November 26, 2019
7 Inspiring Corporate Event Ideas That Actually Deliver Results
Let’s be honest, corporate event planning can be tough. Between suppliers, logistics, branding, and comms, it’s easy to get caught up in the chaos. But what’s even more frustrating? Delivering an event that looks great but falls flat in terms of impact.
At First Event, we believe in creating more than just a ‘nice day out’. We build events that generate momentum—shaping perceptions, sparking energy, and driving real business results.
So if you’re looking to move away from the predictable and towards the purposeful, here are seven corporate event ideas that our team of expert event planners have seen transform engagement and performance for our clients.
But first, let’s take a quick look at why corporate events still matter.
Why corporate events still matter in 2025
Live events continue to be one of the most effective ways to connect with people on a human level. Whether it’s internal teams, customers, or partners, face-to-face interaction creates emotional engagement that’s hard to replicate.
In fact, 80% of marketers say live events are critical to their company’s success, and more than half are increasing their investment in this area. Because when done right, events don’t just make noise, they make change.
And that’s exactly what we do as a strategic event agency, create experiences that move your audience, and your business, forward.
What kind of event are you planning?
Before jumping into ideas, it’s important to define your objective. Different types of corporate events support different goals:
Experiential and promotional events
Launches, conferences, and brand activations designed to showcase your business in creative, engaging ways.
Employee engagement events
Incentives, internal conferences, and team-building days that motivate and align your people.
Celebratory events
Anniversaries, gala dinners, and awards nights to recognise success and create shared moments of pride.
Networking and industry events
Exhibitions, forums, and roundtables that elevate your influence and strengthen key relationships.
Once you’re clear on your goals, you can choose an event concept that creates the right kind of momentum.
7 corporate event ideas that create lasting impact
1. Host your own company festival
Swap the traditional conference set-up for a relaxed, immersive festival. We’ve delivered multi-day company festivals with everything from live music and food vans to dodgems and fireworks.
This format is ideal for delivering messages in a more informal, engaging way—and for creating moments people actually want to talk about.
Best for: employee engagement, internal celebrations, brand storytelling
2. Try a creative unconference
Let your attendees decide the agenda. Unconferences are delegate-led events that break away from rigid formats and allow for organic, open discussion.
Perfect for encouraging collaboration, innovation, and thought leadership, particularly in industries that are rapidly evolving.
Best for: internal collaboration, innovation, peer learning
3. Deliver a masterclass experience
Move beyond the usual breakout sessions and offer something unexpected, like a culinary workshop, cocktail making, or creative writing class.
We recently paired an afternoon tea with a cookery school session, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. It’s about creating deeper personal connections while embedding your key messages.
Best for: team building, customer experiences, incentive events
4. Make the journey part of the event
Train experiences such as the Northern Belle or even the Orient Express offer luxury, sustainability, and novelty all in one. Some clients have hosted networking sessions and tasting experiences en route to major events.
It’s a clever way to extend the event beyond the venue and make the travel time productive and memorable.
Best for: incentives, networking events, exclusive experiences
5. Go above and beyond—literally
We once supported a Top Gun-style incentive where a team learned to fly with ex-Red Arrows pilots. That kind of experience stays with people and says a lot about how much you value your top performers.
We’ve also arranged private plane and yacht charters to unique destinations. If you want people talking about your event for years, this is how you do it.
Best for: high-performance incentives, VIP engagement, executive rewards
6. Run your own TED-style event
Internal TEDx-style sessions can offer powerful learning moments and help your people share what matters to them. It’s a great way to break silos, encourage personal growth, and give space to inspiring voices.
You can also bring in external speakers to energise your audience—David Meade, for example, is a favourite among our clients for a reason.
Best for: internal communications, leadership development, culture change
7. Book a private music performance
There’s no better way to end an event on a high than with a private concert. For one of our clients, we arranged a performance by Beverley Knight to close their company anniversary event—and the energy was electric.
You can theme everything from the catering to the merchandise around the performance for a fully immersive brand moment.
Best for: milestone celebrations, post-conference entertainment, brand experiences
Create events that move your business forward
The best corporate events don’t just entertain. They influence, energise, and align people behind a common goal. They create a shift—and that’s what we do at First Event.
Whether you need strategic support, creative ideas, or full end-to-end delivery, we’ll help you design an event that creates momentum and measurable results.
Free Guide: Unlocking Experiences
What do different generations really expect from events? Get the insight you need to build more inclusive, effective event strategies in our free guide: Download Unlocking Experiences – What different generations expect from events.
Ready to plan something extraordinary?
If you’d like to explore more ideas or talk through your upcoming event, our team is here to help. We’re a full-service event agency built on creativity, results, and a commitment to helping our clients go further.
