Corporate conferences are a big deal. They give organizations an opportunity to bring people together and learn about new products, offerings and/or corporate vision. Often, conferences act as a vehicle for outbound marketing – whether to recruit new employees or gain new customers. But in order for this to work, you must entice people to come. How do you create an engaging conference that doesn’t feel like one big meeting? Through carefully-planned conference entertainment.

Looking for ideas on how to strategically use conference entertainment to keep your attendees engaged? Here are some tried-and-true methods that fit into every budget:

Kick it off with entertainers

Bring in an Emcee, DJ or band to get everyone motivated from the start. This is a great way to connect with your corporate culture and lead into opening remarks from your keynote speaker.

Break up the day with a live act

A female singer from the band Social Sound performs at a weddingChances are, your attendees are bouncing between conference rooms, learning about your products and/or services. They might be meeting with leadership or sitting on panel discussions. By lunchtime, they are probably mentally spent.

This is a good time to bring in a live act.  Something upbeat and fun that breathes some fresh air into the day. Consider hiring a comedian, a band or a dance group that will pump up the energy levels and get people motivated.

Add interactive entertainers to your tradeshow

Conventions often include tradeshows where vendors, partners and business departments can set up booths. Make your tradeshow stand out with interactive entertainers that fit with your overall theme.

This is also a good way to engage your audience in social marketing. We’ve seen some companies get creative by designing scavenger hunts through their tradeshows – their attendees have to find specific items and post them on social media with a designated hashtag in order to win. If you want to drive traffic to certain booths, plan to have your entertainers constantly moving between these booths so that your attendees have to seek them out. This keeps traffic moving the way you want it to.

Spice up your gala or after party

An LED robot makes a big impression, entertaining at a corporate eventGalas and afterparties provide another great way to infuse your company culture into your conference. Whether you host a formal evening or a street party, you can bring in breathtaking acts to amaze your attendees.

Consider hiring professional dancers, aerialists or fire dancers to perform throughout the night.

Get started with your conference entertainment

If you need help finding professional, awe-inspiring entertainers that fit your corporate culture, Al-Vento is here to assist. We’ve carefully selected professional, reliable entertainers, musicians and bands that know how to keep audiences engaged.  Ready to get started? Let’s chat about your next conference.