The 7 Keys to Successful and Memorable Meetings

Corporate meetings are a great way to strengthen and unite your company while boosting morale and educating your attendees. However, in order for your meeting to be a success it needs to stand out. Otherwise, it may do more harm than good. A poorly executed corporate meeting might enforce areas of dissatisfaction. Not to mention the money that is lost when a meeting doesn’t accomplish its goals. Here are some practical ways to make your corporate meeting a memorable one.

1. Determine a Theme
   Take some time to clearly define your objectives. Are you looking to educate your team on better sales tactics? Do you need to introduce a new product or announce something new and exciting? Are you focusing in on your company’s vision or building stronger teams, better customer relationships, etc? Whatever your goals are make sure they are specific as well as measurable.

2. Give Your Meeting a Name
   Once you have selected your theme and have decided what your focus will be, you can create a name a name that will be exciting, interesting and engaging. Don’t settle for a bland title such as “Annual Sales Conference 20XX.” Instead distill your key theme into a few words that will give your attendees a feel for the vibe, tone and mission of your meeting just from hearing its name.

3. Get Creative with Your Marketing
   Once you have a theme and a name, now it’s time to build a brand around your meeting.  Color design, décor, logo, and signage should all be in keeping with your theme. Don’t underestimate the effect font has. Stay far away from Comic Sans and Papyrus!When it comes time to printing your marketing material, make sure you have plenty of signage. In addition to large signs with the conference name on them, all the sessions should be clearly marked so attendees know where to go. Conference programs or booklets should also utilize your color scheme and logo. The design should be clean and organized. As a memento for the event, order pens, stickers, or stainless water bottles with the event branding,No matter how beautiful your event is, your event will fail if your attendance is lacking. In addition to an email invite, consider mailing a paper invite. Although many fail to open and respond to email invitations, a formal written invitation will be sure to grab their attention. Make sure you are also using social media such as Facebook and Twitter to build up anticipation for the event. You can also encourage attendees to use these pages to post their experience during and after the event.

PRO TIP:  Marketing today is all about stimulating the senses.  It’s not just about pretty visuals or having the right message, although these are certainly important.  Look for ways that you can involve all the senses when marketing your upcoming corporate meeting.  A few ideas:

• Use scented papers or spritz printed materials with essential oils. Some favorites are citrus (for energy and creativity), cinnamon (for inviting and comfortable), peppermint (for crisp and cool)
• Incorporate small snacks with a big flavor punch. Spicy, sweet, salty, etc.
• Explore the sense of touch through different textures such as hand-crafted papers, soft fabrics, cool metals, etc.

4. Venue
   Your location will have a huge bearing on the quality of the meeting. The space should not only be visually appealing, but it should also be easily accessible. Parking and ease in finding it are both key in securing a pleasant experience. For an especially stunning event consider a new and exciting location.

5. Food and Entertainment
   Today’s culture is very aware of food quality as well as healthy options, allergies and other dietary restrictions.  This is why a carefully designed menu is vital. Meals should not only accommodate dietary restrictions, but also represent the various food groups. Try to keep ingredients simple and stay away from processed, prepackaged foods.Food allergens can also pose issues, especially when meetings consist of larger groups.  It’s extremely important for meeting planners to take into account any kind of allergies your participants may have when planning meals, breaks and even entertainment options.In addition to meals, schedule times where attendees can take a break from work with scheduled activities. Guests can learn a new skill together with a cooking class or craft project. If your event is offsite, go see some of the major attractions together. Not only will it bring your group together, but it will also create lasting memories.

6. Presentation
   One of the most important aspects of your event is of course the actual sessions. Make sure your topics are clearly connected to main theme. If the connection is too vague, attendees might spend the time trying to figure out how it relates rather than listening to the presentation. Keep the presentations short and focused.Carefully select a few guest speakers who are passionate about the subject matter and are able to educate, inform as well as entertain. If your speakers are using PowerPoint make sure slides contain a limited number of words with just one main point and striking pictures. Slides shouldn’t just be a distilled version of their notes.

7. Networking
   Corporate events are also an invaluable time for attendees to make lasting connections with one another. This will not only help your attendees feel more connected, but it will strengthen your company as a whole. Don’t forget to plan for this as you set the schedule. In addition to the basic breaks and shared meals, consider providing ice-breaker activities such as games or a photo booth. Another idea is to invite a select number to smaller informal lunches where those who are in a similar department can connect.

Conclusion
Attendees may not notice any one aspect on its own, but when there is an attention to detail the result will be a polished event that leaves attendees eager to share their experience and excited to apply what they’ve learned.  Your organization will be able to measure the success of the meeting not only with the satisfaction of attendees, but through metrics that are meaningful.

Does your next corporate meeting or event need a facelift? If so, contact Gavel International to see how working with a meeting planning company can benefit your organization.