We’ve all been to an employee conference in one form or another, some better executed than others, some more sticky and memorable. Often, we are asked by clients how do we make this year’s conference better than last, so we’ve written our top employee conferences ideas to help you boost employee engagement and create a truly spectacular corporate event.
Why host an employee conference?
In today’s fast-paced and dynamic business landscape, organisations are realising the immense value of hosting employee conferences. These events not only foster employee engagement but also provide a platform to showcase the numerous benefits that contribute to a thriving and motivated workforce.
Engaged employees are more likely to be committed, innovative, and customer-focused, resulting in higher levels of productivity and reduced turnover. Employee conferences offer a unique opportunity to strengthen engagement by bringing employees together to share ideas, collaborate on projects, and build meaningful connections with colleagues and management.
The benefits of an employee conference
An employee conference is an excellent way to communicate your company vision and values. It allows employees to understand the direction of the company, it’s goals and aspirations for the year ahead, and what they need to do to be part of that journey.
By communicating these company attributes, employees will feel more aligned with the brand and operate in a way that supports the company’s culture and values. By attending an employee conference, they will believe in the company, what it stands for and its products and services.
Employee conferences ideas
To ensure a successful employee engagement conference, consider incorporating the following ideas:
A Good Name: The value of a name for your employee conference cannot be underestimated. It represents an identity and conveys a sense of company personality, values, and beliefs. It also provides a foundation on which to build the agenda for the conference, creating flow and dynamism to the event and it’s topics.
Interactive Workshops: Organise workshops that encourage brainstorming and idea-sharing among employees. These sessions can focus on addressing challenges overcome during the past year, or those forecast for the year ahead. Workshops at an employee conference provide a small yet open forum for exploring new business opportunities, allowing employees to actively contribute to the company’s growth. Consider how to brand these workshops, to inspire employees and create a productive and interactive breakout session. External workshop facilitators can help to make them engaging and memorable.
Motivational Speakers: Invite influential leaders and motivational speakers to inspire and engage your workforce. Their experiences and insights can energise employees and instil a sense of purpose in their daily work. Motivational speakers need not always be a celebrity, or costs thousands of pounds. It’s possible to find an engaging individual who can speak at your employee conference, whose story aligns with your company that doesn’t necessarily need to be a well-known personality.
Recognition and Rewards: Recognise employees for their hard work and accomplishments at your employee conference. Publicly acknowledging their efforts not only boosts morale but also encourages others to excel. Make the awards engaging with pre-recorded video of what people have been nominated for, examples of when staff have excelled, and capture via film their reaction when they are announced as a winner. It’ll make for a great post-event video to celebrate the company conference and could also allow for live streaming.
Employee Feedback Sessions: Create an environment at the employee conference where employees feel comfortable providing feedback and suggestions for continual business improvements. Listening to their perspectives and acting on their input demonstrates that their voices are heard and valued.
Technology and Virtual Conferencing: Incorporating technology into employee conferences is essential, especially in the era of remote work and virtual teams. Utilise a reliable virtual conferencing platform to ensure seamless communication and participation for remote employees. Features like breakout rooms and live polls enable interactive and engaging sessions.
Embrace Augmented Reality (AR): Enhance the conference experience by integrating AR elements into the event. Virtual booths, interactive product demos, and training modules can elevate engagement and add excitement to an employee conference.
Gamification: Gamify the conference to make it more enjoyable and interactive. Incorporate quizzes, challenges, and rewards to keep attendees engaged throughout the event. Senior management may consider surprising employees with something extraordinary (a flash mob dance off has been known!) so show a more human and relatable side to the business and its leadership team.
