How events can engage your people in 2024

This might be a reaction to more colleagues craving connection with the rise of hybrid or remote working, global businesses looking for innovative ways to engage teams around the world, or simply a way to celebrate success and shared achievement after a turbulent few years – whatever the cause we are thrilled to see more organisations realising the power events have when it comes to retaining and attracting the best people.

Forget the boozy summer get-togethers and forced fun, these days leaders are looking to engage their teams with a diverse programme of events; keeping the momentum going with things like round-tables, dinners, awards ceremonies, or event programmes that bring people together in an authentic and considered way. We’ve been working with clients to utilise a mix of in-person, virtual, and hybrid event formats to engage audiences and empower as wide a range of people to attend as possible.

Engaged people are more committed to their place of work, tending to stay at their organisations longer and be more productive and effective when they are there. According to the 2023 ‘State of the Global Workforce’ report from Gallup, nearly 90% of UK employees are disengaged from their job and are either quiet or loud quitting. This puts the UK at 33 on Gallup’s table of employee engagement in European countries. Only Luxembourg, Spain, France, Italy, and Northern Cyprus scored lower.

So how do events help you to engage your teams in 2024?

1. Celebrate shared success and say thank you

People are busy, and when everyone is focused on the next thing to do it can be difficult to reflect on what has gone well and learn. An event is a collective moment to stop, give each other a pat on the back, and say thank you for all the hard work that has gone into the previous period. Truly thriving teams understand their purpose and feel like they are making a valuable contribution to the overall success of the organisation.

2. Connect multiple sites or remote teams

With the rise of remote or hybrid working patterns and teams often sitting across multiple sites and time zones, it can be difficult for people to feel connected to the organisation or their colleagues. Bringing people together at an event helps co-workers to interact away from the usual day-to-day, spend time with departments or people who they might not usually cross paths with, and strengthens their sense of belonging in the organisation – all things that directly impact the likelihood of them staying with the business long-term. Building real-life relationships with colleagues through shared experience leads to a strong sense of community and camaraderie, which in turn has a positive effect on teamwork, creativity, and collaboration.

3. Keep everyone informed

Be honest, how many times have you read a company update email or annual report cover to cover and retained that information? Yeah, thought so…

Events are the perfect tool to communicate important information or complex ideas in a way that is memorable and engaging. Inviting all colleagues to take part in a company-wide event will make your people feel informed and heard. When we have an understanding of the bigger picture, people are much more likely to be engaged with their particular role and how it fits with other priorities. We work with clients to understand the key messages that they would like taken away from the day, and from there, we devise the best strategy to convey the information to the people in the room – this could be anything from an engaging presentation, a panel session with the senior team, digital downloads for people to read post-event or opportunities for 360o discussions.

4. Boost morale and motivation

An event that is well put together, professional, and engaging shows that a business is authentic when it says it invests in employee development, learning and success – all things that are proven to boost morale and motivation. And don’t forget that events can be fun too! Giving people the opportunity to spend time away from their day-to-day jobs and let their hair down can invigorate tired teams, especially if it is at the end of a stressful period, rather than moving right on to the next priority.

5. Inspire new ways of working

Investing in an event for internal teams is an investment in their CPD and future learning. By understanding issues or barriers to success, we can find the perfect keynote speakers to fire up your team and get them thinking from a different perspective. Inspiring speakers, learning opportunities, and the chance to share their knowledge are powerful tools when it comes to engaging teams in 2024. By understanding a business inside out, we can devise the best tactics to encourage learning and problem-solving together. Creating a culture that champions learning, creativity, and innovation through events can unleash the full power of your people and drive sustainable growth and success.

What do our clients say?

“As we grow as a company, so does the scale and the ambitions for internal events, and BeaconHouse is with us every step of the way. It feels like a true partnership. They understand our company values, the kinds of experiences we want to give to our people and, importantly, what our people respond well to. We always know we are in very good hands with our events, strongly supported by BeaconHouse from the concept stage all the way through to evaluation.”

Julian Blake, External Relations | Opencast

To speak to the team about your event ideas for 2024 email info@beaconhouse-events.com or call 0191 691 3456.