In our previous blog post, we discussed how to organise a quality B2B event. Now, we’re here to talk about what should happen during and after your event to help you generate a healthy number of leads with the potential of turning them into clients eventually. It’s no easy task, but with careful planning, you’re in a position to succeed!

Plan ahead

Planning how to follow up on potential leads before your event takes place is essential. Make sure you and your team know how to carry this strategy out on the day and after. Data collection is vital so that you can further understand and therefore engage with your audience. This can be done with a brief registration form that asks for relevant information.

The key word here is relevant. You don’t want to bore event attendees with endless questions barely relevant to the business transaction you eventually wish to conduct. On the other hand, it’s a busy world we live in, so don’t waste the little time you have.

Manage that time well

Of equal importance is connecting with people both during and after the event. Potential clients are more likely to want to conduct business with you if you can engage them in ways your competitors cannot. The point here is that your actual business is only part of the deal; the rest is how you package it and how much of a connection you create with them.

That doesn’t mean spending the duration of the event getting to know one person. Manage your time effectively by asking the right questions, such as what attracted them to the event in the first place or what they would love to discuss with a particular guest speaker. Added to that, make sure you’re targeting the ones who have buying power.

Here’s the problem…

Guests at the event all have business problems; some they might be aware of, others maybe not. Your company offers the solution. So, the plan is simple; make them aware of the problem, help them understand it, and then engage in conversation about how your company can solve the issue or issues. And by engage, we mean really engage.

Bringing emotion into the fold changes you from someone looking to make a sale into a real person, a human being looking to help another human being in a manner that benefits both parties. No need for a tear-shedding tribute, but if you can show how you helped a previous client in a similar situation is always helpful. Now that you’ve set yourself apart from your rivals, it’s time for the final step.

Follow it up

Some leads might be engaged enough that they’ll need little convincing to get in touch with you; this means they either knew of you or require your services urgently. So get right into it and see about setting up a meeting. Others might need more time to get to know you and your company, so you’ll need to express the benefits and value of them having a business relationship with you. Give them time to process the information and access to set up a meeting, but don’t leave it up to them to reach out to you. Finally, get in touch if you feel the lead going cold and restart the conversation.

How can we help you?

Humble though we are, we’re also aware of our position as industry experts, so let us help you! We’ve got a wealth of experience organising events in various fields, so don’t hesitate to get in touch with us and see precisely what we can do for you.

In the post-pandemic world, the B2B event landscape has shifted so much that it might be challenging to keep track of what still works, what doesn’t work anymore and what new trends you’d do well to keep an eye out for. If you’re looking to organise one such event, we’ve got four key points you must consider when preparing.

Purpose is paramount

Organising an event just for its sake or because you feel it’s overdue is not always reasonable. It would be best if you had a clear purpose for looking to engage with clients, both new, existing and potential ones. Set your key objectives and measure how successful you were after the event.

All according to plan

Even the best of plans can go awry sometimes, so you can imagine what disasters await if a program is not followed, or even worse, not correctly formed. Consider if the event requires entertainment, what type of host or guest speaker you might need and whether you’d need to leverage their popularity in the industry to attract more guests.

The key here is to create a unique experience that puts your guests in a good mood, and the best way to do this is to plan and execute that plan according to a timeline. Then, read the room to understand if you need to speed things up or slow them down.

Audience awareness

Once you’ve sorted your purpose and plan, identifying who your audience needs to be is the next natural step. Understand what amps up the excitement in promoting the event before it takes place and what engages them during the event itself; this will help you generate the leads you want.

Promote your event on the channels where your audience is present; social media, newsletters and phone calls are just a few examples of how to go about raising awareness around your event.

Find the perfect place

Location is vital both in terms of the physical space and the digital. There’s no escaping the pandemic’s effects on event organisation, so if you don’t have the possibility for online attendees, you might be missing out on potential leads. One of the most important things to be is interactive, in-person or online, so having the necessary structures, furniture and connectivity platforms can make or break your event.

Encourage conversations and discussions that could outlast the event; it’s a sign that what you’re pushing is engaging them.

