Why Internal Staff Events Matter

If you’re trying to grow your brand, increase your customer base and establish yourself in your industry, hosting an event is an excellent place to start. But we’re not talking about large-scale, bells-and-whistles, external-facing events. Instead, we’re talking about internal events that prioritise and motivate your people first, so that they can become the brand ambassadors who will drive your company forward. Here, we answer some of your internal eventing questions.

What’s the value of an internal event?

“The most important reason to host an internal event is the human factor. Especially during times of economic uncertainty, which can intensify the pressure your team experiences and can negatively affect morale. Finding the time and space to nurture and maintain meaningful working relationships is critical,” says Worx Group’s Projects Team Leader, Peaches Khumalo.

This may sound sentimental, but human connection plays an important role in people’s productivity and loyalty. Social interaction fuels passion and creativity, and their lack often leads to poor communication, misunderstandings, a flawed workflow, and an ineffective and uninspired workforce. Says Peaches: “This quote from entrepreneur and business pioneer, Margaret Heffernan, has always resonated with me: ‘Companies don’t have ideas. Only people do. And what motivates people are the bonds of loyalty and trust they develop around each other.’”

Who should attend your event?

This depends largely on your objectives and strategic intentions. If possible, try not to make anyone feel excluded from the event you host, but if you work for a large organisation or if your event is dealing with a specific topic, it might only be relevant to certain people or teams.

“Invite those who will enable, advance, influence and be affected by your event’s outcomes,” advises Peaches. If you’re looking for three points to pin to your ‘internal events to-do lists’, here they are:

• Look at your overall business objectives.
• Decide what the purpose of your event is and how it can support your business objectives.
• As a leader, decide what you want to instil in your team and the outcomes.

What does your team need to know?

Of course, you’ve got to get all the necessary details across – the date, time and place – but it’s also a good idea to prepare them for what they can expect. Position your event so that they know whether they’re attending a fun teambuilding afternoon or a more serious strategic brainstorming session. Also, let them know what they need to bring: an open mind and a sense of humour, perhaps, or comfortable shoes and a notebook.

How can you ensure that your team supports your event?

“At Worx Group, we always preach that the content of your event is essential to its success – and this is equally the case when it comes to internal events,” says Peaches. “Your content must be visually engaging, intellectually stimulating, emotionally captivating and absolutely relevant to your team.” Depending on your goals and audience, you might consider gamifying the experience, for example, or offering incentives, benefits and rewards.

Ultimately, the intention is to create an event that will fire up your employees to be passionate, driven and committed to your cause. This way, they’re more likely to take your business from strength to strength.