At a glance:
- Contests and giveaways increase the engagement of any corporate events by making them shareable and interactive.
- Businesses can use corporate events for brand recall and marketing if proper contests and giveaways are executed.
- To drive maximum impact, prizes need to be relevant, involvement needs to be simple, and contests need to be promoted through all channels while linking to the event narrative and brand.
- These strategies help drive social buzz and boost brand recall while driving booth traffic.
Attendee engagement is everything when it comes to creating memorable and high-impact corporate events.
If your attendees are not engaged, your event might be forgotten the very next day, or something even worse, they might share a negative response. On the other hand, if your guests are captivated by the corporate event, they can talk about it for months afterward.
One of the best ways to make the event more engaging is to include Contests and Giveaways. It does not matter if you’re planning a large-scale brand launch or a more intimate hybrid gathering; contests and giveaways offer a fun and interactive way to build hype and encourage participation.
In this blog, we will discuss how to encourage attendee engagement at a corporate event through contests and giveaways.
Types of Contests and Giveaways That Boost Engagement at Corporate Events
Different types of contests deliver different results. So, companies must choose the giveaways and contests depending on the type of corporate event they’re hosting and the audience they are engaging. To help you plan effectively, we have brought you a few tried-and-tested formats that work well across live, hybrid, and virtual events.
Social Media Challenges
One of the best ways to engage your audience in a corporate event while also marketing your brand is via social media challenges. This contest is especially effective if the corporate attendees are the young generation or those who are active on social media.
For example, you can encourage attendees to share “Best Photo of the Day,” “Use your Brand’s Hashtags,” or even “Tag Friends” on social media for a chance to win prizes in the event. This is simple, scalable, and great for getting your event noticed on social media. These kinds of contests are easy to execute on both in-person and virtual event platforms.
Live Prize Draws
Live prize draws are another common way of attracting guests to any event. This has become very popular for a reason: they attract more engagement. There are a few ways you can execute this contest.
First, you can encourage the attendees to provide their information during the entry or just make them scan a QR code to register for the prize draw. Then, you can add spice to the contest by incorporating quick video content. For instance, you can have a live stream or short winner highlight on social media.
If executed properly, these random draws build suspense while attracting more viewers and impressions outside the corporate event.
Interactive Challenges
You can organise a few interactive and fun challenges in the core places of the event. For instance, make the attendees engage in challenges like scavenger hunts and simple trivia. These kinds of challenges and extra activities are known to attract a good audience and engage them in the event. No more people lost in their phones during an important corporate event.
First, it acts as an icebreaker. Likewise, it can subtly guide guests through key areas. This works particularly well for events designed around multi-zone layouts.
Skill-Based Contests
If your event is more internal or team-focused, try creative challenges like pitch competitions, problem-solving tasks, or gamified workshops. For instance, a marketing team might compete in a brand-building simulation, or a cross-functional group might take on a simulated client challenge.
The beauty of skill-based contests is that they create a sense of friendly competition while also reinforcing key messages, uncovering new ideas, and strengthening bonds across teams. Plus, they often reveal hidden talents among staff and encourage contributions from voices that may not always be heard in day-to-day operations.
Random Surprises Like Hidden Gifts
Last but not least, you can give some random surprises to your attendees. Hide small prizes in small bags or under chairs.
If everything goes well, you can reveal the surprise at last, which is a good way to end a great event. In case it doesn’t, consider it a backup plan and reveal a gift when there are technical or other issues that compromise the flow of the event.
Random Surprises are a low-effort way to create surprise and delight. It is simple, but it taps into the psychology of reward and keeps people paying attention.
Read More: Corporate Event Swag Ideas: Branded Gifts and Giveaways for Attendees
How to Maximise Engagement in a Corporate Event with Contests and Giveaways?
Creating a great contest is just the beginning. The actual magic lies in the execution.
First, make the reward meaningful. You don’t need to give expensive rewards; you can gift something that would be meaningful to your audience. For instance, branded souvenirs or event-themed product gift hampers and giveaways are more effective than generic gifts.
Likewise, remember to keep it simple. Don’t ask your guests to go through too many hoops. Offer simple instructions and easy participation. For example, you can initiate participation by scanning a QR code or posting with a hashtag.
Also, remember to promote the activities everywhere you can. Advertise your contest in pre-event mailings and on social media. Moreover, during the event, screens, MC announcements, and signage will be used to repeatedly remind participants to participate in some exciting gifts and giveaways.
Lastly, build a story around your event and contest because when they are irrelevant, people might get engaged with the overall theme and the activities you plan. When contests are rooted in your brand narrative, they not only feel promotional, but instead, they feel relevant. Integrating contest promotions into your video content creation helps enhance the campaign message and gives you content to reuse after the event.
Why Contests and Giveaways Work at Corporate Events
If you are still unsure whether the contests and giveaways work and are worth the effort, trust us when we say they are. These activities are some of the easiest things to do with very few resources, and they yield great results.
Contests create suspense and reward, tapping into people’s natural competitiveness and inquisitiveness. Beyond that, they are engagement magnets that pull in the viewers and envelop them in the experience, encouraging them to interact with your brand and providing something to look forward to along the way. Here’s how it’s effective:
- Increase social sharing and online buzz.
- Enhance brand recall.
- Encourage foot traffic at booths or activations.
- Collect valuable data and feedback.
- Drive more meaningful engagement with key messages.
We at Peanut Productions know that audience interaction can make your event go from good to great. If you’re ready to turn your next event into an experience that keeps people talking, let’s create something unforgettable together. Contact us today!
