Opinion
Delivering better value from your next Corporate Event
Corporate events hold a significant place in the landscape of the event industry in the UK. In 2019, the business events sector generated £31.2 billion in direct spending and supported over 700,000 jobs in the UK. (Source: Business Visits & Events Partnership – BVEP). These events bring together professionals, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs to network, learn, and collaborate. They provide unparalleled opportunities for networking, relationship building, and business development, as well as the perfect environment for professional development and inspiration. CI Group, a leading agency in organising sustainable corporate events, have 25 years’ experience of delivering impactful and memorable experiences. Here are some key factors that contribute to CI Group’s effectiveness and how we could make your next event even better.
The power of networking
Understanding the drivers of your audience and their key motivation for attending your event helps create the content and engagement long before they arrive. The use of social media, through private groups such as those available on LinkedIn, encourage attendees to connect in advance, share information about themselves and their experiences, as well as areas of expertise. Networking can happen even before people step inside the convention centre/hotel/warehouse/underground vault!
Share compelling content
People come to live events because they want to experience them with other people who feel the same way as they do, learn from each other and network with like-minded individuals. The events we organise feature compelling speakers, industry experts, and thought leaders who share insights, trends, and best practices – always to make your event more memorable and valuable to the attendee. CI Group’s Changing Behaviours Event was hosted by New York Time’s best-selling author, documentary filmmaker and TV presenter Simon Reeve. Perhaps an unconventional spokesperson on environmental issues, his reach extends far beyond corporate social responsibility and gave fascinating insight into his travels and the small ways we can all deliver positive impact on climate change.
Promote professional and personal development
Your event might include an educational session, creative workshop, panel discussion, or networking cafe, all designed to enhance professional growth and the expertise of the guests in attendance. In between business led content, guests will appreciate the opportunity to enhance their own skills or wellbeing, for instance joining an energising activity such as learning techniques on breathing, mindfulness or stretching, or building communities for mentoring and development. Over the years CI Group have seen it all – from morning coastal walks and group yoga, beat boxing and boomwhackers, to Tag Rugby and the Haka. The only limitation is your imagination!
Engagement that builds better business leads
Business development and lead generation are a natural output of live events. A Sales Kick Off or annual conference should incorporate an exhibition element, product demonstration or innovation café, to allow attendees to engage directly with the businesses, partners and customers. Guests can touch and feel the products and services on offer, and connect with industry partners and teams. Our Exhibitors increasingly use VR and AR to stand out from the competition and provide an immersive event experience. Gamification, on site competitions and give aways encourage people to linger, start a conversation, and ultimately lead to the sharing of information and data. This enables teams and companies to follow up with calls and meetings and leads to a higher lead conversion than those who just simply drop their business card in a box.
Delivering Sustainably
More than ever clients want to understand their venue’s sustainability policy, food providence, energy consumption, and waste management, to ensure all possible steps are taken to reduce the impact of their event on the environment. Dashboards, offsetting, and Carbon Calculators can be effective at showing tangible results, that can be used to inform and improve future events. At CI Group, in partnership with Isla, we have a tool which can calculate, offset and reduce organisations carbon footprint. We also use our fully customisable and branded event app, which communicates speaker information, venue details and features such as third-party links, chat and social posts. The digital app reduces the need for printing and is an efficient way of connecting people with their on-site network, helping them schedule 1-2-1 meetings and share content.
By focusing on these key aspects, we consistently deliver impactful and memorable experiences for both clients and attendees, making us a trusted partner in the organisation of successful, sustainable, corporate events.
For more information or help planning your next event, contact Sophie.Hughes@cigroup.co.uk.