Thinking About an Un-Themed Corporate Event? Think Again.
Keynote speaker? Check. A unique venue? Check. An engaging theme? Not this year.
If this is what your latest event planning checklist looked like, it’s time to rethink your approach to corporate event planning. The truth is, an engaging, cohesive theme is essential to an engaging event. Instead of treating it as an “extra,” ancillary to the event itself, your event’s theme should be a central part of your event planning strategy. Here’s why:
1. It Creates Cohesion
If your corporate event lasts all day long—or spans several days—having a theme becomes even more important. A relevant theme can seamlessly tie disparate parts of your event together. This allows you to weave a common “message” throughout the day in keynotes, breakout sessions, and beyond.
2. It Amps Up Excitement
A fun theme, when executed well, can transform a subpar corporate event into a buzzed-about, must-attend affair! Instead of listening passively, attendees will be more engaged and receptive to your message. Plus, theming your event makes it easier to create plenty of opportunities for attendees to let down their walls, break out of their comfort zones, and maybe even get a little goofy—and that’s when breakthroughs happen. Whether it incorporates a costume contest or prop-filled photo booth, a fun themed event amps up excitement like nothing else.
3. It Keeps Participant’s Eyes Open
Have you ever had trouble keeping your attendees from falling asleep during your corporate event? Banish that problem with the implementation of a theme! Even if you’re presenting information or training sessions that your attendees may have encountered at previous events, theming your material makes it feel fresh. When you introduce a theme into your event and truly commit to it, it will be hard for your attendees to turn their backs.
4. It Makes Your Material Memorable
You could run a conference chocked full of relevant information and strategies that your attendees can use to work smarter, with less stress, on the job, but if attendees can’t remember what they’ve learned, none of that will matter. A fun theme helps stop the learning leakage and improve retention.
How? By presenting something out of the ordinary to your attendees. We’re more likely to remember things (and want to remember them) when we break out of routine. People can recall details of memorable events like their weddings in vivid detail, but so often forget what they had for breakfast just this morning. A creative, cohesive theme can help your event material and message become infinitely more interesting, and therefore, more likely to be applied back on the job.
How to Ensure Your Theme Succeeds
Now that we’ve established why theming your event is a must, how do you actually pull it off? As you brainstorm possible themes for your next event, keep these keys to a successful themed event in mind:
Pay attention to the details
Yes, theming your event comes with a host of benefits, which you’ll only reap if you go all in. Your attendees will notice half-hearted attempts at developing a theme, which isn’t likely to build much excitement at all. That’s why, from the food to the handouts to the decor, you should be sure to incorporate the theme into every element of the event. Not only does this show your attendees that you take delivering a fun, successful event seriously, but it works to transform the event space into a venue way outside the ordinary.
Get leadership involved
Employees take behavioral cues from those at the top. So when your theme gets the seal of approval from your leadership team, attendees are more likely to engage wholeheartedly. To make the most of your corporate event, try to get members of your leadership team actively involved on the day(s) of your event. Would an executive be willing to don cowboy attire for your Wild West theme? Or deliver a “clue” for a treasure hunt theme? When leadership shows up and both physically and vocally supports your event and its theme, everyone wins.
Build in “wow” moments
Costumed characters on stilts mingling with the crowd in between sessions. A mime performer hopping on stage during the keynote. When you theme your event, be sure to incorporate fun, fanciful moments that are totally unexpected. Building in a few of these “wow” elements can make an ordinary event extraordinary and that much more memorable for attendees. Not only that, studding your event with “wow” moments builds momentum. Don’t be surprised if you start hearing attendees say, “Wow, I can’t wait for next year!”
Have you themed any of your events in the past? How did your audience respond to or engage with the theme?
