How HR Managers & Workplace Experience Professionals Can Create Authentic Connections Through Experiential Events To Engage Employees

In a world where we are constantly bombarded with messages, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. Experiential activations for employee engagement events are a unique way to connect with you teams and create an authentic connection that goes beyond simply selling a product or service.

Experiential employee engagements events are all about creating a memorable experience that engages the senses and emotions of your employees. 

They need to bond while they do something that isn’t work! If they can make something and walk away with an artifact, all the better!

This type of experience goes beyond traditional team building efforts and focuses on creating an interactive experience that will leave a lasting impression. It’s one of the main ways we’re seeing companies engage their employees by building in-office programming that adds value and creates a greater sense of community.

This means successful work, happy clients, and efficient teams made up of employees who will stay at a company that stands out.

There are many benefits to employee engagement events, including increased brand loyalty, higher sales, and higher retention rebates of top employees. 

If you’re looking for a way to take your HR or workplace experience efforts to the next level, then experiential events may be the answer.

Creating an authentic connection through experiential events requires careful planning and execution, often selecting and working with a trusted vendor. 

Establishing a theme, encouraging engagement, and creating a unique experience are all key components of successful corporate events. In addition, it’s important to set objectives and outcomes, capture successes in photo & video, and measure the impact of experiential events on your employees through simple surveys. 

By following these steps, you can ensure that your event will be a success and will leave a lasting impression on your guests.

How to Create an Authentic Connection Through Experiential Events

A theme helps to ground an experiential event and can be used to create a more cohesive and authentic experience for attendees. It can also help to set the tone for interactions and engage attendees on a deeper level. 

When establishing a theme, it is important to consider the overall goal of the event and what kind of atmosphere will best support that goal. 

For example, if the goal is to educate attendees about a new initiative, then a more informative yet fun theme might be appropriate. However, if the goal is to promote team building within an organization, then a lighter, more fun theme might be more effective. 

At IPaintMyMind, we provide experiential art events in which employees can be creative, let loose, and walk away with something cool. Think about something active – no one wants to be blabbed at for another hour! That’s why our screen printing activations are so effective. Teams come together to learn a new skill, get a little messy, and create something fun that they can take home.

Encouraging Engagement, No Forced Fun

Engagement is key to creating an authentic connection with attendees at experiential events. There are many ways to encourage engagement, but some of the most effective methods include providing opportunities for hands-on learning, encouraging social interaction, and offering incentives for participation. 

Everyone who has done this before knows for example that you certainly need food and drinks, aside from whatever the activation is!

Hands-on learning opportunities give attendees a chance to directly experience what is being offered at the event, which can help them better understand its value. Social interaction allows attendees to connect with one another on a personal level, which can make the experience more enjoyable and memorable. Offering incentives for participation can also be helpful in encouraging engagement, as it gives attendees something tangible to strive for.

You can also invite key stakeholders, board members, sponsors, clients, partners, or vendors to help unify and connect folks who are in your orbit. If the event centers around a charitable giving initiative, all the better. Mobilize these types of events to wear your corporate heart on your sleeve in a way that builds brand and loyalty.

Creating A Unique Experience

Creating a unique experience is another important aspect of creating an authentic connection through experiential events. This can be accomplished by offering exclusive access to certain event features or activities, providing VIP treatment for select attendees, or incorporating elements of surprise into the event design. 

Exclusive access provides attendees with an added sense of importance and makes them feel like they are part of something special. VIP treatment makes guests feel valued and appreciated, both of which are essential ingredients for creating an authentic connection. 

With our Screenprinting Art Activations, participants get to make their very own screen print with a custom design, selecting the paint colors themselves, waiting for it to dry, then taking it home with them. If folks can learn something, be creative, and not have to be part of another meeting – that’s a massive win!

Check out our case study page for our event with One Two Pru for Pru Palooza in which we screenprinted with 100 participants!

Finally, incorporating elements of surprise helps to keep attendees engaged and creates excitement around the event itself.

Key Strategies for Planning & Measuring Experiential Events

Any successful event starts with clear objectives and measurable outcomes. What do you want your event to achieve? Is it initiative awareness, simple fun, or increase retention rates? Once you know your objective, you can start to develop key performance indicators (KPIs) to track whether or not you reach your goal.

There are a few different ways to measure the success of experiential events. One is through surveys which can be given out before and after the event. You can also track website traffic or social media engagement before and after the event if there is a particular call to action. If possible, try to get specific data points such through a survey.

If you want to create authentic connections with your target audience, experiential events are the way to go. By establishing a theme, encouraging engagement, and creating a unique experience, you can leave a lasting impression on your guests. 

When planning experiential events, be sure to set objectives and outcomes, utilize target audience data, and measure the impact of the event. With these strategies in mind, you’re sure to throw an event that will be remembered long after it’s over.

And before you send that email announcing that event, ask yourself, would I think this is cool? And feel free to reach out to IPaintMyMind about planning your next artful employee event.