14 Ways to Jumpstart Your Live Corporate Events
We’re all getting closer to the energy of an in-person event. And for some, that time has arrived!
From hope-filled article titles like “Getting Closer to Face-to-Face” and “PULSE Survey Finds Uptick in Optimism, New Meetings Business,” we are seeing a shift in the mindsets of planners and suppliers of corporate events. And after putting one live event in the books for February, we at Iron Peacock Events can say definitively, “It feels good to be back!”
Through the entire experience, we have a few thoughts on navigating this “newer” typical of live events. From flexibility and communication to comfort levels, here are some of the most important qualities your event needs and general steps for producing a compelling event.
Producing a Great Corporate Event in 2021
Great events have always required great teamwork.
And if Covid has shown us anything, it’s that people still crave overwhelmingly intentional communication. One thing you need in your arsenal is a strategic plan to go nitty-gritty with the details and over-communicate to be sure everyone is on the same page.
Here’s a look at what isn’t changing, what is, and how to best communicate with your people!
What’s Staying the Same
The two most important things are to design your event specifically for your audience and to prepare for ROI.
When designing the event for the audience, everyone thinks about Covid safety and what the protocols mean for them. But aside from Covid, remember to keep a sharp eye on why these people are coming and make the event feel intensely relevant and personal.
When thinking through what you want to accomplish, be relentless with ROI. The event planning industry exists to accomplish measurable goals for businesses. Focus on your desired outcomes and measure and report them. Having ROI helps Meetings & Events return anytime we have an economic setback.
What’s Changing When You Return to Live Events
Our most significant advice in the new world of event planning is to have patience.
Everyone, from the planners to the venue, is disoriented with live events and perhaps a bit nervous about wanting to follow all precautions correctly. If you were planning the same event for a week later, it would be incredibly different. Be ready to double-check every detail twice to lessen any last-minute scrambles!
Communicate with hosts, contractors, and suppliers
Everyone on the event planning team needs to be in sync.
Venues, planners, and suppliers all have new responsibilities — to ensure the safety of their attendees, follow health and safety protocols, provide safe food and beverage solutions, and arrange tailored physically distanced queueing and seating arrangements. All while accomplishing the meeting goals and ensuring a positive experience!
When you get started, know that the people attending events are incredibly excited to be there and are (for the most part) willing to follow protocols to keep everyone safe! Here are some practical ways to get ready with your team.
Ensure you all are on the same page with Covid protocol. Take a look at your group size, the people attending together, and the state and CDC guidelines. Create a realistic and workable plan to accommodate every person in the room, ensuring that everyone on the team knows the covid protocol and how to encourage people to follow it.
Be sure your venues are prepared for spacing and sanitation. Hotels have led the way in developing safety protocols and procedures. Work closely with them and communicate all the details about group size, variables, and more. But, a local restaurant may not be quite as prepared, so be ready to ask all the questions — go further to request new policies, floorplans, and room traffic flow.
Be realistic about the number of attendees you can accommodate! We used a ballroom that typically could hold 2,200 — and it became full at 350 with 3 or 4 ppl per 72-inch round!
Great partners are always vital, but especially now. If your photographer or a few staff members test positive for Covid, they will need a backup — be sure they are aware and prepared for that scenario.
You’ll need a bigger and better A/V setup. You may need a video camera on the speakers to help participants in the far reaches of the meeting room not feel separated, larger screens so everyone can see, more microphones, so panelists don’t have to share, and a larger stage to spread out your speaker panels. If someone cannot attend last minute, be sure you have the ability to live-stream them.
Prep your Speakers. For practicality, speakers will often need to remove their masks so the audience can understand them. To ensure safety, keep all speakers further than the 6-feet mark from each other from the audience, and have a plan to sanitize the podium, mics, seating, laptop, and slide advancers between speakers. Be sure to discuss how to engage the audience — when people are spread out, the energy is harder to maintain. They will need creative ways to draw people into what they’re saying!
Prepare for every question regarding the available shopping and dining opportunities — have lists of open local restaurants that can deliver, arrange sign-ups for those who would like to go to local restaurants within walking distance, and arrange small group dining experiences for those who are comfortable with it.
Plan for a higher number of last-minute attendees. You don’t want a situation where people want to come but can’t. Due to restrictions, you can’t simply add a row or make room in the back, so be intentional about preparing for 5-7% as late registrants.
Communication with and between attendees
Communicate pre-event. Be sure that the arrangements are decided and communicated well before on-site registration. If you allow attendees seated at the recommended distances to take off their masks, be sure that everyone has ample opportunities to know. Keep all attendees informed of local safety protocols and changes as they occur.
Craft a Seamless Registration Experience. For registration, ensure you have queues with floor decals for spacing, plexiglass, and masks at the registration desk. And, avoid touchscreens for now...too many fingers - unless staff can sanitize between use! Hand out badges instead.
Limit Breakout Sessions. Have participants signup for their sessions so you can limit registrations by the number of allowable attendees in a given room.
Provide Networking Opportunities. One of the biggest reasons for having an in-person event right now is to foster connections, and your biggest asset is the great outdoors! Create a space with fresh air to encourage attendees to mingle and network, with masks remaining on as required.
Introduce a Comfort-Level Communication System. To foster transparency with people’s comfort levels, you can use a red-yellow-green system to help attendees communicate their comfort level with speaking to others during this unprecedented time. This helps to put all attendees at ease and not feel like they are guessing if someone is feeling awkward.
Plan for Gentle Reminders. People will become “comfortable” with the crowd and forget to put their masks back on. Be ready with a gentle or fun reminder script for all event personnel. The last thing you want to do is call someone out or make them feel awkward. We found as days two and three came, people were feeling comfortable and would leave a meeting room and forget to put on their masks.
Hope on the Horizon
We’re hoping to continue to see more live events return!
While state-by-state restrictions, corporate no-travel policies, and a general reluctance to travel are making events return more slowly, we know that as more vaccines are distributed, people will begin to feel safer. We anticipate seeing a bell curve return to “normal” meetings and events, with smaller regional events leading the way.
As we take steps forward safely, let’s celebrate each milestone and innovative option as it comes! Crafting an extraordinary event will always take teamwork and patience as we walk through this uncertain time together. But we are strong, and we can do this.
If you are looking for a planning partner excited to provide a fantastic and safe corporate event experience, reach out to the Iron Peacock Event Team today!
