Corporate Events in Sweden and Around the World
Corporate events can be aimed at employees, customers, partners, or consumers and take many different forms, ranging from conferences and kickoff events to customer events and brand activations.
At Contrast, we create and produce corporate events in Sweden and internationally, from strategy and concept to planning, production, and execution.
What is a corporate event?
A corporate event is an event that a company or organization hosts for its employees, customers, partners, or consumers. It can range from an internal kickoff for 50 people to a product launch for thousands of consumers. What distinguishes corporate events from private gatherings is the client and the purpose. The goal might be to train employees, rally the organization around a change, build relationships with customers and partners, or allow consumers to experience a brand.
We divide corporate events into three main categories based on who the company wants to reach:
Employee events
Events for employees within the organization, such as kick-off events, conferences, staff parties, training days, management meetings, and anniversary celebrations.
Customer event
Events for customers, prospective customers, resellers, and other business partners, such as customer days, partner conferences, trade shows, product launches, and roadshows.
Consumer event
Events where companies and brands interact with end consumers, such as brand activations, public events, in-store events, and product launches.
What types of corporate events are available?
A corporate event can take almost any form. The right format depends on who you want to reach and what you want the event to achieve. Some common formats are:
- A kickoff to rally the organization around, for example, new goals, plans, or a change.
- A conference designed to bring people together around knowledge, strategy, or shared issues.
- Roadshows to, for example, train retailers, launch products, or promote a brand.
- Seminar for an in-depth exploration of a specific topic
- A gala evening or anniversary dinner to celebrate, honor, or bring together employees, partners, and customers.
- Team-building activities where employees get to do something together outside of their usual roles.
- Product launch to introduce a new product or service to the market.
- Customer Appreciation Day to strengthen relationships with existing customers.
How do you plan a successful corporate event?
Good event planning doesn't start with the venue, the food, or the entertainment. It starts with two questions: Who will be there, and what do you want to happen when they meet?
Define the purpose and objectives
Start by defining what the event is intended to achieve. Do you want employees to understand a new strategy? Do you want more customers to become aware of a product? Or is the goal to strengthen relationships with resellers and partners? When the purpose is clear, it becomes easier to make the right decisions about everything from content and format to venue and activities. Also decide from the outset how you’ll track the results. Depending on the event’s purpose, this could involve anything from participants’ experience and knowledge to leads, sales, or NPS.
Choose the right venue and date
Choosing a venue involves more than just picking a place you like. The number of participants, the program, travel arrangements, and what will actually take place during the event set the parameters. Having 600 guests limits the available venues, and a corporate event abroad places additional demands on the planning. When participants are flying in from different locations, flight schedules, transfers, hotels, local vendors, and the program must all work together seamlessly. The date also matters. Major holidays, large industry conferences, and other popular times can affect both availability and which venues can be booked.
Build a program that keeps energy levels up
A good program needs both good content and plenty of breathing room. Participants need time to listen, talk to each other, move around, grab a coffee, and process what they’ve just heard. A program that looks relaxed on paper can easily become stressful if you haven’t factored in that 300 people will be moving between different rooms or helping themselves to afternoon snacks.
Learn more about event strategy and planning.
What is the true value of a corporate event?
We have an unwavering belief in the power of human connection. When people come together, they don’t just receive a message. They can talk about it, ask questions, react to it, and share the experience with others. We’ve seen that power thousands of times since 1994.
At an internal conference, an employee can hear the company’s new strategy presented on stage, discuss it with colleagues over lunch, and ask questions directly to management during the break. The strategy becomes something people experience, create, and talk about together—not just information that’s been sent out.
At a customer event, participants can see, try out, and learn more about a new product, talk to the people behind it, and share experiences with other users over the course of an afternoon.
Contact Contrast about your corporate event
Are you planning a corporate event? Tell us what you want to achieve, who you want to reach, and roughly when it will take place. We'll take it from there.