When it comes to entertainment ideas for corporate events, things have pretty much been done a billion times over. There’s the photo booth, cooking classes, live bands, not to mention the escape room. Aimed at creating bonding opportunities for employees, sharing company culture initiatives and sparking collaborations, corporate events usually have strong mandates in mind, yet one of the biggest challenges is that people are pretty much dragged into going there, and end up either leaving early, leaving drunk and/or missing the point entirely.
From conferences, gala dinners and road shows to incentive trips, corporate events are essential to a company’s success. In fact, according to the Event Marketing 2019 trends report, 84 percent of leadership believe that corporate events are critical for their company.
So how to create a powerful and memorable event for your employees?
Think about each event, no matter what it is, as an experience; a live journey for each attendee. All entertainment ideas should flow into the event and have three simple attributes: They should be sensory, memorable and participatory.
Following our golden rule, here are our top 15 entertainment ideas for corporate events.
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Immersive Food and Cocktail Station. Try a DIY gin and tonic bar or Build Your Own Poke Bowl; these collaborative activities spark the senses, create memories and are highly participatory.
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Augmented Reality (AR) is in. Setting up an AR booth to create a scavenger hunt or training simulation not only stimulates participation but is also sensory and educational.
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Instigate a Jam Session. Live entertainment has always been a key element of corporate events. Why not make it participatory? Book musicians to start a jam session inviting attendees to pick up instruments and join in.
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A Carefully Designed Escape Room. An escape room with a clear objective and simple instructions can create powerful bonding experiences, inspiring imaginative scenarios and building memories.
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A 3D photo booth. The photo booth might be a thing of the past, but what about a 3D printer to go with it? Taking home a 3D object of oneself certainly tops instills a powerful memory.
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Competition App. Starting a playful competition online between attendees can inspire engagement at the event. Using tools such as Slido or Glisser are great for crowdsourcing questions, and then inviting attendees to respond.
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A Little Karaoke. Karaoke might seem like a risky activity, but all it takes is a few hidden talents from the room that can start a symphony of fun within the group.
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Book Stomp. Introduce an opening act that inspires balance, teamwork and coordination, as well as jumpstarts the event with a surge of energy.
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An Alluring Invitation. Make attendees part of the event content by creating an engaging invitation process with a question that entices each of them to participate.
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A Collective Masterpiece. Invite guests to snap a photo on their phone or device during the event and post them on Twitter or Instagram using the event’s unique hashtag. These photos then became part of a live and evolving digital collage.
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A Story for a Story. Create an opportunity for personal, yet anonymous sharing by building a story corner, where attendees can write a short story about one of their colleagues and pick up another at the same time.
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Stage a Hologram. Create a striking memory by having a famous character surprise the audience and pop up on centre stage.
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Projection mapping. Set up a projection mapping sequence tailored to each speaker, keeping guests engaged with constantly evolving visual content.
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Food Performances. Educate and engage attendees with interactive food stalls, introducing science-based food concepts orchestrated by a laboratory of chefs concocting recipes like tomato water bubbles.
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Let the Employees Design the Event. If you are truly looking to win over your audience, why not have the employees themselves create the entertainment, with their favorite speakers, chefs and dream activities.
