When running a successful business, you’ll find the best work is done when employees are happy, and morale is at its highest. When workers are unhappy, the quality of work and attendance will decrease. To prioritise your employee’s health and well-being, acknowledges their contribution on both a personal and professional level, leading to a happier and more stable work environment.
Between the years 2007 to 2009, Gallup conducted a study that took 1.4 million employees from 34 countries. The data shows that over 192 organisations across 49 industries experienced the following effects when increasing employees:
- Absenteeism reduced by 37%
- Safety incidents decreased by 48%
- Quality incidents (defects) reduced by 41%
- Profitability increased by 22%
These findings show that the overall quality of life within the workplace affects staff behaviour and their relationships towards the company. This is why hosting corporate events as a way to celebrate and reward staff is beneficial to all.
To get things started, we’ve listed twenty of our favourite event ideas for you to enjoy alongside your staff:
1. Team workshop
Organising a workshop for professional development is an excellent approach to encouraging ongoing learning and bringing your staff back to work. Employees may learn new skills and broaden their knowledge while engaging in interactive, instructive activities during these sessions. Consider providing a variety of workshop subjects that complement your staff members’ requirements and interests. These courses, which can focus on personal development, communication techniques, or leadership development, will advance their professional progress and fortify the bonds between team members.
2. Webinars: a platform for learning fast
If you want to strike up some great employee discussion, then a Webinar might be the right event for your office. Use this time to address any economic concerns and encourage your staff to learn more about their workplace. Webinars can be weekly or bi-weekly and run up to 2 hours. Shawn Finder, the CEO of Autoklose, conducts a webinar every Thursday featuring tips and detailed guides to automation!
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3. Celebrate the closing of big deals
When things get busy in the office, it can be a stressful time for all. That’s why you should celebrate when all your team’s hard work has come to fruition! Once you receive confirmation that a deal has been successfully sealed, take some time out to congratulate everyone. When the job has been completed, organize a party with plenty of food to share, and don’t forget the music!
4. Plan a Friday movie night
Sometimes relaxing to a movie is the perfect way to end a busy week. Whether heading to the theatre or using a projector in-house, a favourite film or TV show with colleagues is a relaxed event, entertaining for all. While everyone settles in, pop on some popcorn and let the screen work its magic.
5. Organize indoor sports matches
Whether your games are cricket or football, getting the office outside is a great change of pace for everyone involved. This is also an ideal event to encourage teamwork and raise team spirit. It can be held on weekends or weekdays after office hours. Combining fitness, fun and competition, this event reduces stress and promotes a healthy workplace lifestyle.
6. Go for a weekend trip
Are you looking to break out of the monotonous routine that comes with a full-time job? Then why not plan a weekend getaway for everyone to enjoy? A change of pace can help boost morale. So get everyone together and spend the weekend out of the city.
7. Board game day
Encouraging friendly competition and collaboration in the workplace is a great way to sharpen skills outside the job. To keep things fresh, try a different game each month or a recurring game like Dungeons and Dragons. Just make sure there are plenty of snacks around the board.
8. Morning cycling/walk
A relaxing morning bike ride or stroll along a scenic route can improve one’s morning. It’s both a refreshing and fun event, but it will take a lot of energy – make sure food and drinks are ready for everyone once they return to the office.
9. Plan a surprise day trip
Break up the day-to-day by venturing out. Head to the sea, mountains or someplace that is sure to amaze. Encourage employees to bring along family members as a day out of the office to help liven things up for everyone.
10. Arrange monthly “Best of” competition
Choose a different category each week and ask employees to vote on it. These competitions could be the best lunches, the most beautiful smile, always late, the cleanest desk and many other things. Make it personable to your office and ensure everyone has a category they can win.
11. Themed office days
Plan a themed office day where everyone can come to work all dressed up. For example, with the new Marvel movie coming up, why not have an “End Game Party” where everyone dresses up as their favourite hero? Check out this CEO of Southwest Airlines, who dressed up as Snow White with their employees as the seven dwarfs.
12. Family day
Family days are a great way to know more about your employee’s lives outside of work. These events can help encourage healthy work-life balance and provide a day of fun that your employees can enjoy with the ones they love the most.
13. Fitness contests
Sitting all day comes with its fair share of health risks. To avoid the early onset of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and diabetes, the solution is to encourage the workplace to keep fit. According to research done by the California State Polytechnic University Pomona, exercise can increase morale. Meanwhile, well-rested employees are more productive and innovative in their work. Arrange a fitness contest and offer a support network for those looking to get in shape.
