Most companies will throw at least a few corporate events each year. Some, like Christmas parties, are generally exclusively for employees, while others are created more to gain new clients. With so many different companies routinely organising corporate parties and events, surely there are benefits of doing so? There are generally two main goals that a company will attempt to achieve when throwing a corporate party – either to increase the cohesion of their employees by encouraging teamwork and sense of shared purpose, or to promote their company, generally by inviting existing clients and potential clients to an event where they will meet members of your team.
In order to maximise the possible gains you can make through your corporate party, it is important to know before you start to plan your event what you want to achieve with it. Do you want to market a new product or service to your clients? Do you want to increase local awareness of your company and what it can offer to prospective clients or are you more interested in introducing a new member of the team to the rest of your employees? Corporate parties can have a range of benefits to you and your company, but it is crucial that you pinpoint what you need from each individual event in order to ensure that you make the most of each opportunity.
Company Culture
Company culture is a relatively new idea that is used to discuss how each company functions. As an idea it is quite difficult to define, as so much about what makes each company unique and interesting to be involved in will develop naturally over time. A lot of what company culture is revolves around how employees feel as part of the company. For example, do your employees feel like a valued part of the team and are they given opportunities to develop their skills in the position they are in? Having a positive company culture is essential, not just for employee engagement but also in terms of retention and productivity.
Corporate parties can be a great way to create a more fulfilling and positive company culture. Here are a few ways that corporate parties can improve your company culture:
- Reward Good Work
Regardless of your company’s focus, it can be difficult to maintain a high level of productivity all the time. Throwing your employees a party as a reward for completing a particularly labour intensive project can show your team that you value their contributions. When employees are clearly going the extra mile in order to ensure success for the company, letting them know that their hard work has been noticed and that you appreciate the effort that they are putting in is crucially important. Throwing them a party is a great reward and will help you keep employee engagement high.
- Build Relationships
With remote working becoming ever more prominent since the pandemic, many employees who work regularly together will not know each other personally as well as they would if they were working in an office setting. In order for your team to work well together, it is important to ensure that your team all know each other well and are able to co-operate on a range of projects. Corporate parties can offer a fantastic chance for team building activities. Quizzes, Pictionary, or even charades can be great ways to introduce people and bring a new element to their interactions
- Celebrate successes
When you have won a new client, achieved success in a corporate prize or even completed a long project that has taken you a while, celebrating with a team dinner or a corporate party will help ensure that you let your employees know you appreciate their efforts. Taking a break from work in order to celebrate a job well done can help recharge you and your team’s batteries and motivate you all to tackle the next task with enthusiasm. Spending time socialising together can help your team build a strong working relationship as you move on to a new client or project.
- Recharge Morale
Having an annual party for Christmas and a summer event is a great way to recharge morale and create a company tradition to look forward to. A corporate party is a great way to boost morale in order to give your team a goal to accomplish. The social bonds between employees and their work-life balance are imperative to ensuring that your company is able to achieve your goals. People who are feeling tired, run down or even just stressed rarely produce work on a par with someone who is feeling positive. Corporate events to improve the mindset of your employees can help you improve productivity in your company.
Networking
Holding a corporate party is also a fantastic opportunity for networking. Whether you are building a business or a career it is vitally important that you attempt to gather contact with others in the same field. There are a few reasons why networking is so crucial and why you should create opportunities for your clients and employees to network through corporate events. Networking allows you not only to find potential clients through your network, but also to find businesses that provide products which can help you improve your own business, such as a company that provides software which when used can improve your online services. Holding a party for a range of professionals can allow you to put out word of what your company does, how you operate and what you can do for them.
Having contacts within your industry can provide opportunities for employees learning new skills as well as co-operation on projects you are working on. For example, if you need someone to take over a position at your company, reaching out to your network could give you a few prospects that could work well.
If you are interested in contacting Salomons Estate as a venue for your corporate event, then please contact us here. Our staff are professional and well-practised in helping our clients arrange a range of corporate events, including meetings, team holidays and corporate parties. Have a look at our website to find out what else we can do for you.