Trust the experts

Knowing all of this is only part of the jig, though. Sure, you might know your event’s purpose, and you might even have the planning part sorted too, but we’re well-versed enough in this industry that it’s first nature for us to handle everything else that comes with event planning. We’ve got an ever-growing list of venues fit for various purposes that we can even tailor to your needs. In addition, we’ve got a team of people who can handle planning, promotion, execution and post-event happenings with ultimate professionalism and will keep you updated every step.

Get in touch with us today to learn more about how we can help you create your best B2B event!

The weather’s picking up and the scent of summer is in the air, and for business owners and managers, that means one thing; it’s time for a staff summer event! For some organisers, planning these kinds of events might be a tad fear-inducing; what if the turnout is low? How do we reach out to our colleagues? How do we pique and keep their interest? As organisers of many a successful event, we’ve picked up a trick or two (or in this case, five) to help you achieve a strong turnout for your summer event while ensuring the staff have the best possible experience too.

Create an event centre

No need for it to be physical, we are in the digital age after all. Create an event page on social media which will act as your event centre; all info relating to the event will be found there, including a registration page towards which you can push people. Don’t forget to add any engaging images, either of the place you’ve got booked or from past successful events, and make registration simple; no one likes to fill in endless forms for something they’re supposed to enjoy.

Get creative!

Now that your event centre is set up, keep in mind and up your sleeve a couple of aces. Not revealing everything right from the off gives you the space to release timely teasers and countdowns to leave your staff guessing and gossiping between themselves about what’s in store. That will automatically keep interest going and spark FOMO – the fear of missing out. So what can you include to get this going?

First and foremost, explain why the event is being held. It’s been a tough and strange couple of years for employers and employees alike, so events of this nature are one way of restoring and maintaining company morale. Prize giveaways and gifts for attendees are a sure way of increasing and ensuring turnout, and creating an event hashtag will help when it comes to sharing your event on social media.

Showcase your event

Take plenty of pictures and videos during the event and share them with your staff, both privately, and where appropriate, publicly; employers showing affection for their team to the world could mean a lot to those who attended. These photos and videos will be used when promoting any upcoming events while also generating interest for potential clients and future employees; who wouldn’t want to work with or for someone who cares for their employees?

Last but not certainly not least, send out a follow-up survey to those who attended and those who did not; that way, you’ll know what could have been done better at the event as well as before it, while taking in the positives and reflecting them in future events.

Get in touch with the experts

Got these steps nailed down but still not sure what kind of event you want to host? Get in touch with our team today and we’ll be with you every step of the way towards planning the best possible staff event while catering to your budget.

Part 2

How to Choose and Prepare for Your Virtual Team Building Activity

Organising a virtual team building event is much the same as for an in-person one, with the added complexity of sorting online meeting logistics. However, by this point in the pandemic, you’ll have surely sussed out the best ways to organise online meetings that work for everyone!

Here are some quick steps for choosing your virtual team building activity:

Set your objective

What are you looking to achieve with your event? Do you want to break the ice and get people to know each other (especially for a new team)? Alternatively, is your event just designed to get people moving and exercise, like a wellbeing break?

Or are you looking for an activity that will get them to do something fun, let their hair down and just interact freely, like a dance party or a drawing class?

Finally, if you’re looking for an activity meant to build trust and relationships, go for a team game.

Decide the platform

Depending on what sort of online meeting software your company supports, decide what works for you and speak to us about how we can make the event happen on your platform.

Pick your activity

Browse through our catalogue of best picks and talk to us about timings, availability etc.

Sort out logistics

Does everyone need to be online at the same time? Most of our activities involve everyone getting into the spirit of things and working together, so you will need to figure out the best way to schedule the event.

Is it best to have an event immediately after “work hours” perhaps and how does your team currently work, i.e. are they still on a 9 to 5 schedule or are they working flexibly?

Finally, do your team members need to bear anything in mind for the activity to work, i.e. does everyone need an amount of space in their living room for exercising, do they need props (check out the props and supplies we can provide) etc.?

Once you’ve sorted the basics, you’re ready to have some team building fun! Here are some of our best options for your enjoyable and interactive virtual team building activities.

Top Virtual Team Building Events to Try Now

Online TV Game Show Experience

Spend an hour delving into a nostalgic TV show you all love, thanks to our professional actors that make you relive some amazing challenges from the best series your team will love.

