When you attend an event filled with people you don’t know, how do you warm up? If you’re an event planner planning for different types of corporate events, you may want to bookmark and save this page for ideas on how to make your event engaging and memorable.
Corporate events are not just seminars or conferences, there are more than thirty different types of corporate events you can get inspiration from as you plan for your next corporate event.
32 Types of Corporate Events with Icebreaker Ideas
Onboarding Event
For big corporate businesses, onboarding can be a good way to welcome new employees. An onboarding event is where all those “fun facts about you” are asked to introduce new hires to the team.
Onboarding events are usually the first impression of your team about your company culture. Keeping this in mind, you can curate the type of experience you want them to remember. Avoid information overload or losing their attention span. Implement a buddy system and feedback mechanism to constantly improve the process.
Icebreaker games for onboarding event:
- Personal Timeline – Participants can create a timeline of their work life to share with the team
- First Impressions – Gather participants in a circle with a piece of paper. They have to pass around the paper with each person writing their first impressions with each other.
Corporate Retreat
Long-time employees will appreciate a time to refresh and recharge through a corporate retreat. Organizing team-building retreats can be costly and involve more in-depth planning for the event planner but it can have a higher engagement return.
The focused and distraction-free environment can be ideal for strategic planning and skill development. Engage professional facilitators to save yourself from the planning stress.
Corporate retreat icebreaker games:
- Escape rooms – Give your employees a bit of a challenge by organizing puzzles to solve. The theme of the escape rooms can be related to what the team is currently facing to make it relevant to their context.
- Tower challenge – Group participants into teams and give them the same set of materials. Challenge them to build the highest tower with only the materials provided.
Christmas Party
Christmas, year-end, or holiday parties are always festive for the team. Awarding for employees, gift exchange, and delicious food are a few examples of the most common staple activities to include in these types of parties.
Christmas party icebreakers:
- Costume Contest – Instruct participants on dress themes like Hollywood, Ugly Sweaters, Christmas movies, etc.
- Pictionary or Charades – Prepare a list of Christmas carols then divide participants into teams. One person from each team draws the carol while their teammates guess what it is. The team that guesses correctly in the shortest time wins.
Thanksgiving Party
Celebrate things to be grateful for every year with a Thanksgiving event for the whole company. By creating a warm and inclusive atmosphere, a Thanksgiving party boosts morale and strengthens relationships within the team, making everyone feel valued and appreciated.
The event can be used to reinforce company values and culture, creating a stronger sense of identity and unity among employees. Since this is a popular event your employees want to spend with their families, you have to send your invites early or choose a date that is accessible for everyone.
Thanksgiving party icebreaker games:
- Trivia Games – Prepare a list of Thanksgiving-related trivia questions. Divide participants into teams. Ask the questions and award points for correct answers. The team with the most points wins a prize.
DEI Recognition Event
A DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Recognition Event is a powerful way for organizations to celebrate and reinforce their commitment to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. Companies can make this a yearly event to show their dedication to equality and diversity and build an inclusive company culture.
Ensure that your program is truly inclusive as it may cause more harm than good. Engage and really listen to different voices and feedback. The benefits of having a successful dialogue can outweigh the challenges though. When you are able to build a safe environment, you can build a strong organizational culture.
DEI icebreaker activities:
- Cultural Show and Tell – Sessions will share an item, story, or tradition from their culture for discussion and awareness among each other.
- Bias Awareness Activity – Prepare a series of scenarios or statements that illustrate common biases (e.g., assumptions based on names, appearance, or background). Have participants discuss their initial reactions to the scenarios in small groups. Facilitate a larger discussion about how biases can impact behavior and decision-making.
Conference
Every type of business can benefit from a conference event. Attendees can learn from speakers and network with fellow participants. Conferences are a great avenue to discuss and disseminate relevant information on pressing industry issues or topics.
The challenge with a conference is the engagement of a crowd. Design a diverse agenda with engaging sessions, including keynotes, panels, workshops, and networking opportunities. Preparing a gamification strategy for the entire attendees can be a great way to engage them.
Icebreakers for conference meetings:
- Speed Networking – The facilitator or emcee can give some prompts for conference attendees to ask each other. Speed networking is a quick-paced activity where participants have brief, timed conversations to introduce themselves and their work.
- Problem-Solving Scenarios – Divide conference participants into breakout groups to discuss the topic presented by the speaker.
Workshops
Corporate workshops are great types of corporate events that can get the whole team involved. When participants are involved in the activity, it will be easier for them to be engaging in your corporate event. Choose a workshop topic that will resonate with your target audience and get them excited to join. Find a workshop that fits your budget and can be useful for your participants.
Icebreakers for workshops:
- One-word Expected outcome – Each participant can take turns sharing their expected outcome for the workshop using one word.
