It's no surprise that office productivity is going down. From social media to cell phones, there are hundreds of distractions pulling people in different directions. Research actually shows that people are only productive 3 hours per day while at work. So, how do you actually keep employees' attention?Sometimes stepping out from behind the cubicle can be the key to client success, team building, and overall morale. However, planning a productive and fun corporate event isn't easy. There is a fine line between providing an entertaining yet valuable experience and throwing an unorganized, boring mess. So how can you enhance and elevate your next corporate event?Experiential Meetings: The key to keeping your employee's attention is through a memorable experience created by giving them opportunities to participate, engage and speak up. Use interactive activities and business-oriented games to hold attendees' attention. Some simple ideas to execute include hosting interactive product demonstrations or having a social media element such as a meeting hashtag or geofilter. Take things up a notch by creating hands-on experiences that get attendees up, moving and collaborating, such as assembling toys and bikes for a local children's organization, preparing holiday gift bags, among other activities that have a giving-back component.Technology: Modernizing your corporate retreat will help you connect and stay relevant especially to millennial and younger employees. A recent Verizon Business study found that 89 percent of people believe better technology would improve meetings. Trends in meeting technology include virtual reality experiences, paperless agendas and meeting materials, social media elements and live streaming. Don't limit yourself to only in-person guest speakers; technology allows us to interact with people across the world. Consider Skyping or live streaming exciting guest speakers who may not be able to attend the event but are still willing to offer value and insight to your organization. Giving meeting attendees something new and different from a technology perspective will take your corporate event to the next level.Also, don't forget about Wi-Fi. It is an absolute necessity. Make sure your meeting space provides it and post the network name and password so it's easy to access and remember to all.Localizing: Forming partnerships with local businesses and nonprofit organizations to create experiences unique to your corporate event's location is a great way to create a special and unique experience. A simple way to start is with the food you serve. Consider offering local coffee for breakfast, hosting a buffet or food truck from the local area for lunch and ending at a bar or hot spot that the locals go to instead of a chain restaurant or the hotel bar that is more convenient.Outside of a typical conference day, try team building exercises by participating in unique events, such as blindfolded indoor rock-climbing at a local gym which focuses on verbal communication from the team on the ground to the team that is climbing. If this is too extreme for your group, don't forget how technology can assist you with challenges. Try a virtual reality themed team building event such as a VR scavenger hunt or VR escape room.These three elements can help you take your corporate event or meeting to the next level. However, it's important to not forget about the basics! Simple things such as arranging local transportation from the airport, a convenient meeting space, booking speakers ahead of time and other logistics can make or break your event. The easiest way to accomplish this? Use local resources.The value of being able to tap into the expertise of locals when dealing with the logistics of transportation, planning offsite events or even making restaurant recommendations is off the charts.
