As part 1 in this bulletin series looked on the importance of venue selection, this week's bulletin deals with how to have more engagement during your employee event, with tips from our team here at JTB Meetings & Events by JTB Communication Design (JCD).

It’s no secret that we learn better when we’re focused and engaged. During an employee engagement event, we often expect our attendees to absorb a great deal of complex information. Conferences and academic events often take place over a number of days. Those who have traveled to the event venue may be jet-lagged, while those who live locally may have family responsibilities at the end of each day. It can be challenging to keep everyone motivated to learn. These simple tips and current event trends help event planners improve employee engagement to ensure attendees absorb key information while also having fun!

Encourage movement

Interactivity has become a buzzword in the event planner’s vocabulary and is an unmistakable event trend. There are many ways to get your attendees to become active participants in your event, although some are more effective than others. New technologies can be used to great advantage in employee engagement but sometimes simplicity is the best approach.

We know that physical activity is beneficial to the brain. Sitting still in the same chair all day is bad for your posture, bad for your circulation, and bad for your mind! Movement activates our brain cells and encourages complex thought such as advanced problem-solving. During an employee engagement event, the best way to get your attendees in the right frame of mind to learn is to get them to move around. Any physical activity will do. Have your attendees work in teams to complete physical tasks or, even better, have them explore the larger event venue on an informative treasure hunt.

Use creativity

Attendees find events more memorable when they’re enjoyable. It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t enjoy playing with art supplies and even those who insist they are not creative will find a blank canvas hard to resist. Spending a short period of time on a creative pursuit opens the mind to new ways of thinking. Doing something creative is also a great way to relieve anxiety and tension, making it easier for your event attendees to absorb information. A simple drawing, painting, or sculpting exercise can be easy to set up and cause minimal disruption to the rest of the event. If you’re concerned about clean-up, consider creating a digital art space and projected screen. Better still, bring in an expert artist or maker to teach your attendees a fun new skill.

Introduce interactive technology

It is no surprise that technology is among the latest event trends. New technologies offer dozens of innovative ways to make an employee engagement event more interactive. Social media engagement is an effective way to extend the life of your event. Having your attendees post, tweet, Instagram and Snapchat about your event both before and after the event itself can be great publicity and, if you’re in business, even lead to sales. But during events, social media engagement can cause attendees to switch off. Ideally, you only want your attendees to be using their cell phones if it’s in a group activity. Something like a voting app works well. Encourage your guests to get involved in the itinerary of the event itself by having them vote on what happens next or make a decision that impacts the company, such as a new media campaign. Trivia apps are also a fun way to turn passive participants into active ones and improve employee engagement. Have your attendees answer trivia questions about the event so far and show the results on the big screen. Prizes are always gladly received!

We utilized Cvent`s phone applications during a recent promotional seminar we managed to boost the engagement factor. Have a look at how we managed these silent sessions, here!

Promote networking

For some people, the opportunity to network is welcome. For others, the very word inspires anxiety. At its core, networking is an invitation for conversation between people with at least a few things in common. Generally, those in the same areas of business or industry will have a lot to talk about but even those in completely different areas can usually find common ground. Networking isn’t just about employee engagement and finding ways to improve or promote your business. Meeting new people is one of the most enjoyable things about work and can contribute greatly to your sense of wellbeing.

Event planners should stay away from traditional ice breakers where possible. Most people have gone through the motions on those a hundred times! Instead, create new trends and activities around competitions such as digital golf tournaments or physical treasure hunts. Events like exhibitions and trade shows lend themselves to this sort of activity particularly well.

These ideas are only a starting point for making your employee engagement events informative and fun. Use your own imagination and to get your attendees moving around, being creative, and having fun!

Our JTB Meetings & Events by JTB Communication Design (JCD) professionals have managed hundreds of events and can support you in coming up with the best kind of event for your attendees. Feel free to contact us and let’s have a look at the possibilities for your next event!