How events can boost creativity within your team

Companies that invest in the importance of creativity and innovation have a much better foundation to develop new ideas, products or solutions, but people need space to develop these skills and a culture that celebrates creative thinking, considered risk taking and collaboration. Creativity, imagination and innovation are all fuelled by new experiences, interesting conversations and spending time with different people – which is why events can be such a power catalyst for new ideas and creative problem solving. Whether it is a conference, a staff engagement event, a festival or round table, events offer a unique opportunity for teams to share ideas and think outside of the box.

Expose your team to new ideas

Your keynote speaker or expert panel doesn’t necessarily have to be from within your sector. Choose relevant speakers who have interesting stories, insights and experiences to share and your team will come away inspired, motivated, refreshed and armed with the tools to think differently. Getting the opportunity to hear external perspective can encourage your team to think big and aim high.

Give them space to think and have fun

An event offers a break from the daily routine and provides a chance for people to step out of their comfort zone. Even something as simple as a change of scenery can stimulate new ideas, insightful solutions and push colleagues to explore new approaches to what they are working on, rather than moving on to the next thing on the to-do list. Success is often defined in organisations in terms of productivity or efficiency – and unfortunately creativity is rarely efficient, but it is effective. Give your team space to step away from the day-to-day, learn new things, get inspired and have some fun.

Foster psychological safety

Teams that feel psychologically safe are more likely to unlock creativity, innovation and results. An event is the perfect opportunity to help build trust and connection between immediate colleagues and wider team members, making it much more likely that they will feel comfortable enough to share new ideas, and challenge current thinking to make it better. Connection is a powerful way of boosting creativity within your organisation, and shared experiences can strengthen bonds between team members and create a sense of camaraderie that can enhance creativity and innovation across the business.

Receive feedback and validation

Everyone is busy and events offer a valuable and unique opportunity for people to share ideas that they might have been sitting on for a while. Receiving feedback and validation from peers though group discussions, organic conversations or pitch sessions can make ideas take shape much faster than when they are stuck in an email chain. Sharing creative thinking with others can help refine and evolve ideas, while giving a platform to identify pitfalls early. By giving space for people to discuss big ideas, your team can challenge their assumptions, think critically about their idea and develop more innovative, collaborative solutions.

A chance to mingle with new people

Creativity can’t happen in a silo and with remote working limiting chance meetings and algorithms feeding us curated information, it can be easy to get stuck in an echo chamber of the people you work closest with. By bringing a diverse mix of people together at an event you expose them to new perspectives and give space for organic conversations and idea sharing. Speaking to colleagues who are separate to their usual roles and responsibilities will expand a person’s world view. Remember innovation happens where conversations are, and if you are only speaking to the same people, then your ideas are going to stay the same too. Workshops or interactive sessions that encourage conversation will expose your team to new concepts, trends or industry insights that they wouldn’t usually have access to.

If you want to inject some creativity into your team, get in touch with the BeaconHouse Events team to find out more about how we bring ideas to life! info@beaconhouse-events.co.uk