14. Virtual reality experience
Organize VR events to ignite your employee’s imagination. A whole range of multiplayer games can be enjoyed inside the virtual world. Be sure to award the winning teams fabulous prizes and encourage friendly competition.
15. A day of comedy
Reducing stress can increase an employee’s morale, and what better way to combat stress than with laughter? Hire a comedian to get the show running with lots of stories, laughs and tunes or let your staff share their jokes. Who knows, there might be an aspiring comedian amongst you!
16. Music and dance night
Get the party started with a night of music and dancing. Encourage employees to bring along their families and be sure to get them on stage.
17. Create art together
“Art enables us to find and lose ourselves at the same time” – Thomas Merton
An art event is a perfect way to get employees to express themselves. Please arrange a painting session so everyone can give their thoughts, shape and colour.
18. Massage the stress away
It is high time you arranged a pamper day and treated your employees. But, take caution as not everyone likes to be touched. An alternative option can be massage chairs, so check with your employees when planning this event.
19. Volunteer together
Volunteering spreads happiness and can work to reduce stress. Connecting with others and working towards a cause can help employees find fulfilment in life. Setting up programs that relate to your business is an excellent way to uncover old passions and strengthen workplace bonds. All while helping out your local community!
20. Go hiking together
Hiking events are a great way to get outdoors and prompt activity. Get your employees to join you for a stroll down the local park, as hiking can help clear the mind to refresh your colleagues.
21. Office Olympics
Another affordable event you may plan for your organisation is the Office Olympics. You may design several activities to engage every employee and allow them to decompress and strengthen their relationships. Form cross-departmental teams, set up the activities (such as the plastic plate spinning, three-legged race, and egg-and-spoon race), and have the awards ready for the winning teams. One of the Office Olympics competitions is who can climb the stairs of the corporate building the fastest.
22. Host a bake-off
Start the week off with a bake-off! Encourage staff to bring their favourite treats or get team members to work against each other in Great British Bake Off style. At the end of the event, everyone’s a winner with a range of tasty delicacies that can be enjoyed back at the desk.
23. Escape room
With good reason, escape rooms have become more and more popular as team-building exercises. These immersive activities put players under pressure to cooperate, solve riddles, and accomplish a shared objective in a predetermined amount of time. Whether you host an escape room at your event site or send the crew somewhere off-site, this game fosters problem-solving, teamwork, and critical thinking. The escape room’s theme may also be changed to fit your company’s or the workers’ interests, making the experience more interesting and personalised.
24. Social wall
Participants may post their event experiences, pictures, comments, and other pertinent material on a social wall, which is a real-time content stream. Add a social wall to your online event platform to promote networking and conversation among participants. It functions as a virtual bulletin board where staff members may interact, exchange ideas, and continue the dialogue after the event. To close the distance between virtual and in-person guests, consider projecting the social wall onto screens at your physical event location.
25. Casino night
Make your event area a casino for a fun and memorable corporate gathering. Give your staff members the freedom to try their luck and play their preferred casino games, such as roulette and blackjack. A casino night brings excitement and comradery to your business event, whether players are playing for actual prizes, charity, or simply for fun. To create a realistic casino experience, think about employing expert dealers. Also, don’t forget to supply fake money to people who aren’t into gaming. It’s a brilliant concept that your staff will remember for a long time.
26. Work anniversary party
Events called “work anniversaries” honour a colleague’s length of service with the organisation. Organisations use different methods to commemorate these events. Announcements are frequently made on one-year anniversaries. Meanwhile, celebrations are appropriate for bigger anniversaries like ten or twenty years. To further commemorate, consider giving presents, cards, and meals. Regardless of the duration of work, it’s critical to recognise dedication to the organisation. These celebrations encourage other team members to stick with the organisation while making the honoured team members feel visible and appreciated. Moreover, these festivities allow teammates to gather and support one another.
27. Office decorating days
On office decorating days, co-workers decorate the workstation with playful artwork and accent pieces. These activities are most frequently held around holidays, when colleagues may decorate for the occasion or prepare for celebrations. But you may have a general decorating day if you feel the workplace needs an update or your staff needs a little pick-me-up. These gatherings may also be enjoyable to revitalise a workspace or help a new facility settle in.
28. Hackathons
Product-development gatherings known as hackathons have their roots in the IT industry. Teams collaborate to find a solution to an issue or come up with a new one during these sprint-like events, which usually take place over the course of a weekend. If you’re short on time, you could organise a quick hackathon that lasts a few hours. It seems sensible to modify your expectations for the findings to match the available window.
