How do you showcase your organization's achievements and culture with an internal event?

Make sure you are clear about the return on the investment of getting all the people you will have at the event together. This is not just about how they or the company might benefit or the direct costs of the event itself, but you also need to ensure that it is a good use of people's time. Taking time to attend an event takes the attendees away from other potentially productive activities.

There are a plethora of reasons to host an event, and the first step is to determine your why! It’s great to start out by looking at the company’s mission and vision, and then long-and-short-term goals (in this case internally). Do you want to reward your sales team? Create a team building experience? Promote interdepartmental relationships and collaboration? Nailing down your “why” helps to define the who, where, when and how.

Make your Company Culture palpable. Rather than boring C-Level Talks, one after the other, keep them as short and sweet as possible. Maybe add a litte fun and entertainment even, to make your Leadership look less earnest and more approachable. Then, engage the audience. Use live polls to give the opportunity to voice oppinions. Make the stage your employee′s living room - everyone is welcome, not just the "important" people. A Gameshow on stage is a great key to make the team feel represented and seen/heard, engaged. Don′t forget the fun for everyone. Create a playground situation, where everyone can participate, connect and collect points or similar for their team.

Having SMART goals and objectives for our internal event not only guides the planning process but also enables us to measure the event's success and impact on the organization. Furthermore, evaluating and adjusting goals as needed to stay aligned with organizational priorities.

Carefully considering the format and theme, we can tailor our internal event to effectively convey our message and achieve the desired outcomes.

Selecting a theme is a fun and creative part of the event planning process! I’d recommend creating a mood or vision board using digital images, such as a Pinterest board or using a whiteboard feature. Also, take a look at your internal team: are they spread out across the world? Do you have a travel budget? Or, would it make sense to offer a virtual or hybrid experience to “meet your team where they are”?

Involving employees at various stages of event planning and execution, we not only create a more meaningful and enjoyable experience but also strengthen the sense of community within the organization. As well as, it's an opportunity to showcase the diverse talents and perspectives that make our organization unique.

While we applaud achievements, internal events transcend mere numerical successes; they epitomize the invaluable contributions of individuals. Elevating the team of professionals to the epicenter of event strategy and planning ensures a truly indelible experience.

Remember: for internal events, your team is the stakeholder! It’s important to create stakeholder buy-in to drive excitement about an event, but also to truly create an experience that will leave a lasting and positive impression on the people attending. By listening and getting creative, the event can become a product of team collaboration.

Great stories are alll about people and emotions. So, rather than having the C-suite ramble on in such communications, push upfront the folks who were actually in the field and on the ground delivering these results, and feature them prominently in media and social media. Celebrate the employees' successes, rather than simply make it seem as if the businesses were the sole reason of success.

Create intentional time for attendees to sit and talk to one another and also to take breaks! Yes, content is king, but as humans, we respond better to dynamic programming that allows time for us to make our own decisions and craft our own journey on the event.