How special events can help your business build a great corporate culture

Hosting special events is a great way to motivate your workforce, generate new business, increase your exposure, and showcase what your organisation has to offer.

Here, Jon Paul Kelly from Trust Deed Scotland shares his thoughts on adopting these events as part of your corporate strategy:

Inspire your staff

A special event doesn’t have to be all glitz and glamour. It can be small in scale too – think corporate sports days, afternoons in the park with your team, or the occasional business breakfast. Marquee events are another great option and can be done on a low-end budget. You don’t have to spend a lot of cash, but you could get a lot back. Use these events to train and motivate staff, build teamwork, and communicate important company messages. For something a little more elaborate, and if you have the funds, consider an annual company holiday and take your staff off for a weekend somewhere. Have fun and develop as a team at the same time.

Grow your business

Special events help you get an edge over your competition, especially if you operate in a crowded marketplace where it’s difficult to stand out. Offering something a little different from standard, run-of-the-mill events – whether it’s to promote a new product or service – is a great way to attract new customers. Today, in certain industries, a lot of promotion is tied to advocacy from bloggers and social media personalities. Consider running a special blogging event where you give out free products to popular bloggers in return for a valuable social media mention.

Go beyond profit

It isn’t just about promoting products and services – special events can also help you forge deeper connections with your customers, clients, suppliers, and those who live and work near your business. People attending these events get the chance to build relationships with each other and, as a result, strengthen bonds within the wider community.

Evolve

Once you’ve established a corporate culture, it’s crucial that it doesn’t fall by the wayside – businesses are fluid, so too should be the culture underpinning them. In this way, special events can form part of a successful leadership strategy, keeping you and your team hungry and sharp, always looking for the next opportunity to develop and grow. In real terms, this could mean running regular events where you focus on core company values, innovation and learning. It also means reviewing your corporate culture regularly to make sure it doesn’t become staid and ineffective.

Lead better

If your business is suffering from high employee turnover, special events could be just what you need to get better at leading and retaining staff. Run regular events that are really development sessions, inviting employees you see as being the future of your business, but also those most at risk of leaving. Then share your ideas on the future of your company and how you see them fitting in. Make them challenging so your talent feels valued, and make them rewarding so they feel genuinely excited about what’s coming up ahead.