11 ways to make your internal events more engaging

Is working from home good or bad for business?

Well with?74% of U.S. companies currently implementing or planning to implement a permanent hybrid work model,?it’s safe to say that remote work is here to stay.

And I for one love flexible work.

No longer having to cram onto a packed tube –?or subway to our friends across the pond –?more time at home with loved ones and a better work-life balance have my vote.

However, there are lots of challenges associated with remote and hybrid working models.

We can start to feel increasingly isolated and disconnected from our team.

And as a result, misalignment can creep in and motivation, engagement and productivity can be negatively impacted.

With hybrid and remote working on the rise, internal events have become more important than ever before.

They provide a platform to connect, motivate and inspire.

But how can you ensure your internal events make an impact?

I’m going to share some of the key lessons we’ve learned from working with some of the world’s leading brands such as LinkedIn, Google and Twilio.

Have a clear mission, vision and theme –?An internal event is the perfect opportunity to engrain your vision and values. Make sure you have a clearly defined mission, vision and theme for your event that aligns with your goals and objectives for the year ahead. Spend time connecting with key stakeholders, leadership and the wider team to understand the key challenges your business is encountering and make sure your event is positioned as a platform to help inspire change. You can leverage internal focus groups, workshops and even pre-event surveys to outline pain points and craft your agenda to highlight solutions to overcome key challenges. Audience-curated content is always a winner.??

Carefully craft your agenda and comms?– Behind every great event, there needs to be a great story. Think of your event as a journey of discovery. An experience. Incorporate surprise and delight moments and a variety of different session designs to maximise engagement. We’re tired of the traditional keynote > breakouts > keynote mix. It’s time to reinvent your agenda. The engagement cycle should start at least 4 weeks out from your event as your start to build excitement and should continue long after your event finishes to ensure that there’s a continuation of the narrative after your event comes to a close.

Audience interaction?- We always suggest adding Q&A, polling, networking and quizzes to make your program more interactive and engaging. Audience interaction also provides incredibly useful analytics and data. Immerse yourself in this data post-event and use these data-driven insights to craft your post-event comms and the agenda of future events.

Production value –?Investing in your production is key. If your AV is poor, your audience will switch off. High-quality audio, video, lighting and displays are all essential. Collaborate with a production partner who can bring your vision to life. Your set, stage and branding will have a huge impact on the overall attendee experience. Rehearsals are also key. Work with an experienced creative team, stage manager, content manager and showcaller to refine your production and curate a captivating experience.

Speakers and entertainment –?An internal event is an opportunity to inspire, educate, motivate and drive real change. Inviting external speakers to share their stories is a great way to boost engagement. Some of my favourites include folks like Daniel Disney , Jamil Qureshi and Marcus Murphy . If you’re not a fan of external speakers, or you’re on a tight budget, we'd always recommend investing in some speaker coaching for your team to enhance the delivery of your content. For bonus points, add in some awesome entertainment too – some personal favourites include SongDivision , DJ Graffiti and Grace Savage .

Diversity and inclusion –?D&I is a non-negotiable. Make sure you’re designing an inclusive experience. If you’re unsure how you can check out our ebook on?how to make your events more inclusive and engaging.?Incorporating a diverse range of speakers will enhance your event and inspire divergent thinking. You could even consider hosting sessions focused on D&I to educate, inspire and highlight your company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Gamification?– You want to foster learning, networking and collaboration to improve alignment and cross-departmental communication. And nothing inspires this more than a little healthy competition. You can gamify your experience by creating a leaderboard on your event app where guests can gain points by connecting with other attendees, engaging with sessions, participating in social activities and completing short quizzes. Highly recommend checking out RingCentral Events , Hubilo and CrowdComms for some great options.

Icebreakers & Team building?– Adding icebreakers and teambuilding experiences to your agenda is a fantastic way to break down barriers. There are lots of great options at your disposal such as morning yoga sessions, fun runs, iPad scavenger hunts, escape rooms, music-orientated team-building experiences and interactive cooking classes. Remember to offer a variety of activities that will resonate with your team.

Employee recognition?and awards?– An internal event is an opportunity to celebrate and recognise and reward hard work. Consider adding team awards to your internal events to boost morale and excitement. You can even crowd-source votes for internal awards ahead of the event to start to drive engagement.

Mental health and wellbeing –?If you don’t look after the mental health and wellbeing of your team, they will eventually leave you for an organisation that does. Prioritise your people.?50% of employees have experienced at least one characteristic of burnout due to greater job demands and expectations, lack of social interaction and lack of boundaries between work and home life.?It’s important to address this as a business. Make sure you’re building downtime into your agenda and consider offering mindfulness activities, healthy F&B, optional exercise classes and even access to mental health first aid support.??

Swag and giveaways –?23% of event swag is thrown away.?We all need to do our bit to protect the planet. Why not send attendees a link ahead of the event and allow them to pick their swag? And if they don’t want it, enable them to make a charitable donation of the same value. This not only eradicates waste but helps to personalise the experience. If you’re looking for more ways to make your next event more sustainable, make sure you check out our?sustainable events guide.??

The stats are clear, teams are feeling more disconnected than ever before.

Internal events are an essential platform for learning, development, alignment and growth.

And when executed well, they can be a game changer for your business.

How are you currently helping your team stay connected? I’d love to hear about your approach in the comments below ??

And if you haven’t had a chance already, I’d highly recommend checking out our?internal events guide?which takes a deeper dive into this topic.