Company meetings don’t have the best reputation. They’re known for being fairly dry and tedious. That’s not to say there isn’t hope for future gatherings.

It’s possible to jazz up your event if you put a little thought and work behind it. Plan ahead so you’re sure to have high attendance, and the logistics in order so it runs smoothly. Although work is the main focus, try to emphasise the importance of building a team and making stronger connections between each other. Try implementing one new idea each meeting and building upon your successes. See how to make your company meetings more exciting.

Location

Think long and hard about where you want your meeting to be held. Your initial reaction is going to be at the office because it’s convenient and free, however, challenge yourself to look outside of your office space. Hosting the event in a park, local hot spot or well-known venue has the ability to get your employees excited and more engaged in the meeting and activities. They’ll be talking about it for years to come. This also sets you up to have a nice happy hour after right where you are.

Emcee

Look around and see if any of the leadership team is gifted in entertaining a crowd of people. Having an emcee who’s funny and has a lot of energy has the potential to make it an engaging and memorable meeting. Search within your organisation, ask friends or look to hire an emcee from a local entertainment company. This position sets the tone for the entire event and will be able to easily drum up excitement amongst a tired and unenthusiastic crowd. They’ll know just what to say and do to keep everyone awake and excited about the day.

Facts & Figures

Although data and information can be dull, it’s important to present the facts and figures at a company meeting. This doesn’t mean you have to put up a slide and read off each row one by one. Put the data together in a way that’s visually appealing and in a way that your employees will understand. Get everyone involved by asking questions and pointing out the major milestones. Create a presentation that keeps your attention and doesn’t lull you to sleep. Highlight the big wins and get staff excited about what they’ve been able to accomplish thus far.

Food & Music

Your meeting will become instantly better once you feed everyone. The day you tell staff not to bring their lunch to work, they’ll start getting excited for the gathering. Order from one of the team’s favourite spots around and get plenty of food for everyone to have seconds. Remember to have drinks present and to order dessert. Play music in the background and let everyone relax and mingle during the lunchtime. This will make it less awkward as everyone gets their food and decides where to sit. Catering to your staff will make them feel appreciated and they’ll be more likely to stay awake during the afternoon session.

Social Time

Allow plenty of time before, during and after the meeting to socialise. Meetings are about work, but they’re also about creating a stronger bond between staff members and getting to know one another. It’s the perfect opportunity to talk business and socialise on a personal level. There’s not much time to do this during the workweek, so meetings are the perfect time for mingling and exchanging interactions. Be sure to use this time to introduce any new employees to the group. It gets long and tiring for staff to be sitting through extensive presentations, so take plenty of breaks throughout the day.

Activity

All meetings should have an activity involved, but come up with an innovative concept. Conduct research and come up with interactive and engaging ideas that cause people to laugh and have fun. This isn’t the time to be serious and focused. Let it be a chance for everyone to be goofy and feel relaxed. Plan ahead of time because some games and activities require lots of preparation time. Make sure you have all the materials you need during the day of the meeting and are able to explain the instructions to the group. An activity is a great way to get people moving around and talking.

Giveaways

It’s not a company meeting without promotional products to go around for all. Your business deserves custom branded promotional gifts. It’s a great way to show your appreciation for all of the hard work your employees have done recently. Deck your employees out in apparel or give them a coffee mug for their desk. Either way, it’s great to spread the word about your brand and see employees proud to represent your company name and brand. Another idea is to host a raffle and give away a few unique and more expensive products to the winners. Raffles are always fun and keep people on the edge of their seat.

Employee Recognition

A company meeting is the perfect time to highlight the hard work your staff has recently conducted. Be creative and come up with awards to distribute based on the different kinds of projects your staff has been working on. Recognise the group and teams as a whole and call out individuals who’ve gone above and beyond in your eyes. Acknowledging staff at a company meeting shows how thankful and proud of them you are. Make sure to reiterate the talent of the entire group and that the company couldn’t have done it without the hard work from each person.

Conclusion

ompany meetings are typically viewed as a very long and tedious way to go over the company numbers; however, they are evolving as leadership starts to recognize the importance of hosting an interesting and fun event. It’s not that hard if you start planning early and put time and effort into making it one to remember. This is how to make your company meetings more exciting.