Planners of corporate events must connect the dots between business objectives and specific event types. It cannot be easy to decide which events will best help your company achieve its unique goals. There are many options.

This article will focus on the six most popular events for businesses and what you can expect from each of them. You’ll find plenty of details to help you get started with your planning. But first, a quick definition:

What is the classification of event types?

There are three types of events: corporate, private or charity. Corporate events are focused on customers and businesses, private events are more social, and charity events are for philanthropy.

Successful corporate events have clear and achievable goals. This is good considering the amount of planning and cost involved in each event. We have you covered, whether you are new to corporate events planning or need some inspiration to help you reach your business goals.

The best events to help you achieve your business goals

This section will focus on the four most important corporate events. Each type has a brief description, details about the business goals, venues that are best for them, plans for your event, and examples from real-world companies you can learn from. Let’s get started!

1. Conferences

A conference is an event that has a large attendance (attendance numbers can be in the hundreds or thousands). It focuses on a single industry or theme and is usually held over several days.

This event type is ideal for these venues: Convention and conference centers.

This event type requires strategic layouts: A conference floor plan should be spacious and consider sight lines. To keep attention on the stage, you can use auditorium or banquet-style seating to facilitate breakout groups.

A real-world example: TechCrunch is an annual conference connecting startups with investors and educating attendees about the latest technology trends. They have some big names in their speaker line-up. They can establish themselves as an authority on the latest tech news and innovations.

Key conference takeaways:

• Conferences can be a great way to help your audience understand your brand and business.
• TechCrunch has an example of a speaker that is easily recognized by your audience. Micro-influencers can be as affordable as celebrities and often have loyal fans.

1. Trade Shows

Trade shows bring together a lot of similar-minded companies under one common theme. This interactive event uses exhibition booths and other interesting partners to create unforgettable experiences for its attendees.

This is the best way to achieve these business goals:

• Display a range of products.
• Meet your audience face-to-face.
• Boost lead generation.
• Build sales/marketing contacts.

The ideal venues for this type of event: Convention centers, auditoriums and universities

This event type requires strategic layouts: Grid layouts organize booths into aisles to maximize space and group brands into the appropriate categories. This helps your audience plan which booths they are interested in and discover other brands that might be of interest to them.

Example: Natural Products Expo West hosts multi-city trade fairs featuring hundreds of healthy and organic products. Aside from sampling a variety of foods, beauty products, supplements, and other goodies, visitors also discover new brands they love. You can also find educational materials (in the form of newsletters, printed materials and dedicated booths) on the causes that matter most to you.

Takeaways from the trade shows

• Attendees love trade shows because they get to taste samples and participate in demonstrations and learn about real services.
• Natural Products Expo West offers its event in several major cities, making it convenient for interested parties. Their event website also offers many educational programs, which helps bring in more leads and helps those unable to attend the events.

1. Seminars

Seminars look a lot like a conference. Seminars are primarily focused on instruction and training. This is the biggest difference. Seminars are academic and, therefore, more effective when done in series. They also tend to involve smaller groups and less diverse events than larger, more complex ones.

These business goals are best: Product and employee training, certifications, or courses to develop or reinforce long-term customer loyalty.

The ideal venues for this type of event: Board rooms, classrooms, small to medium-sized multifunction spaces

This event type requires strategic layouts: Conference-style tables and classroom layouts are ideal for attendees. They can learn together but also have the flexibility to break into smaller groups or discuss sections as they need.

A real-world example: The Academy of Business Leadership hosts multiple one-day seminars called “Got Big Dreams?” From 8th graders to college sophomores, they have big dreams and often involve some form of entrepreneurship. Guest lecturers guide them through various exercises and discussions to help them develop their ideas and identify the next steps in starting their own business.

Key seminar takeaways:

• Seminars are educational events that connect businesses with their attendees. They provide them with practical information, tools and skills to help them achieve their personal goals.
• Follow the lead of The Academy of Business Leadership to target underrepresented populations (in this instance, teenagers and young adults). The Academy of Business Leadership teaches that if you focus on one problem, many solutions can be used to solve it.

1. Corporate off-sites & executive meetings

Executive meetings and corporate off-sites are face-to-face events that frequently involve key business partners and high-ranking employees. Many companies use this type of event for many reasons. However, it is up to the event planners to ensure they are successful through clear agendas and creative environments as well as tools or policies that increase productivity.

These business goals are best: Create new ideas, complete specific tasks, make important decisions and establish partnerships.

The ideal venues for this type of event: Boardrooms and restaurants.

This event type has strategic layouts: Round tables work best for smaller groups (to facilitate discussion), whereas larger groups will benefit from U-shape seating or the traditional conference style.

Example: Buddytruk, a company that focuses on the real world, makes it a priority to meet every Friday to review the week’s key events. This keeps the executive team on the same page and allows for a more efficient review of current goals and budgets.

Key corporate off-sites takeaways:

• Executive meetings and corporate off-sites facilitate communication and allow greater collaboration than email and Slack.
• Meetings in person can be productive and fun if you have policies that keep your attendees on track. This is what Buddtruk did with his creative punishment.

1. Company parties

Employees gather at company parties to celebrate successes, recognize milestones, increase morale, and have fun. Although the event’s focus is often relaxation and fun, planners can still set and reach concrete goals for their employees.

This event type requires strategic layouts. Add tables and chairs to provide comfort if you plan on serving food.

An example from the real world: Amazon’s post-holiday celebration celebrates the new year and recent wins. It also offers a host of other fun activities. A concert, self-portraits of caricatures, a dance party and dueling piano performances were some of the many fun activities attendees enjoyed. They even got to kick field goals.

Key office party takeaways

• Because of their intrinsic morale-boosting effects, company parties are essential to a successful corporate event ecosystem.
• Even if your budget isn’t as large as Amazon’s, you can plan fun activities that your employees will enjoy. You should include places or things your team loves as a group or have special meaning for your brand.