your plans are for corporate events in 2024, consider ways in which your experience can rise above the rest and even make a difference along the way by including sustainable and diverse methods that will change the corporate game and wow your audience. The benefits from corporate events and team building are no longer something your business can afford to miss out on, but to gain the best return on event it is vital to get your audience interacting, having fun, and finding new ways to stay engaged.
