8 Proven Strategies to Boost Attendance and Engage Your Team at Events

Employee engagement is crucial for a productive and happy workforce. However, many companies face challenges in this area, including low attendance levels, poor engagement, and unhappy employees. Read on to learn the problem areas that apply to both virtual and in person events and discuss potential reasons behind these issues. Here are eight strategies to increase event attendance and improve employee engagement through well-planned team-building events! 

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The 3 problem areas surrounding team building events 👥

So what are the most common problems plaguing corporate events?

1. Low Attendance Levels 🫥
2. Poor Engagement 🥱
3. Unhappy Employees 😞

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What are the reasons behind the issues? 🤔

1. Low attendance:

• Repetitive & stale events: One of the reasons for low attendance could be the repetition of the same trivia events or team building activities. When employees experience the same thing repeatedly, it becomes monotonous and loses its appeal.
• Past bad experiences: Trust is essential in team building events. If bad events have been hosted in the past, it can lead to a lack of enthusiasm among employees and past attendees. Rebuilding trust takes time.

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2. Low engagement:

• Quality matters: Hosting events is essential, but the quality of these events matters just as much. Employees may not feel engaged if events are not professionally executed. For instance, having non-professional entertainers like volunteers from your team lead the events may not be as appealing as hiring professional hosts and speakers.
• Encourage authenticity: Employees want to be themselves and have fun during these events. If they feel that they need to maintain a professional facade, it can hinder engagement. Having an outside third party host your event is a great way to encourage participants to be their true selves, more than they may be inclined to be if the event is being hosted by someone within the company.

💡 When booking with Confetti, your event will be led by one of our enthusiastic hosts who can bring your employees out of their shell easier than someone in upper management may be able to. Plus with our own platform and event technology, we make our games and experiences fun and interactive so that everyone wants to participate!

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3. Unhappy Employees:

• Dissatisfaction Indicator: If employees are unhappy or dissatisfied with their workplace, they are less likely to participate in team-building events. Conduct pulse checks to gauge employee satisfaction and address any underlying issues.

How to get started 👉 Use these 15 survey questions to assess your team's engagement levels before your next event!

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Why Employee Engagement matters 🚀

Employee engagement is crucial to creating happy, high-performing teams. Here are some stats that show how important employee engagement and company culture are to your employees, especially in a remote setting:

• 88% of workers believe that company culture is crucial in remote work, and 52% believe that company culture is more important than ever in remote work.
• 41% of remote workers struggle to fit into their company's culture.
• 40% of workers miss spontaneous connections with colleagues.
• Having a best friend at work increases the chances of employee engagement.

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Here are 8 steps to boost event attendance and improve employee engagement when planning your upcoming events:

‍1. Understand Company Culture levels

Recognize that there are six levels of company culture, each serving a unique purpose. Focus on building and nurturing these cultures to keep teams engaged and motivated.

1. Team Culture: The people you work with the most intimately (and arguably, the most important level of company culture!)
2. Departmental Culture: The way in which people within a department interact, collaborate, and approach their work
3. Cross-Departmental Culture: The various departments that collaborate, communicate, and work together to achieve common goals, despite having different functions and responsibilities
4. Agile Teams: Teams that come together in the short term in a flexible and collaborative manner in order to adapt to new changes or tackle a project
5. Company-wide Culture: This relates to everyone under the organization's umbrella, from the highest C-Suite members and leadership team to your employees across all departments
6. Interest Groups: These can be found in larger organizations and may relate to professional development or DEI initiatives, as well as smaller interests and hobbies

How to get started 👉 For more information on Company Culture in a distributed workforce, download our free eBook today! 

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2. Rotate among different cultures

Rotate team-building events among these different culture levels to help employees meet new people and feel more connected to the organization.

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3. Keep events fresh and fun

Just like when you’re coming up with weekend plans in your own life, it's essential to keep team building events exciting and fresh. Be creative and vary your activities to maintain employees' interest, as well as peak the interest of your potential attendees!

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4. Hype up the experience

Create anticipation and excitement for upcoming external events through event promotion using social media platforms and other event marketing channels! For your internal upcoming event, use communication channels like Slack or Teams to drop hints, easter eggs, and prompts related to the event.

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5. Pre-event check-ins and RSVPs

Use calendar tools, or even an event website, to gather RSVPs from employees. Follow up with both attendees and non-attendees to understand their reasons and gather feedback.

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6. Create FOMO (Fear of Missing Out):

After an event, share the fun experiences, photos, and positive feedback to create a sense of FOMO among employees who didn't attend, encouraging higher attendance in future events.

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7. Open communication:

Be transparent about your efforts to improve team building events. Let employees know that their feedback is essential and that you're actively working to make the upcoming events more enjoyable.

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8. Set expectations:

Encourage employees to commit to attending a certain percentage of events and explain the reasons behind them. This helps set clear expectations and motivates participation.

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Let Confetti plan your next successful event 🎉

Employee engagement is crucial for a thriving workplace, and team-building events play a significant role in achieving this goal. By addressing the problem areas, understanding the importance of company culture, and implementing the strategies mentioned above, you can revitalize employee engagement, boost morale, and create a more connected and motivated workforce. Remember, investing in your team's happiness is an investment in the success of your organization.

If there were empty seats at your past events, trust us - we know how to attract attendees. Contact [email protected] to start planning your next event today!