The summer party season is nearly here, when the entire workplace is invited for dinner, dancing and entertainment.
Many companies also stage conferences and workshops for all or part of the workforce, with professional content combined with meals, entertainment and perhaps an overnight stay at a hotel or conference centre.
But corporate events are changing.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many employees work more from home, there are more online meetings and workers meet physically in the workplace far less often than before.
This increases the need for physical meetings that can foster collaboration, believes Claus Sneppen.
He is the author of several books on workplaces and meeting culture and advises companies on meeting culture and employee events.
“Digital meetings are useful for many things, but they are ill-suited to develop communities. More and more companies are becoming aware of this problem, and that’s why many are looking at how they’re using in-person meetings and events.”
He thinks that many leaders now see it as a high priority to create culture and community in workplaces, as working life has become more varied for many than before.
Some start working late, others early. Some turn up at the office, others work from home. Many meetings are online.
Important friction
Claus Sneppen is an associate partner at the consultancy firm Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies, and his latest book is called “The Future (R)Evolution of the Office Workspace: How to Succeed in a Digital Reality”.
He points out that a workplace community and strong collaboration need a shared culture and strategic direction. It is also important to have space for conflicts to arise, and to solve them.
The digital workspace is without friction, and that is a problem, believes Claus Sneppen.
“Friction is an important part of a community and collaboration, and friction used to emerge more naturally when everyone went to work and sat opposite each other every day between 9 am and 4 pm.”
Today’s workplace is more digital, which creates more demands on in-person meetings. Facilitating analogue meetings between employees has become an important leadership task – where frictions may arise and be solved.
Online meetings are not suited for this. They are frictionless, explains Claus Sneppen.
“It is difficult to design friction, because not everyone likes friction. But it is very important for the workplace. A community is created through friction, and without a community it is harder for companies to retain staff.
“That’s why we will see more and more employee events that promote friction and community.”
Culture and wow factor
Some companies have chosen to run corporate events with less focus on entertainment and spend more time on team building and togetherness than before. However, large corporate parties bases on entertainment are still a trend, says Claus Sneppen:
“I see a polarised development, where some companies continue to invest in spectacular parties with live bands, DJs and a big wow factor. Others are moving towards more culture-driven events, where employees get closer to each other,” he says.
Small and medium-sized enterprises in particular seem to seek culture-driven events that emphasise togetherness and co-creation, according to Claus Sneppen.
Food trucks and mingling
Eventually is an event agency that organises parties and conferences for companies, particularly in the pharmaceutical, tech and IT sectors. The agency sees no sign of a slowdown in these companies’ desire to arrange summer parties for employees with focus on the social aspect.
The social element is also playing a bigger role at internal conferences, where time is deliberately set aside in the programme for social activities, says Rikke Nordentoft Damborg, general manager and partner at Eventually.
“Large corporate parties with a good live band and dinner are still given high priority. It’s the company’s way to treat employees and show them that they are valued.”
However, the menu at corporate parties and conferences has changed. Fewer companies want a three-course meal and a formal seating plan.
“The current trend is food trucks and free seating. People really want to mingle. There is a lot of love in the air,” says Rikke Nordentoft Damborg with a smile.
Walk and talk
Eventually also sees a clear community trend when companies stage conferences.
“Both at internal and external conferences, the trend is to set aside plenty of time in the programme for connections and togetherness.”
Soon after the COVID-19 pandemic, a conference programme was typically packed with professional content and short breaks. Now, the programme is a bit less formal with longer breaks and increased focus on the social aspect,” says Rikke Nordentoft Damborg.
Typically, the professional content is scheduled for the morning and social events for the afternoon.
Technological developments allow the professional content or the CEO’s strategy talk to be sent out digitally, rather than employees having to sit in a conference room listening to it.
“When employees meet, they want to be together, have a laugh and learn to know each other. We see more walk-and-talks in the forest and group tasks with a more playful approach to reflection.
“And nobody bothers with conference apps anymore. The mobile is not supposed to be part of the together-time with colleagues.”
Team building skills
This is a pattern that Ole Sorang recognises. He is the CEO of Optimeet, Scandinavia’s largest international marketplace for the meetings and events industry.
“If the purpose of an event is to deliver content that supports collaboration and a sense of community, we are seeing a clear demand from companies for help to organise meetings, conferences and seminars for employees.”
He believes there are many good players in the meetings and events trade who help companies run events with a team building element. These also include events that take place outside of the conference hotel’s meeting rooms.
“For the employees to work well together, they need to know each other. Remote work means employees no longer know each other as well as before.
“There is now a focus on solving this challenge with new and community-oriented in-person meeting formats. Fewer hours are spent in meeting rooms.”
Ole Sorang says companies also expect that “off-site” events have content that supports collaboration. It is not enough to take the office staff bowling or have a nice time around a campfire.
“Fortunately, there are many providers who are highly skilled and excel in facilitating, designing and setting up team-building activities with content that supports collaboration and a shared direction.”