- Share their experience related to the workshop – Depending on the topic of your workshop, each participant can share their history or experience related to the theme of the workshop.
Roundtable Discussion
Professionals can network and learn from one another in a roundtable discussion format. Unlike traditional presentations, roundtables promote equal participation, allowing everyone to share their insights and perspectives. This format is particularly effective for problem-solving, brainstorming, and generating new ideas.
Roundtable Discussions are easy to organize, especially for virtual discussions. Distance won’t be a problem due to technology. Something to take note of is the timezone and the venue for the virtual discussion. Keep attendees engaged by adding talking points to avoid dead air.
Icebreakers for Roundtable Discussions:
- Share your most challenging situation – Participants will be instructed to bring one of their problems to the table discussion and each participant can take turns sharing their feedback.
- Change POV – Shuffle job descriptions and titles among members of the discussion and tackle a certain problem/ discussion.
Team Building
Companies organize team-building events and host leadership activities to boost employee morale. Statistics show that employees who feel a sense of belonging are 54% more likely to stay in their jobs. Team building events are one way to foster this sense of belonging, teamwork, and harmony among employees. Choose fun games that can help engage employees.
If your team-building games are physical, prepare for first aid or medic team for everyone’s safety and peace of mind.
Icebreaker for team building events:
- Shocking Introductions – Participants will be given a secret role at the start of the team building and they have to introduce themselves in the character that they are assigned to.
- Pass the award to – Start your team building with positive vibes by giving a set of descriptions or awards that participants can give to those who they think fit the description. Try to create it in a way that everyone will get an award.
- Transportation game – Give Lego blocks or some materials that can challenge groups to create a transportation tool to transport a team member from one place to another. These types of games can always be a good laugh.
Send off Party
The corporate world is filled with people who come and go. A send-off party shows goodwill and appreciation for everything the employee has done. The challenge for send-off parties is making the event personalized and meaningful for the celebrated person. Efforts to retrieve photos and gather information can be tedious but it will be worth it as you build a good company culture of friendship.
Icebreaker for send-off party:
- Favorite memory – share a favorite memory with the person being celebrated. Add a twist and recreate it.
- Gift of words – participants will give memorable and thoughtful parting words that the person can take with them as they go.
Awards and Ceremonies
Make your team feel appreciated by rewarding their achievements and accomplishments. Most companies do these types of events once a year. Add special prizes and incentives to continue to motivate your employees.
Icebreakers for awards and ceremonies:
- Trivia Game – Prepare some trivia questions to excite your participants. Add teasers of the prizes or the awards.
Product Launch
Impress your customers and make a good first impression with your product launch. Create moments in your product launch event that will make them share it with their circles. A well-executed product launch has the potential to gain media exposure or even go viral on social media, resulting in a boost in product awareness.
Icebreakers for product launch:
- Product Hunt – choose items or mechanics that are related to the product you are about to launch
- Active games – Add an activity that can keep your attendees engaged and moving in your event.
Town Hall Meeting
A town hall meeting is a company-wide gathering to discuss the company and its objectives. The president or senior of the company can communicate important information about the company or announce changes.
Icebreakers for Town hall meeting:
- Story sharing – Start by inviting specific people to share testimonies or stories related to the town hall meeting topic.
- Company pulse – Give a specific question and ask attendees to type in their answers to polling sites like Mentimeter or Slido.
Trade Show and Expo
Tradeshows and expos are large-scale and expensive types of corporate events that involve the best of the particular industry to showcase their products and services in one grand venue. Since a trade show hall will be filled with booths from the same industry, the challenge is to make your trade show booth stand out and attract customers.
Train your staff to be friendly, approachable, and knowledgeable. Use interactive elements, such as demos, contests, or VR experiences, to engage attendees. Be prepared with a lead capturing system too for a smooth experience for your booth visitors.
Icebreakers for trade shows and expo:
- Scavenger Hunt – Scatter sticker logos of different brands or set up a checklist of things participants need to do that involve other trade show booth
- Food and free taste – Offering food is a sure way for attendees to feel at ease.
Performance Review / Evaluation
A performance review or evaluation is a standard season for all corporate companies. Usually done one-on-one, some companies can also do departmental reviews or team evaluations.
Icebreakers for performance review/ evaluation:
- Interactive exchange – Give opportunities for participants to interact and engage by preparing light-hearted questions or fun activities.
Board Meetings
Big decisions are made by the company’s board of directors. Board meetings can be as often as monthly or once a year. These meetings are often serious and formal but having icebreakers can help elevate the mood.
Icebreakers for board meetings:
- Four Quadrants – The Facilitator of the meeting can give a set of questions that attendees will answer with one quadrant per question. Questions can be related or not related to the topic to be discussed at the meeting.
