In a setting that requires focus, poise, and professionalism, corporate events don’t have to remain stuffy and dull. When people come to your event, they don’t want to be bored by information they’ve already heard. Making an impression is imperative to a successful event, even more so when you want it to be memorable. Attendee engagement is vital to your corporate event because it means your guests have actively taken a role in the event itself, lending more time to think about your event’s purpose and goals. Here are a few ways to certify your attendees will be engaged throughout your corporate event:

Create a comfortable environment

When developing ideas for corporate events, people often forget the comfort of those in attendance. Creating a comfortable environment with ample seating and accommodations will make guests feel at ease and welcome in the space. Having areas with less formal seating will make guests feel more relaxed and in tune with others as well as the event itself, boosting engagement.

The reason why rows of seating don’t work for engagement is because it creates a closed-off environment where guests can’t interact with one another. Allowing attendees to connect organically with their peers in a less-structured environment will promote effective communication and keep guests interested.

Combine varying activities

No one enjoys one long monotonous day. The same is true of corporate events. While the event itself is very much about business and networking, it doesn’t have to be dull. Creating fun and engaging activities for company events can promote interest, which is ultimately what you’re after.

By combining multiple types of sessions, breakouts, or exercises, you’ll create an event that provides guests with various outlets to learn more about the event itself and your company. By offering different presentation styles and sessions, you’ll keep your audience more engaged since there’s a consistent change of pace and new activities offered. Altering the tone of the event several times throughout the day gives attendees a chance to unwind and then refocus their attention. Not all attendees will be focused the entire event, but by changing up the length of presentations and the platform by which they are presented is a sure-fire way to keep engagement levels high and attendance participation at peak levels.

Provide ample downtime

Organization and scheduling are great tools for cohesive events, but if you try to schedule too many things, your guests may lose interest. A corporate event planner will tell you that giving your attendees time to relax, eat, take a bathroom break, make some phone calls, or check in with their work is a great way to keep them engaged. Providing a few minutes for people to decompress and absorb the activities in your corporate event will make it much more memorable.

Additionally, if your event supplies food and drink, you want people to be able to mingle and enjoy the food you provide. Scheduling sessions or talks one right after another with no break will become exhausting, and you may lose many attendees to boredom or overwhelm them with information.

Corporate events are all about networking and promoting your company. While the event itself is key to success, having a strong attendance is what makes corporate event companies accomplish their goals. Without engaging guests, a corporate event just turns into another big party where people are less than entertained and leave without giving the event another thought. Your corporate event should have your guests leaving with thought-provoking ideas and innovative approaches to problems and goal setting.

McVeigh Global Meetings and Events can design, produce, and manage your next corporate event, saving you time, money, and stress—and will keep your attendees engaged. Whether you need a few details coordinated or just an idea you want to bring to life, we can help with any coordination or preparation you may need. Click here to get started.