| “There is more pressure
than ever before for companies to achieve return on
investment when it comes to corporate hospitality.
Incentive & Motivation looks at how organisers
can make sure their events are more than just a big
party and actually get across a message, whether it
is a new brand or strategy for employees or communicating
a message to customers. It also includes examples
of corporate hospitality suitable for the rewards
and motivation sector in 2006.”
Corporate hospitality is undoubtedly an effective
forum to interact with existing and prospective clients
out of the office environment and to ultimately cement
relationships and secure contracts. It is also a great
way to reward and motivate staff and build staff loyalty.
But with budgets coming under more scrutiny companies
have to justify corporate hospitality spend and, rather
than just making their guests feel special, increasingly
need to show ROI.
In this competitive environment corporate hospitality
events should not be viewed as a freebie and big party,
but need to work harder for the hosting company by
delivering their key messages and enabling them to
stand out from the crowd gaining greater credibility
from clients and staff.
At Unmissable we have steered away from the mainstream
corporate hospitality providers who mostly sell seats
and tickets to the round of annual sporting and cultural
events.
We’ve found that providing innovative and creative
events and experiences that are not readily available
on the corporate hospitality high street are more
effective and can be tailored around the hosting company
to ensure clear communication of key messages.
Getting to know what makes your target audience tick
is crucial. For example if you know they are a fan
of the big screen then tickets to this year’s
hottest movie premier with a chance to mingle with
the stars of the screen will have much greater impact
and linger longer in the memory than tickets to Wimbledon.
When ROI is part of the brief then the budget also
needs to work hard for you but you can still achieve
the WOW factor without a big spend. For example instead
of taking clients or staff to Germany for the world
cup next Summer you can take them to a private venue
in the UK with big screens, champagne reception and
sporting football celebrities in attendance which
will be a fraction of the cost. Similarly instead
of going to the expense of a box at one of the major
horse racing days, you can hire a box at one of the
summer evening meets that are far less expensive but
still provide all the thrills of the turf.
CASE STUDY
Agencies: The Works Consultancy
working with prize promotion specialist,
Unmissable
The Brief: Corporate Hospitality
for major client
Activity: Charity Private Screening
of The Lord of The Rings – ‘The Return
of the King’
To celebrate a year of working with one of their
clients (and realising she was a huge Lord of The
Rings fan), The Works linked up with prize promotion
specialist, Unmissable, and came up with a memorable
corporate hospitality event.
They organised a night to remember at one of the
most talked about movie launches in recent years The
Lord of the Rings. The evening included tickets to
the private screening which was held in aid of the
Princes Trust Charity at the Odeon Cinema on Leicester
Square. It also included a drinks reception with a
chance to mingle with the star guests.
Comment: Commenting, Unmissable’s
Andrew Cook said, “This proved to be a huge
success because we knew this important client loved
the movie so the whole event will last much longer
in her mind than a much more expensive standard sporting
corporate event could ever do. It also proved an effective
way of showing attention to detail and creativity
– as well as an ability to pull a few strings!”
- ENDS -
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