We answer all your questions about organizing a corporate event!

Are you considering bringing your teams together for a social event or a meeting with all your employees? A corporate event is the perfect format for you! To help you with its planning and to provide clarity, Agence 1786, specialists in events in the Alps, has compiled and answered the most frequently asked questions on the Internet. What are the objectives and benefits of this type of event? When should it be scheduled, and for how long? How do you plan and host it? What activities are ideal for a team building day? We provide all the answers for organizing your corporate event!

It is important to ask yourself this question before planning your professional event. Typically, there are three types of corporate events. The first aims at team cohesion and includes one or more team building activities. The second is more informative and involves meetings, training sessions, or conferences with external speakers. The third is a mix of both, featuring team building activities alongside more formal sessions.

Thus, the most common goals for a corporate event are often as follows:

• Conducting an end-of-year, season, or post-significant event review for the company.
• Thanking your teams for their performance, achieved objectives, and their commitment to the company.
• Establishing a strategy for the launch of a product or service.
• Communicating internally about the company's new developments.
• Integrating new arrivals and allowing them to meet their colleagues.
• Bringing together employees who work in different locations and do not see each other regularly.
• Strengthening bonds by sharing a convivial moment before or after holidays and year-end celebrations.
• Increasing team motivation.
• Training in tools or onboarding new recruits.
• Managing a crisis situation.
• Sharing the company culture with all colleagues.
• Discussing an issue or project, etc.

To meet these objectives, your corporate event should be structured around key moments that will ensure the desired outcomes: meetings, presentations and conferences, and/or team building activities, incentive (to reward employees), and festive evenings.

Your event can also take place in your own premises, where organizing team building activities is entirely feasible, or outside your offices, to give your employees a change of scenery and the opportunity to gather if some are coming from different parts of France or the world.

These objectives are quite similar if you wish to organize an executive committee meeting, involving only your leadership team. We provide all our advice for its planning in a dedicated article: "Your Executive Committee team building in the Alps: all our tips for successful planning".

Generally, a corporate event is a highly anticipated event for your employees. They look forward to meeting their colleagues in an informal setting and feel valued.

Thus, the benefits of organizing a corporate event are numerous: your employees will enjoy a boost in motivation after this wonderful day, during which they will have formed new personal connections while feeling integrated into the group, and therefore, fulfilled.

It is also an opportunity to share company values and culture, promoting a sense of belonging among all teams. This time of exchange is also ideal for conveying messages and improving internal communication. And of course, let's not forget that if your event is well-organized, you will be able to achieve the pre-defined objective.

Once again, the answer depends on your expectations. Do you want to celebrate the end of the year with your teams? Plan a festive evening in a charming location in the heart of the Alps in December. Want to start the year on a strong note? Schedule an exhilarating team building event at one of our ski resorts in Savoie in January, February, or March. Want to gather your employees, congratulate, and thank them before the summer holidays? Offer them a team building day around Lake Annecy or Aix-les-Bains in June or early July. Need to train your teams at the start of the school year? Plan meetings and conferences at one of the fully equipped hotels in Chamonix, Annecy, Chambéry, or Geneva in September and October.

To learn more, discover all the benefits of scheduling your professional event in the Alps!

The duration also depends on your objective and the allocated budget. It typically lasts from a single day to several consecutive days.

For a one-day corporate event, you can organize it either at your premises or at an external location. We recommend choosing a venue that is no more than two hours away to ensure ease of travel. The program could include a meeting, a shared lunch, and a team building activity. Alternatively, you can opt for two team building activities if that is the main goal of your event.

Are you a company based in Lyon? Check out our top 5 destinations within two hours of your office for your corporate event!

If you prefer a multi-day event in an exotic or central location relative to your various offices, we recommend using an event agency. They can help you find and book accommodations, restaurants, transfers, activities, and reception spaces. This way, you can ease your mind regarding logistics and focus on planning the meetings, sessions, and presentations.

After clarifying your objective, budget, and desired dates, it's time to consider the most suitable destination: accessibility, accommodation options, activities, transportation time, etc.

Next, you can contact a local event agency to assist with all logistical aspects. They will provide you with a quotation and a personalized program based on your expectations and needs, suggest appropriate accommodations, and offer ideas for team building activities and evening events. Once you approve, the agency will handle reservations and coordinate all service providers until the end of your corporate event.

On your side, inform your employees of the event dates and ask them to confirm their attendance. This will allow you to establish a rooming list for hotel stays. You can also create communication materials (banners, badges, goodies, etc.) and plan the content of your meetings and work sessions. Feel free to create a schedule or roadmap for upcoming tasks.

At Agence 1786, we specialize in the Alps. We assist you in organizing your corporate event in Chamonix, Annecy, Chambéry, Aix-les-Bains, Geneva, Megève, and other locations. Private transfers, team buildings, fully equipped hotels, conferences, evening events: we take care of everything!

If your corporate event spans several days or includes meetings and gatherings, effective management is crucial for smooth execution.

You can assign this task to an internal team responsible for following a schedule and timing to introduce speakers, presentations, or activities to all attending colleagues. The key is to ensure seamless transitions, maintain attendees' attention, manage speaking times, and manage time effectively while allowing room for interaction. Therefore, it might also be beneficial to hire an external facilitator, whose job is to oversee such events and who is experienced in managing them.

Remember, this aspect is essential in organizing your corporate event!

A team building day aims to develop bonds between your employees, create unity, integrate newcomers, enhance team spirit, and provide a convivial moment around a fun activity.

Team building activities, often in the form of challenges, are essential for your day! They offer an enjoyable break, mixing colleagues who might not know each other well. This allows them to interact differently, discover hidden talents, and create good memories together.

It's important to choose activities that everyone will enjoy and that won't put anyone in a difficult position, ensuring everyone can participate. At 1786, we have developed a range of original activities inspired by the mountains and Savoie, accessible to all. Expect small challenges, speed trials, and some general knowledge questions! Discover them for your next team building event in the Alps!

A corporate event can be considered successful if the organization is smooth, the program and schedule are adhered to, the location is enjoyable, the atmosphere is positive, and your employees have absorbed new information. If they leave with a smile, have had fun while getting to know their colleagues in a new way, continue talking about the event afterward, and most importantly, if you have achieved your objective, then you can consider your event a success. Congratulations!

Do you have other questions about organizing your corporate event? Our team is here to help, so feel free to contact us! And to learn more, explore all the services offered by Agence 1786.