How to Impress Clients with a Corporate Event Experience

Creating an elegant experience around a corporate event matters more than most businesses would openly admit.

Before any actual talk of business matters or networking begins, guests develop silent but crucial first impressions. Sound systems, food options, an over or under-crowded venue, and other ambient aspects can make or break a client’s perception of you.

In Northern New Jersey and Greater NYC, two of the world’s most economically competitive areas, hospitality goes a long way in distinguishing a business from competitors. Keep the following principles in mind to elevate your next corporate event experience.

Choosing a Venue

Finding the ideal venue to host your corporate event should be among the first steps in planning the experience. Aspects of the experience that rely on venue choice include:

• Space constraints: Picking too small of a venue can result in a cramped, overcrowded experience, while something too large can give an impression of emptiness and poor attendance.
• Transportation and Lodging: If guests are driving long distances or flying in, they will need directions and enough parking space. Business trips multiple days in length may also require booking a place to stay.
• Technology: Fast and reliable Wi-Fi, up-to-date audiovisual systems, check-in apps, and other forms of modern tech make corporate events easier.
• Dining: Some venues provide in-house catering, but many do not.

When making your decision, be sure to balance the quality factor with what is financially realistic. Securing a venue if the demand is not there results in large spaces that feel empty and parking/lodging/food that simply goes to waste.

Brand/Business Alignment

Every company and industry is different. Some workplaces mandate a suit and tie; others are fine with a T-shirt and basketball shorts. Some jobs require international travel and sensibilities, while others just need a laptop and an internet connection. Regardless of the status quo, the ideal business meeting should reflect that.

A few ways you can create a meeting that feels connected to your brand is through:

• Lighting and color schemes. Match lights and decor to your company logo or symbols.
• Dress codes. If your company leans towards more casual styles of dress, keep it that way. Temporarily changing styles to come across as more or less formal reads as inauthentic to clients and workers.
• Develop a layout that facilitates the type of social interactions that are prized at your business. If your business is big on networking and building connections, create open networking zones. If your brand is reliant on presenting big ideas, give lots of formal, comfortable seating to guests.

Sound Systems

Corporate events often involve speeches and presentations from important company or industry individuals. These speeches are given to dozens or even hundreds of guests. Having your sound systems in check is a bare minimum requirement for any serious corporate event.

The ideal audio setup typically makes use of the following:

• Wireless microphones: Only 7% of communication is verbal. 38% comes from the tone of voice, and 55% stems from facial expression and body language. Small, wireless microphones give presenters and speakers greater freedom of movement and nonverbal communication.
• Scaled speaker systems: Sounds echo in smaller spaces. The larger the presentation space is, the louder stereo systems will need to be to ensure guests can hear.
• Digital Mixing Consoles: Ensure your sound engineers have access to a digital mixer that allows manipulation of audio in real time, ensuring volume and delivery remain consistent.

Always be sure to test your potential sound system well in advance of the event since it is difficult to figure out the proper acoustics for a given space until they are actually put in place.

Dining

Excellent dining options at corporate events cannot be understated. Food and drink are about more than merely sustenance; solid catering at corporate events are a sensory experience that can deliver:

• Aesthetic appeals: Elegantly arranged fruit platters, charcuterie, or buffets give the impression of luxury and attention to detail.
• Social Interaction: Build-your-own food stations and food table traffic make dining more personal and spark conversation.
• Guest Satisfaction: Good dining is a “fun” experience for guests that can keep energy and morale up. Corporate events can often be very serious and nerve-racking for guests; good food counterbalances this with something more positive.
• Respect for other cultures: If international guests are coming, opting for cuisine from the guest’s home countries and respecting dietary guidelines/taboos can make those guests feel more at home and valued.

Catering and food/drink options are also customizable to the specific situation. Morning gatherings may make use of coffee or breakfast foods; this could shift to wine, seafood, or a carving station by dinnertime. Smaller meetings may only need fruit or mezze razing platters, while bigger conferences and expos are where full meals shine.

Post-Event Follow-Up

Just as corporate event experiences need to leave a strong first impression, guest’s last impression following the event also matters.

Be sure to reach out to all guests after the event is done. Within the window of 2-4 business days is the ideal time for a follow-up message. Enough time has passed that guests have developed independent thoughts and impressions of their experience beyond the spectacle, but it is recent enough to remain fresh in their memory.

When writing a follow-up message, be sure to include:

• A Thank You Message: Guests took time out of their daily routine, and potentially travelled very far distances, to come to your event. It would be inconsiderate to not show basic appreciation.
• A Post-Event Survey: If guests had an exceptionally good or bad experience, give them the opportunity to voice this; such information can give valuable feedback for future meetings.
• Potential Event Highlights: The information shared at corporate events is often invaluable for guests. Written or video recordings of presentations or lectures allow them to hold onto important points and topics discussed.

Plan The Ideal Corporate Event with Pleasantdale

Equipped with thirty private guest rooms, multiple breakout rooms/private spaces, in-house meal catering from our on-property garden, and considerable valet parking, Northern New Jersey’s Pleasantdale Chateau offers countless amenities for your next corporate event.

Interested in making Pleasantdale the home of your next business meeting? Call us at (973) 731-5600 to inquire or reach out online.