Corporate events and the art of making a lasting first impression
Somebody crosses a room at a conference, makes eye contact over a cappuccino, and something clicks (the cappuccino helps, naturally). Love at first sight is real at corporate events, and it can blossom between two people or between a guest and a brand.
In over a decade spent sourcing extraordinary venues for corporate events, we've watched it happen more times than we can count. Sometimes a handshake at the welcome desk can be the first step to a contract by spring and a productive chat over a tasty aperitivo can grow into a partnership that lasts years. But is there an science to this? How do you harness the power of human connection? We would say that there is, if not quite a science, definitely an art to making sparks fly at corporate events.
Genuine connections at corporate events: it’s all about data!
Romance aside, the data makes a rather compelling case. Research by The Harris Poll for Freeman, surveying 1,824 working professionals in the US, found that 95 per cent of attendees trust a brand more after an in-person event.
In the same study, 92 per cent said live events improve their perception of a brand, and 89 per cent said events make them feel closer to it. Some 87 per cent went on to visit the brand's website afterwards.
Perhaps, then, as everything becomes increasingly digital, looking each other in the eye is turning into one of the most powerful communication tools available. In a world where it gets harder to trust what appears on a screen, meeting in person takes on a whole new significance.
A person across the table might laugh at the wrong moment, hesitate before answering or lean in when something interests them, but it is precisely in those unpredictable details and imperfections that we find what it is to be human in a hypertechnological world. Those small signals are exactly where trust gets built and they work undeniably better when we share the same context, rather than on an email loop or even a video-call.
Freeman's figures back this up. After meeting a brand face to face, 95 per cent of professionals trust it to be good at what it does, 94 per cent trust it to be honest and 93 per cent trust it to keep its promises.
Every event format has its own chemistry
Conferences give strangers a reason to talk, while meetings with a clear purpose keep the conversation moving. Team building turns colleagues who only know each other as video tiles into people with shared stories, and incentive travel adds sunshine and a genuine sense of reward.
According to Freeman, 57 per cent of professionals attend annual meetings for business reasons and 53 per cent go to networking events. Product launches and thought leadership events each draw 31 per cent, which shows how varied the appetite for business events really is.
Variety matters because chemistry is personal. A sales director may fall for a hands-on product demonstration, whereas a finance lead might be won over by an expert speaker with a sharp point of view and no interest in the red carpet.
What event planners can do to help chemistry happen
Good event planning starts with the venue, because atmosphere does half the work before anybody opens their mouth. Event planners who choose a Milanese palazzo with frescoed ceilings, or a rooftop overlooking the Duomo, give guests something worth talking about from the very first minute.
Personalisation comes next. Ninety per cent of professionals want personalised content and experiences, and 92 per cent want variety plus control over their own agenda. A seating plan that puts the right people side by side will do more for your corporate events than a fortieth slide on market share.
Pacing deserves attention as well. An aperitivo that runs on proper Italian time gives conversations room to start, wander off topic and find their way back, which is usually where the most promising ideas turn up.
Networking works best when the activities match what the audience actually cares about. Guests who share an interest need very little prompting, and a well-chosen setting supplies the rest.
Keeping the spark alive
Every good first date deserves a second one. The Freeman data shows that 47 per cent of attendees say the positive perception of a brand lasts a few months or more, and 85 per cent are more likely to make a purchase after an event.
That window is valuable, so follow-up should be ready before the doors open. A thank-you message within 48 hours, a short survey and an invitation to the next gathering keep the goodwill warm while it's still fresh.
Freeman also suggests measuring return on objective alongside return on investment. Brand awareness, customer satisfaction, retention and market expansion all belong in that calculation, and they give event planners a far more honest picture of what a gathering has achieved.
Time to meet in person
Trust, perception and the relationship people build with a brand all improve when everyone shares a room. That's the daily work of Location: finding the venues and shaping the experiences that make it happen, with the polish that Italian hospitality has refined for centuries.
Our events are meant to be meaningful. If your next gathering needs a setting where first impressions turn into lasting ones, get in touch with us and let Milan do the rest.
