If you’re a business looking to enhance productivity, strengthen team dynamics and improve wellbeing within your workforce, you’ll almost certainly be involved in running a corporate workshop to help you achieve your goals. Done correctly, these can serve as a powerful catalyst for positive change within your organisation.
However, organising a workshop that is not only informative but also engaging and memorable, is no mean feat. Booking a meeting room and preparing a few PowerPoint slides is unlikely to produce the desired effect, unless of course your goal is audience disengagement!
So how do you keep your audience engaged and motivated? Keep reading!
In this blog post, we’ll explore the key elements of running a successful corporate workshop and discuss how incorporating professional entertainment and catering can elevate the whole experience and outcome.
Select the right venue for your corporate workshop
Physical space plays a major role in how people feel and engage with a workshop. Choose a venue that’s not only accessible, but conducive to the type of interaction you require. Ideally, it should offer:
- Comfortable seating and good acoustics
- Natural lighting and a space for breakout groups
- Reliable tech infrastructure
- Areas for informal mingling and relaxation
Top tip: If your budget allows, removing yourself from the usual office environment can be a game-changer. A change of scenery can spark new ideas and make the event feel special.
Define your purpose and objectives for the workshop
Every successful workshop should start with a clear purpose. What are you trying to achieve? Are you aiming to boost team morale, foster strategic thinking, or improve employee wellbeing? Whatever it is, you need a clear and measurable goal to ensure everything you plan contributes to the overall purpose.
Have a solid plan
A corporate workshop needs to strike the right balance between structure and flexibility; a rigid schedule can drain energy, while a disorganised one leads to confusion and disengagement. The following is a basic template to build on:
- Welcome and icebreaker: Set the tone, clarify your objectives and energise the room.
- Key sessions or breakout activities: These could include items such as speaker presentations, interactive discussions, or team tasks.
- Breaks: Provide a mental rest and an informal opportunity for networking.
- Wrap-up and feedback: Summarise the key takeaways and invite input for future improvements.
It’s vital to keep sessions interactive. Passive learning is problematical in that attendees don’t engage with the information, meaning it’s unlikely to stick. Therefore, encouraging active participation in a variety of ways is essential.
Hire a entertainer or book a professional to run your workshop
When planning a corporate workshop, entertainment might not be the first thing that comes to mind, but the right professional can transform your session from forgettable to fantastic. Whether you want to energise your team, boost wellbeing, or encourage creative thinking, you can book entertainers and experienced workshop leaders directly on our website.
Here are just a few ways our professionals can enhance your next event:
- Interactive team-building workshops
From magicians to balloon artists, many of our entertainers offer engaging, skill-based sessions that encourage collaboration and fun. - Wellness workshops
For companies focused on staff wellbeing, we have professionals who offer yoga, and breathwork sessions, tailored to corporate audiences and designed to support physical and mental health. - Ice breakers and energy boosters
A comedian, mentalist or musician can set the tone, lighten the mood, and help people feel more comfortable, whether at the start of a session or mid-way through a long day. - Entertainment with purpose
These aren’t just add-ons, they’re carefully crafted experiences designed to align with your workshop goals, whether that’s improving communication, encouraging creativity, or simply bringing people together.
The key to hiring the right professional entertainer is to match them to both your audience and your objectives.
Hire a caterer
One of the most underestimated aspects of workshop planning is food, yet providing quality catering does so much more than simply keeping people fed. Here are some of the reasons you should consider hiring a caterer:
- Well-presented, quality food shows that you value your employees’ time and wellbeing, making them feel appreciated and respected.
- Reduces stress – caterers can provide reliable meal options tailored to suit dietary needs, allergies and cultural preferences – ensuring that everyone is included.
- A well-catered event not only provides the necessary sustenance to maintain energy levels, it’s also conducive to informal discussions and bonding over shared meals.
- It enhances satisfaction by elevating the overall workshop experience.
- Professional catering saves time and effort by freeing you from the logistical challenges of meal planning, preparation and serving, enabling you to focus on the workshop itself.
Whether it’s a breakfast buffet, boxed lunches, or a full sit-down meal, high quality catering creates a more polished, enjoyable experience. You can read more about catering ideas on the blog here.
Picture it!
Imagine you are running a two-day workshop. On day one, the team takes on creative exercises and strategy planning. By mid-afternoon, energy levels are flagging. You bring in a mentalist for a twenty-minute performance that ties in with themes of perception, creativity and focus. Laughter ensues, spirits lift and the group is recharged for the final session.
Over lunch, attendees enjoy gourmet sandwiches and fresh salads provided by a local catering company. Conversation flows naturally during the meal break and interdepartmental connections are formed.
At the end of the second day, your wrap-up session isn’t just another tick-box activity. People feel noticed, refreshed and inspired because the workshop wasn’t just functional, it was memorable.
Feedback and improvement for your next corporate workshop
No matter how well it went, there is always room for improvement! Use feedback forms, check in with staff throughout the day or send follow-up emails to gain insight into what worked and, equally importantly, what didn’t work well. Ask questions such as:
- What was your favourite part of the day?
- What do you think could be improved next time?
- Were the objectives clearly met?
- How do you feel after attending the workshop?
Creating a feedback loop will ensure the workshop itself is a learning experience for running the next one, while simultaneously showing your team that you value their input.
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Running a successful corporate workshop involves a complex blend of planning, engagement and atmosphere. While the content of your workshop is of prime importance, context matters just as much. Including thoughtful elements such as professional catering doesn’t simply enhance participant satisfaction, it also boosts the overall impact of your event.
So, if, initially, you thought that professional entertainment, catering and corporate workshops made odd bedfellows, we hope we’ve made you think again. Never underestimate the power of fun, food and flair; they could just be the secret ingredients that transform your workshop from boring to brilliant!
PartyWizz helps you book the best corporate entertainers and services in UK and Ireland. From magicians and DJs to photographers and team building activiteis, you’ll find those in your area on our easy-to-use platform. Whether you’re company celebration, a wedding, a Christmas party or a client event, go to PartyWizz to find the perfect service providers in just a few clicks!