Quiz Night

One of the best pub activities out there – the quiz night returns in a virtual format. Get your team to compete in a trivia game with various themes and challenges.

Creative Activities

From cocktail making to life drawing or discovering watercolour painting, our creative team building activities feature expert instructors and special props and supplies that we can deliver to your teams directly. Everyone will learn a new skill and have fun in the process, also getting the opportunity to chat and get to know each other better.

Inspiration from the Best

How about “lunch and learn” formats? We may not all be able to get together, but that doesn’t mean each team mate can’t have lunch while listening to an inspirational speaker we will source for you.

Plain Old Fun

If you’re just looking for a way to relax and have fun, there are some great options out there. We can organise a virtual magic show, a dance party or a wine tasting… or mix and match these! Depending on your team’s interests, we can also add more liveliness to a party by dropping in a caricature artist who will create personalised sketches for each team member.

Competitive Cooking

We know everyone loves a cooking show… so get your team to star in one by having them compete individually or in teams, completing cooking challenges. We provide ingredients and even an extra bottle of wine to add to the fun.

Healthy Habits

How about organising a company wellness hour with a break for yoga or Pilates? We can provide mats with your company logo and arrange for an instructor to deliver your courses whenever suits your schedule.

Conclusion – Don’t Let Distance Get in the Way of Great Team Building

Despite the difficulty of getting together to organise fun and memorable activities, the option of virtual team building has created the perfect solution to teams feeling isolated and cut off from each other. Whether you’re bringing back the sparkle into an existing team or trying to get new colleagues to bond, our top picks for team building events which can be held online are sure to help you forge a stronger, more cohesive team.

Part 1

The current health crisis has caused a large number of companies to move their operations almost entirely remotely. Whilst this is cutting some costs and shedding light on how effective we can be from afar, it is also affecting team dynamics and employee enthusiasm. This is why virtual team building activities are a key way to motivate your team and invest in a continued long-term relationship with and between your home-based employees.

A study by Remote.co found that video conferencing has led to as much as 87% of remote workers feeling more connected. This highlights the importance of continued communication between remote-working teams and shows that human interaction is still highly valued by workers as they log in from home every day. Moreover, the lack of get-together opportunities is making video-based remote team building more important than ever. As how else are you going to be able to get people to talk informally and enjoy each other’s company when they cannot go out for an after-work drinks event, for example?

Here are the key reasons to use virtual team building activities in 2020, followed by some top suggestions for your teams.

Key Reasons to Use Virtual Team Building Activities

Virtual team building is an alternative to the “real thing” i.e. in-person networking, but it retains most of the same advantages. It also combats the key additional negative effects of remote working and isolation that have sprung out of the current climate.

Building rapport

Between existing team members or amongst newer and older ones, rapport is built more easily through enjoyable informal activities that bring people out of their shells. Consequently, a more cohesive team is more likely to work well together, look after each other, and support common goals.

Improving communication

Another key benefit of virtual team building is an improvement in communication. Having the opportunity to interact outside of emails and phone calls, and getting to know each other better, will lead to people being more at ease with each other and communicating more openly and freely.

Not meeting in real life can make it difficult to share small aspects of life which lead to better understanding other colleagues’ circumstances and improving the way we communicate with them. Through the means of virtual team building events, especially less structured ones like wine tastings, your team will get the opportunity to engage in the “small talk” that makes these developments possible.

Increasing awareness of strengths and weaknesses

Especially through problem-solving games like role playing, team building activities – even online – teach us a lot more about each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Trivia games are great for discovering hidden talents and troves of knowledge a team mate might have. All these are opportunities to strengthen the bond between team members, but also to make each other more aware of where someone is lacking.

The mental health benefit

The added benefit of virtual team building at this point in time is the massive positive impact it will have on your team’s mental health and wellbeing. Isolation has impacted most of us negatively, leading to unwanted emotional impacts that can be made worse by lack of communication in all aspects of our lives, including work.

Consequently, virtual team building gives your team a chance to spread some cheer and join in a bit of fun, while feeling less lonely.

Studies have shown that team building activities are great for improving effectiveness, building trust with your co-workers, and overall forging a stronger team. But how do you best prepare for a virtual team building event?