Virtual Events
There is no limit to the possibilities of a virtual event. Meetings or networking can work well with a virtual event, especially with team members working remotely. Avoid technical glitches since your whole event is hosted online. Conduct thorough testing of all technical aspects before the event, including internet connections, software, and hardware. Have a technical support team on standby to address any issues that arise.
- The “Ice breaker” – Each virtual event attendee will list their favorite ice breaker question and submit it to the facilitator. Everyone will take rounds answering
Product Demonstrations
Product demonstrations are organized events for new or potential customers who are not familiar with the company’s products and services. This event is usually the first step of the funnel so event marketers strategize to make an impactful event to retain these potential customers.
- Use the product in a team – Depending on the type of your product, you can group participants into teams. Provide scenarios or a problem that the team must solve and involve your product, if applicable.
Brand Activations
Businesses have been including events as a part of bringing awareness, engagement, and conversion to their business. Brand activations make their products come to life mostly through in-person events, experiential elements, and activities such as free taste, live demonstrations, etc.
- Freedom Wall – Ask event participants to answer questions related to what your product or brand solves.
Charity Events
Charity events are organized to raise funds and awareness for a specific cause or nonprofit organization. These events can include galas, auctions, fun runs, and benefit concerts. Customers tend to trust a business more when they see the company’s heart and not just simply for profit.
- Relay Game – Start your charity event with a united team spirit. There are many types of relay activities you can choose from, depending on the crowd and the space of your event.
Networking Events
Businesses are all about building and maintaining relationships. Countless successful business deals are formed from valuable connections. Networking icebreaker games can help get the ball rolling among your participants.
Icebreaker for networking events:
- Speed dating – Have participants rotate in and out of the group to get to know each other. Have a set of questions to discover to make it more exciting
- Mystery Game – A host will give specific information that each participant must discover among each other. They must ask questions subtly and not ask direct questions. This is inspired by the murder mystery game.
Health and Wellness
Companies invest in their employee’s health and well-being by creating events that can improve their health. Yoga, pickleball, pilates, and fun run are just some popular health-inspired events that companies organize for their employees.
- Gamify the warm-up – Start the exercise session with an energetic warm-up session. Some ideas could be Simon Says Stretching exercises, Fitness Charades, Human Bingo, etc.
Nonprofit Fundraising
Companies can be event partners of a nonprofit event that aims to raise money. Fundraising events also offer a platform for storytelling showcasing the impact of the organization’s work and build credibility among your audience.
- Monopoly Inspired Game – Get inspiration from the popular board game Monopoly Go to start with your nonprofit event.
Recruitment Events
Organizing recruitment events is a popular way to scout for new talent and build a team. Career fairs and virtual recruitment events are some specific examples of this type of event.
- Skills show and tell – Do something outside of the typical recruitment process. Ask participants to share a unique skill or accomplishment that they are proud of.
- Draw your vision – ask interested participants to draw how they see themselves 5 years from now.
Webinars or Online Classes
Content is the new way to bring in sales for businesses. Creating webinars or online courses are tested strategies businesses use to build their community.
If you want to start an online course, you can easily set up your class registration with Event Smart or Event Espresso
- Breakout room chats – divide the group into breakout rooms to discuss some introductory questions about the webinar topic
Sales Kickoff
A sales kick-off event aims to jumpstart a sales campaign to their target audience. This event can be used for motivation and alignment of sales strategies among the team. People don’t like being sold to so try to address the objections your target customers might have.
- Role play – Teams can try to sell or pitch something with their given scenario or roles
Focus Group Discussions
Unlike a roundtable discussion, focus group discussions are created for research purposes. Businesses will invite people who meet a certain demographic that they can interview. Results of the discussion can be used for industry reports or team reference.
- One-word Summary – Ask participants to describe their expectations or thoughts about the discussion topic in one word. Compile these words into a list or word cloud and discuss the variety of perspectives.
Cultural Events
A cultural event helps celebrate your team’s diversity and culture and increase their awareness of the whole team’s background.
- Cultural potluck – Ask team members from different cultures to bring their favorite dish and share them with the team
- Q&A – Participants can take turns answering questions like recommending a movie or book that can best give an idea of their culture, most interesting experience in their culture, favorite family tradition, and more.
Anniversary Party
Milestones like anniversaries deserve to be celebrated and remembered. Organize an anniversary event with your company’s founding anniversary, department’s major achievements, or your team’s years of service.
- Memory Wall – Participants can collect pictures or memories of the person or event being celebrated.
Challenges and Hackathons
A healthy competition among the team can help boost team spirit. Event planners of the company can organize a company or department-wide hackathon where teams can pitch. Make it more exciting by giving enticing prizes and rewards.
