6 ways to enhance your corporate dinner
A sit-down dinner is nice but as a corporate event, it might need a little more to it to keep guests entertained. Listening to speech after speech is going to have your attendees’ attention drifting, whether the food is delicious or not.
So, what can you do to spice up your corporate dinner? Here are a few of our recommendations for a successful evening:
1) Choose a theme
Having a theme is important as it helps elevate your corporate dinner from simple sit-down meal to intriguing event. A theme gives an element of mystery and excitement pre-event as attendees won’t know what to expect. It also brings guests together and creates a sense of community.
Consider, for example, James Bond, Carnival or Winter Wonderland themes for your next corporate dinner. Choosing a decade (1920s, 1940s, 1960s) as a theme works well too.
2) Run a quiz
Giving your attendees an interactive activity such as a quiz or gameshow helps break up the evening and engage guests. Ours are particularly engaging and high energy so provide a real boost to an evening.
This is particularly important if several speeches are planned for the evening - guests can only listen silently for so long before they’re not listening!
A quiz - for example, where tables compete against one another - also creates camaraderie and allows attendees to get to know one another without it being forced.
3) Hire a comedian to compère
Laughter is good for the soul. A good comedian will keep spirits high and will help break up the monotony of corporate speeches.
Comedians are versatile and are used to performing to different crowds - these days, many compère corporate events. They can help set the tone of the evening and warm up the crowd, who in turn will be more engaged when it comes to those speeches about year-end figures!
4) Bring in a magician
Another way to inject extra interactivity into your corporate dinner is via a magician. Like comedians, magicians captivate. They are perfect for breaking up what could otherwise be a serious and formal evening.
A magician is also a good icebreaker for the table; through their tricks, guests get to know one another.
5) Include pre-dinner activities and workshops
Having guests engage in something like wine tasting or a cocktail-making workshop is another excellent icebreaker - and creates a sense of cohesion. For some guests, these activities might not be the kind they would ever normally take part in. It therefore gives attendees the chance to try something new, making the evening more memorable for them.
Run these activities before everyone sits down for dinner (i.e. when they’re still sober!).
For wrap-around entertainment, which can start on arrival and continue after the meal, we love casino tables. They’re particularly good for a Bond-themes evening but are great fun and generate lots of good-natured competition.
6) Install a photo booth
Photo booths are not only a great source of entertainment but they’re also an excellent marketing tool for your company. Branded photo booths, specifically for corporate events allow you to include your company name, logo and the name of the event. Guests are likely to hold onto photos post-event (unlike some other corporate souvenirs!), so what better way to create brand awareness than to have your logo out there on kitchen fridges / pin boards / dressing tables.
At TAG Activity Group we are masters at bringing your corporate event to life. From outdoor water sports to black tie dinners, we organise events and activities tailored to your business and a professional and completely stress-free experience for you.
Get in touch to enquire or book!