2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic changed the way people view public and personal events. The UK workforce was no exception. With lockdown measures, mostly all corporate events and parties had to be virtually attended. While this is an excellent social distancing measure, it is not fun. Corporate parties and events are meant to relax employees, build team spirit, and be an incredible engagement strategy.
With companies across the UK striving to meet their goals and deadlines, most employees were extremely overworked during the lockdown. With the easing of measures, businesses are slowly getting back to half WFH (work from home) and half office attendance-style cultures. What this means for the UK workforce is that there will be a slow reintroduction to team meetings, personal interviews, face-to-face interactions, and more.
Many businesses will also host parties and events to welcome their employees back to work and office.
Corporate Entertainment:
Corporate entertainment and parties with plentiful food and drinks are always a hot favourite. Themed parties make for even more fantastic entertainment. With so many things that can be planned, it is best to hire a credible and experienced party event organizer like Alive Network. They have excellent themes, ideas, and people available.
Some of the interactive entertainment at corporate events are funfair stalls, caricature artists, paparazzi photobombers, giant games (where adults can be kids again), and more. For the entertainment, you could also hire them to plan an entire party around a theme like Cirque du Soleil with aerial performers, music, acrobats, or a Medieval theme party with servers dressed like knights.
Business Conferences and Seminars:
Conferences and seminars are excellent for team building activities, knowledge sharing, inviting authority figures to impart information and create an environment to share and exchange facts. Most business conferences typically last 2 – 3 days and are held at locations away from the office.
Seminars are usually held over one day and are close to the office. These are excessively critical events for businesses and employees to network and create more extensive client and customer bases. With the global economy slowing down since 2020, these events have gained greater importance in 2021.
These events also need excellent entertainment (after the conference or seminar – usually around dinner) like themed food, cocktails or drinks, and a chance for people to mingle in an informal atmosphere. The venue also matters greatly. Many places in the UK are now allowed to host events, but only according to the seating capacity of the venue. A risk assessment of the venue will also have to be done in advance and submitted to the government.
Roaming Competitions:
Planning a corporate event like a party does not mean it has to be indoors all the time. Since employees were on lockdown since 2020, and everyone was working from home, roaming competitions are excellent for moving around. A roaming competition is like an egg hunt game but with clues and tips to get the next element. At the end of the rounds, the team with the most right elements wins.
These competitions are great for team-building exercises. They promote collaborative teamwork and also allow employees to roam around and take part in something together. Roaming competitions can be indoors (in the office premises) or set across the town or suburb. These types of competitions also create a buzz on social media and are excellent branding exercises.
While there is a lot of cheating (social media uploads and whatnot), it is great fun. Making brand-friendly hashtags and involving employees help create a lot of traction on social media, improve conversion rates, and eventually lead to sales. For local companies, roaming competitions are also an excellent method to involve other stores and small-business owners as part of the challenge. Doing this leads to outstanding collaborations and future business. It also creates a sense of community in the minds of people.
Relaxing Barbecues:
Not all events have to be in the form of parties, events, seminars, and team-building activities. Since 2020 and 2021 were all about social distancing, hosting a relaxed barbecue theme is an excellent way to get employees to unwind. A barbecue set up should be outdoors (preferably in large parks) or by the beachside. Barbecues are laid back, without dress codes, where employees can relax and let their hair down. Informal atmospheres are highly beneficial for reconnecting with colleagues.
The planning would require seating, good cuts of meat, a catering service, and unlimited beer. A barbecue party idea is also a low-cost event, so the décor can be checkered tablecloths, picnic tables, and comfortable chairs.
