In-person events are making a comeback after two-plus years of online and hybrid activities. As 2022 is coming to a close and we move closer to 2023, “88% of companies are getting back to planning in-person events and team gatherings for 2022 and on,” as Sofia Bogunovic reports at TravelPerk.
A big part of the reason for this swing back to in-person events is that the American workforce is ready to reconnect. Bogunovic adds that “79% of employees are most excited to get back to events for the opportunity to meet other colleagues and build meaningful relationships in real life.” In other words, people want meaningful, intimate experiences that allow them to interact and connect with coworkers.
This type of experience can be difficult to foster at large-scale events. The solution is simpler than you might think: instead of hosting a large-scale national (or international) event, break the event up into smaller regional events. That’s what we’re going to talk about here: the benefits of localized, more intimate events and how you can make them a reality.
Target Audience With More Meaningful Experiences
In every company, each region has its own needs and its own flavor. The ability to provide an experience that’s customized to the people in that region is a huge benefit to micro events. It’s a terrific opportunity to ensure that employees get the most out of the event.
A more personalized and localized event gives attendees the chance to take on a more active rather than simply being participants. At a regional event, you can give attendees more of a sense of ownership, including allowing them to have a hand in creating the schedule.
The smaller scale of a regional event means that attendees won’t feel like a small fish in a big pond, which gives them more incentive to engage and participate and also gives the event more value for the attendees and the company as a whole.
“An intimate experience provides more time to spend on each one of your attendees, which can drastically increase the overall satisfaction they experience each time they choose to attend one of your virtual or hybrid events,” writes Savannah McIntosh at PurplePass. That’s why personalization is an attractive benefit to hosting regional events.
Individual Regions & Specific Objectives
Regional events give you the flexibility to set objectives that are specific to the needs of that region. While you may have some overarching vision or strategy for the entire company, you can drill down deeper to address the needs or wants as well as the expectations that are unique to that region.
TravelPerk outlines the steps that most organizations follow when determining the objectives of an event: “(1) research the target audience and understand what they want from events, (2) decide whether you want to educate, motivate, or inspire with your content, (3) have a clear purpose to align your event with organizational objectives from the outset, and (4) zero in on the metrics that you want to measure for determining event success.”
Regional events give leaders the freedom to create custom agendas and design specific activities for their audience. Even with that freedom, it’s crucial to make sure that each regional event remains aligned with the overall purpose and vision of the organization as a whole.
Shorter Events, Maximized Time
Regional events prioritize quality over quantity in terms of the experiences you provide to your audience. Big companywide events require longer duration and place larger travel demands on attendees, but regional events can be “leaner and meaner,” taking less time and minimizing logistical headaches.
Even with shorter events, you can get more bang for your buck with creative planning and “wow factor” experiences. These types of moments give attendees the sense that the event was time well spent. You can also take the initiative with your event plans to address certain areas of interest or solve particular issues that are taking place within that region.
Interactive experiences that provide opportunities for networking and connection are easier to achieve at a regional event on a smaller scale. “Interactive workshops get attendees involved in the content, whether that’s sharing a personal experience or participating in a real-time project. They’re an effective way to expand on the broad topics of a larger event, or to introduce newcomers to your business by demonstrating what you do best and communicating how that helps attendees,” points out Mike Yeomans at BlueJeans by Verizon.
Get Ready To Plan Your Regional Events
If your organization wants to increase event engagement, provide meaningful experiences, and value the audience’s time, you can achieve all of those objectives with regional events. Planning smaller, more localized events isn’t a hassle when you partner with CORT Events.
No matter the number of regional events you need to plan, CORT Events provides support in planning and coordinating corporate events to meet your specific needs. With CORT, you can plan a consistent look for all your regional events, or you can take advantage of CORT’s personalization options for a truly memorable custom event.
And, since various areas of the country have different health and safety concerns, CORT offers a safety collection that allows your attendees additional peace of mind.
From creative inspiration for the early stages of your event planning to execution before, during, and after your event, CORT Events can help make your regional events a rousing success.
