If you have ever sat through a boring business meeting or fallen asleep on a conference call, you know what a lousy job many companies do when planning business events. Business meetings can be extremely tedious, boring and even uncomfortable, and that is why so many people look forward to these events with the same trepidation as a trip to the dentist.
It does not have to be that way. Whether you are in charge of corporate events for your company, planning a special employee recognition event or getting ready to launch a new product, there are things you can do to make business meetings interesting, engaging and even fun.
Something for the Eyes
One of the smartest things you can do is incorporate visual elements into every business meeting. Human beings are visual learners, and providing visual stimulation can make a world of difference. It is one thing to read a business proposal or sift through an annual report. It is quite another to see charts and graphs and absorb the information in that way.
If your business has invested in overhead projectors, video screens and other video elements, you should have no trouble incorporating these fun and engaging elements into your next business meeting or presentation. If not, you may need to consider other options.
Change of Venue
Sometimes holding a business meeting offsite is the best way to get things done and keep everyone active and engaged. Holding the event at a hotel ballroom will certainly give your employees, customers and clients more space, and it may also allow you to use audio visual equipment that would be too costly to buy on your own.
If the problem is one of where to stay, there are plenty of online resources and guidebooks you can choose from. You will want to choose a venue that is convenient for everyone to use, especially if you have clients and employees coming in from out of town. Many businesses prefer to use airport hotels for their business meetings for this very reason.
Don’t Let Them Feel Neglected
Keeping your employees and customers entertained and engaged is important, but keeping them well fed can be even more vital. Hungry employees are grumpy employees, and those hungry workers may not absorb what you have to say as readily as those who have just enjoyed a delicious meal.
Having your next business meeting professionally catered can be a great way to increase engagement, reduce complaints and keep everyone happy. Whether you are holding the event in the conference room down the hall or the airport hotel in another city, you want everyone who attends to be well fed and happy.
Even the most important business meeting will not serve its purpose if the attendees are bored and disengaged. Whether the event is the presentation of your annual sales report, an employee awards banquet or the unveiling of your latest and greatest product, taking the time to make the event fun and interesting will pay dividends now and in the future. You do not have to spend a fortune to create a great event – a little bit of creativity and hard work can go a long way.
Christy Joiner is an events coordinator and has been asked to plan a diverse range of large and small events in her career. She enjoys being able to pass on her insights to an online audience and is a regular contributor to a number of business-orientated websites.