Even while most hackathons focus on developing new technologies or applications, you may host the event in any field of expertise. For instance, HR teams may come up with ideas for a new business culture programme, while advertising teams could compete to develop a commercial. Teams submit their ideas after the competition, and judges select a winner.
29. Family fun days
Workplaces host family fun days, whereby employees welcome their families in for a fun-filled day of activities. Families may unwind and have fun with employer-sponsored activities on family fun days, unlike Take Your Child to Work Day, which focuses on educating children about the working world. Typical components include raffles, clowns or magicians, and barbeques. These get-togethers also allow colleagues to discover common ground or reasons for connection outside the workplace by peaking into each other’s personal lives.
30. Happy hours
There is a particular ebb and flow to corporate gatherings. It is the responsibility of the event planner to look for those unique possibilities to give the crowd a little more vigour. And among the first areas they search? Hour of happiness.
Due to its traditional appeal, this idea is fantastic. Most people may enjoy a nice beverage following a demanding workday (or after engaging in team-building activities connected to their jobs). Combining a hands-on mixology workshop with happy hour is an innovative approach to elevate it. While networking with other team members, all participants may learn how to prepare their favourite drinks.
31. Photo booth
Creating memories is the primary goal of events. And taking a photograph is the finest thing you can do to save the memories for a lifetime. Although using a smartphone is an option for customers, entering a photo booth is a unique experience.
Install picture booths all throughout your event venue so guests can never forget the moment. To highlight your team for everyone to see, ask your visitors to upload their photos on social media and repost them when they consent.
32. Learn with lunch
During meal breaks, colleagues get together for a learning session on a certain topic during lunch and learn, which are professional development exercises. The topic may be more general and wide-ranging, such as personal economics or emotional intelligence, or it may be work-related, such as time management, negotiation techniques, or leadership development. The lectures could also cover exciting topics unrelated to job or life skills, including the background of a little-known identity group, the narrative of a charitable organisation, or ukulele instruction. Choose a captivating speaker before organising a lunch and learn. Surveying your personnel to find out what subjects interest them is helpful. Next, reserve a room and schedule the presentation for noon. Usually, employers cater the meals on these occasions.
33. Company picnics
Company picnics are get-togethers where teams may socialise, compete, and toast to success as a company. These outdoor gatherings frequently attract family and friends. Face painting and frisbee are popular games. These functions honour workers’ dedication and inform them of the company’s goals.
Choose a location, place your food order, and make engaging entertainment and activities for the picnic. Because these events are outside, be prepared for inclement weather by hiring a tent or covered pavilion or scheduling a rainy day!
FAQ: Corporate Event Ideas
Here are the answers to frequently asked questions concerning corporate party ideas.
Organising a corporate function is a difficult task. Establishing the goals and purpose of your event can help you pick the right kind of event. Next, create a budget and include all your costs, including entertainment, catering, and venue rental. Next, pick a location to hold all the guests you anticipate attending. Make a thorough agenda that contains the schedule, the activities or entertainment you want to include, and a comprehensive timeframe. By following this timetable, you can stay organised and ensure everything goes according to plan on the day of the event. Finally, following the event, get in touch with guests to assess the success of your gathering.
Employers organise corporate team-building activities as get-togethers to foster collaboration and friendship among staff members. These events include enjoyable games or activities, food, and opportunities for staff members to mingle. These gatherings may occur off-site at a different location, remotely, or in the workplace.
Corporate team-building activities involve everything from entertaining seminars and volunteer days to interdepartmental mixers, team lunches, escape rooms, and group trips. But there are hundreds of more possibilities to keep teams engaged and amused.
Do your homework before planning a business team-building activity to ensure success. Get a sense of the possibilities available to you and your team. Ensure you allocate funds and seek out enjoyable events encouraging teamwork, communication, and camaraderie among colleagues. Next, decide a time, set the activity, and have fun with your partner. Get input from the staff afterwards to organise even more successful events in the future.
Ensuring the event is relevant to the employees will make them want to come and contribute to the overall enjoyment factor of your corporate event. Please make sure there are many things for them to engage in throughout the event, including games or simple chances for people to socialise. This is the second thing you need to accomplish. Last but not least, always ensure food and drink are abundant!
By incorporating these innovative event ideas, you have the potential to create a workplace environment that not only meets the professional needs of your team but also nurtures their well-being. The possibilities are boundless, from team-building adventures that forge unbreakable bonds to interactive workshops that stimulate creativity. Remember, the success of any corporate event lies not just in its execution but in the lasting impact it leaves on your employees.
So, which corporate event would you like to participate in? Share your story in the comment section below.
