The Ultimate Success Factor at your Corporate Event.

How will you know that your corporate event is a success? What is the key success factor? And how can you use this to design your future events? In the 1000’s of Events I have spoken at, no matter the theme of the event or the organisation hosting the event, there is one thing that is common in all successful events: high levels of engagement.

The purpose of this article is to highlight the power of engagement in organisations, our world today, and in your Corporate Events, so you can use it as a key successful factor when designing your next event.

Lessons on Engagement from a World Leader.

When I work with organisations on the development of their vision, I find that there is all too often an unhealthy obsession with the concept of ‘growth’ meaning ‘bigger’, rather than ‘better’. Because it is clear that real value is created when we are not just ‘expanding’ but rather when we are ‘engaging’.

One of my clients is Loomis – the world leaders in cash management. They employ over 21,000 people and operate 400 branch offices across 20 countries. Clearly they have an impressive global presence and one that holds great opportunities for expansion.

And when I interviewed their CEO, he was quick to point out that their plans for expansion have, and will continue to have, an emphasis on engagement. “We only expand through engagement”, he clearly states.

Indeed, it is the engagement of their Branch Managers that he holds as the core to their success. They focus their strategies on working to increase the engagement of local members, that in turn expands outwards to strengthen their global presence.

The quality of our engagement defines the quality of our expansion.

Loomis’ success is certainly one to watch and learn from. A clear example of how to keep the qualities of ‘local engagement’ while gaining a global presence.

Lessons on Engagement from Social Media.

While organisations like Loomis are changing the corporate landscape, in parallel there have been massive changes to the world of marketing with the emergence of Social Media.

The rules of PR and marketing have been rewritten with Social Media. The most successful brands now understand that the best strategy is not the one that has the most followers, but rather it is one that has the most engaged followers.

Size is not everything, engagement is.

Social Medias new marketeers mantra states: “100 active followers are more valuable that 10,000 inactive followers”. It is thanks to the quick feedback loops intrinsic to Social Media, that we can see in real time what works and what does not work. And what becomes clear is size isn’t everything, engagement is.

Lessons on Engagement from Corporate Events.

So with the pattern of engagement emerging within corporate culture and being testing with Social Media, it is not a surprise that the power of engagement is redefining events.

It is clear from cognitive and educational studies that the more engaged an audience is, the more they will learn. The shift from ‘sit-back’ spectators towards ‘lean-forward’ participators has redefined how we approach corporate events.

As a Professional Keynote Speaker not only do I understand the importance of this but I also channel my work to enhance this; I work to create an immersive lean-forward experience for the participants.

There are many skills that a Professional Keynote Speaker can use to achieve this, including:

Before an event they can create a sense of expectation, see our article: Use a Keynote Speaker to Enhance the Impact of your Event before it even begins.

During the event they can create an enjoyable experience with humour, see our article: Why a Professional Keynote Speaker will make you Laugh.

After the event they can sustain a high level of engagement with a Keynote Speech Summary Document, see our article: After a Keynote Speech, avoid this Common Mistake.

The Power of Engagement.

The above perspectives offer an insight into the importance of shifting from a focus on ‘expanding’ to ‘expanding through engagement’. Loomis is asserting, Social Media is confirming, and Corporate Events are reminding us that engagement is the key.

So the next time you are deciding on the success of your Corporate Event, or are in the process of designing your next event, make sure you use engagement as your key successful factor.

To learn more about how Paul Hughes’ Keynote Speeches can engage your audience Request a Quote now.