- Problem Swap – Have participants go into breakout groups or pairs. Give time for them to write a problem they encountered at work or in life, ask their group or partner to give a solution.
Client Appreciation Events
Maintain good relationships with your clients by organizing client appreciation events. Banquets, awarding, or recreational activities are some of the ways you can make your clients feel appreciated.
- Guess the Product or Service – The host will read the description of a product or service and the group will guess what it is.
Press Conference / Public Relations
Press conferences or public relations are the efforts of companies to communicate a message to the media or press. These events provide a platform for companies to manage their public image, share significant achievements, launch new products, or address any pressing issues.
- Guess Who – Prepare short bios or interesting facts about each participant and have others guess who each fact belongs to. This can help everyone learn more about each other.
Tips for Organizing Any Corporate Event
Consider the Audience’s demographics
Understanding the demographics of your corporate event attendees is crucial for planning a successful gathering. Whether your audience consists of executives, employees, or industry partners, knowing their professional backgrounds, interests, and roles within the organization allows you to tailor the event’s agenda and content to resonate effectively.
You can get specific insights on your attendees by collecting information from your participant’s registration form. Customize your registration form with Event Smart or Event Espresso.
Prepare for budget and finances
Typical costs span venue rental, audio-visual equipment, catering, travel, accommodations, marketing, and promotional materials. Effective budgeting involves detailed cost estimates, prioritizing high-impact elements, negotiating with vendors, seeking sponsorships, and leveraging cost-effective strategies like digital marketing and hybrid event formats. Utilizing group booking discounts, off-peak scheduling, and low-cost or free activities can help keep expenses manageable.
One of the areas where you can significantly increase your event revenue is through the event registration platform you use. Event Smart is an all-in-one event registration tool and platform that does not charge ANY commission fees on an unlimited number of tickets sold.
The common costs associated with corporate events you can expect are:
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- Venue Rental
- Rental fees for event spaces
- Security deposits
- Insurance
- Catering
- Food and beverages
- Service staff
- Tableware and linens
- Audiovisual Equipment
- Sound systems
- Projectors and screens
- Lighting
- Marketing and Promotional Materials
- Printed materials (flyers, posters, banners)
- Digital marketing (social media ads, email campaigns)
- Public relations services
- Speaker or Talent Fees
- Honorariums
- Travel and accommodation
- Transportation
- Shuttle services for guests
- Transportation for equipment
- Accommodations
- Hotel rooms for out-of-town guests or speakers
- Hospitality suites
- Event Staffing
- Event planners
- On-site coordinators
- Registration staff
- Decorations
- Floral arrangements
- Themed decor
- Signage
- Venue Rental
- Event Registration and Tools
- Miscellaneous
- Permits and licenses
- Event insurance
- Contingency fund
Be mindful of Food Preferences
Ask in your event registration form if your attendees have food allergies or preferences. A simple thoughtful consideration of food will make a thoughtful impact on their overall experience.
Choose a great emcee
Avoid dead air or awkward silence in your corporate event by hiring a great host. An effective emcee not only guides the flow of the event but also sets the tone, engages the audience, and reinforces the event’s objectives. Look for someone with charisma, professionalism, and the ability to connect with diverse audience members.
Follow through with community building
Foster connections and collaboration beyond the business event by incorporating networking sessions, team-building activities, or digital platforms for ongoing engagement. Encourage attendees to share insights, exchange contacts, and build relationships that extend beyond the event’s duration.
Send a follow-up email post-event like a thank you email or simple gift.
Measure your outcomes against your event objectives
Finally, evaluate the outcome of your event by having a post-event evaluation with your events team. Go back to your initially set objectives and KPI and see how far you have achieved. Don’t forget to create post-event reports and follow-ups to ensure a smooth transition.
Different types of corporate events have different forms of measurement. Depending on the KPI you’ve set for your event, you can measure it through methods like post-event surveys, feedback forms, focus group discussions, and interviews.
Another form of measurement on your attendee engagement can be through your registration data. Compare the number of registrants to actual attendees to gauge interest and commitment.
You can also track engagement during the event, such as the number of questions asked, participation in polls or Q&A sessions, and activity on event apps.
Set up your registration for different types of corporate events
Event registration will never be out of the picture for your corporate events. Choose a reliable and affordable event registration system like Event Smart or Event Espresso. If your event website is hosted on WordPress, Event Espresso is ideal for you.
You don’t have to worry about paying for unnecessary fees or commissions, with either Event Smart or Event Espresso, you only need to pay one flat fee to enjoy all the features you need for an event registration system.
In fact, you can even host free events with Event Smart. Check out our free live demo now or start our no-commitment 14-day free trial for your future events.
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