If this year has taught us anything, it’s to appreciate the small things. The events industry has taken a big hit, but here at LVP we’re determined to stay positive and focus on the good news: that small business events are starting to be held in COVID-secure venues.
According to Gov UK, ‘hosting meetings and business events for under 30 people’ is allowed so long as they are run safely in Level 1 areas, and we’ve made sure that all our venues adhere to our COVID Secure Standards Charter.
We’ve also been thinking about the many advantages that a small business event brings. In recent years we’ve all been excited by big-budget exhibitions and conferences that go all out, but now is the perfect time to go back to basics and remember what’s so special about small events.
We’ve put together our 5 biggest benefits of a small business event to get you feeling excited and motivated about this new chapter.
1. BETTER NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES
You enter the massive space filled with people, grab a drink and … linger awkwardly at the edge of the room. Sound familiar? Faced with hundreds of other people in a huge venue, even the most confident among us can feel a little bit nervous. But trim the list of attendees down to a couple of dozen and suddenly people feel a lot more comfortable.
The event is instantly made more casual and informal, and delegates can easily assimilate themselves into the group. A smaller guest list also makes for more in-depth conversations, as attendees don’t feel they have to try and speak to as many people as possible. This means that stronger and more mutually beneficial business relationships are likely to come out of your event.
2. CUSTOMISED CONTENT
Since larger events have to try and appeal to a wide range of people, the content can often be quite hit and miss. It’s rare that you’ll be interested in all of the talks or exhibitors, which can sometimes feel like a bit of a waste. However, with a small business event it’s much easier to tailor the whole day to attract exactly the type of people you want to attend.
For example, if you want to get some feedback about your new food delivery app, then throwing an event for local restaurant owners will be really helpful. Small events help you to customise your content for your audience, so you know that everyone that attends genuinely wants to be there and is interested in what you have to say. Which brings us on to...
3. MORE ENGAGEMENT FROM ATTENDEES
When delegates are excited about and interested in an event, they’re going to want to get some tangible benefits out of it, for themselves and/or their business. This means they’re more likely to engage with the event and its content - from contributing ideas in discussions to asking questions about your product and swapping techniques and tips with other attendees.
Small corporate events lend themselves to better engagement levels as the intimate size and industry-tailored content creates a feeling of trust and belonging in delegates. In turn, this may lead to some free marketing opportunities for your brand as attendees tell their network about their positive experience and everything they learned at your event.
4. LESS STRESS TO ORGANISE
It might be an obvious point that a small corporate event of up to 30 people requires much less planning than a 500-delegate conference, but the importance of this shouldn't be underestimated. Although organising a large event can be really thrilling, it’s often also very stressful. A small conference or exhibition will still bring a rush of excitement, but there’ll be a lot less moving parts to trip you up.
Having more time and money at your disposal will also allow your imagination to roam further, and offer more scope for personalisation of your event. Focus on the elements that will make the guest experience really special - maybe some futuristic tech they can play with, or catering tailored specifically to their requirements. A smaller business event can help you put attendees first and foremost.
5. A MORE UNIQUE AND UNUSUAL CHOICE OF VENUES
With larger events, you tend to be more restricted with options of where to hold them; since not all venues can hold hundreds or even thousands of people. When your guests list is smaller, the choice of venues becomes much more interesting and you can get a lot more creative.
Have your guests ever been to a conference at a zoo? Or a business meeting on a boat? Small corporate events are the perfect opportunity to do something completely different that attendees won’t have seen before. An unusual venue immediately sets the tone and gets guests excited for what’s to come.
View the full list of our venues for some unique and unusual inspiration for your next small corporate event.
