Gary
Staff events are crucial for the success of businesses at all levels. There are many reasons why staff events are important, they allow companies to reward and recognise great work, build teams, communicate change, deliver sales messages, celebrate milestone occasions and, when done well, engage and motivate staff.
Staff engagement is a key factor in business success. Engaged employees are happier, more productive, and ultimately, they help companies to achieve greater profitability.
Whatever the reason for holding staff events, their structure and content are hugely important. Get these elements right and your staff are likely to be engaged from the get-go. And the venue is a vital part of the puzzle.
So, why is the venue so crucial for creating successful staff events?
Great venues speak volumes about the importance of staff events. The look, feel and location of the venue you choose will let your staff know just how seriously you are taking the occasion.
By their very nature, great venues can play a huge part in elevating your messaging, offering a platform that demonstrates not only the importance of the event, but also the value that you place upon your people too. Hiring a stately home, luxury hotel or bespoke built venue such as a marquee will offer your staff a very different insight into the importance of the event than would a gathering at a local hotel conference room.
A high-end venue will create greater levels of expectation, anticipation and excitement and are far more likely to deliver enthusiastic and engaged audiences than low key venues.
What to look for in a venue
The quality of the venue is a huge factor. However, the facilities on offer are crucially important too. The available space, layout, rooms and facilities will vary from venue to venue. And the right venue for your event will very much depend upon what you are looking to achieve.
Conferences and AGM’s may require a multitude of different spaces for use at different times. Although the event may be structured around one large conference hall, you are also likely to want separate meeting rooms, break out spaces, dining facilities and chill out zones too.
Staff events such as Christmas or summer parties may be heavily focused on one large space. Even so, additional areas such as a reception, cloakroom and chill out space are likely to be important too.
Make sure that all of the spaces on offer are of the same quality and that each space is fit for purpose. Check also whether the venue can provide any additional support that you might need:
Does the venue supply the furniture? Is the furniture suitable to your event theming and styling? Can they supply suitable staging, lighting, AV equipment and other technical elements? Do they have technical and production staff available, and on call, should something go wrong?
Don’t forget parking, accommodation, and accessibility either. If your delegates or attendees are coming from locations around the country, then consider a venue that is a centrally located as possible. If your staff are based locally, then try not to make them travel too far for the event.
Create a bespoke venue for your staff events
A bespoke venue such as a marquee could be the ideal space for your staff events. Regardless of the type pf event, the space will be designed and built to be fit for purpose.
What’s more, a marquee can be built at your offices or at a venue of your choosing. A local stately home may not offer all of the facilities that you are looking for, but a bespoke built marquee in the grounds will, by association, garner the same status whilst offering the facilities that you need too.
Marquees can also be themed and styled to suit your occasion. Creative control will be far more open than it would at a standard brick and mortar venue. You’re likely to have far more control over elements such as choice of furniture, entertainment, caterers, bar suppliers and over your event timings too.
The venue speaks volumes about your brand
Companies spend a lot of time, money and effort creating their brands. Everything from premises to website, logos, tone of voice, social media presence and customer service levels are carefully planned and curated.
But the messaging starts at home. Your staff need to feel that they are an important part of the story too. When you put together staff events, they need to shout their messages from the highest rooftops, and they need share the story of your brand with your employees too.
If the platform for your event isn’t carefully considered, then why should your staff take it seriously? Why should they believe that they are an important part of your organisation? If your staff events are merely serviceable, then your employee performance will be too.
If your teams aren’t going to be motivated by your events, there’s no point in holding them. Your employees will pass their experiences on to your customers; passively and subliminally perhaps, but a lack of engagement is difficult to overcome.
If staff engagement is tied to business success, then it has to be worth investing in your company events. And the venue that you choose should be a big part of that investment too.
If you would like to find out more about bespoke designed and built venues for company events then please call us on 01483 322070 or email enquiries@lifestylemarquees.co.uk
