Whether it be 10-year, silver, gold, or platinum, a company anniversary can be a great reason to spend some of the promotional budget on one's own employees, clients or vendors. While many corporate cultures may shirk away from internal objectives, developing internal branding has been proven as a method to drive sales goals, improve customer service, and increase efficiency and performance across the board. But a run-of-the-mill event that employees feel obligated to attend will not do the trick. It is only with a hefty amount of zeal and style that a company anniversary can be transfigured from an awkward middle-school dance, to a healthy ROI.
Corporate events allow for a number of worthwhile exchanges to occur. Clients can meet employees outside of the normal work environment, forging ties that produce loyalty, both internal and external. Employees can meet corporate executives and finally take the five minutes of face time they have wanted for years, which also bolsters loyalty and motivates increased performance.
To promote that effect, employee incentives can be released via keynote speakers. Consumer promotions or award shows can celebrate the achievement of performance goals. Externally, online events can spur increased sales and activity in the weeks prior to the internal event, to synthesize an aura of accelerated success and accomplishment, to give employees personal reasons to celebrate. In so doing, a company anniversary and the promotions surrounding it can refresh employees' feeling of connection to the brand's success.
At the same time, a company anniversary, what is in essentially an aggregate's birthday celebration, provides the opportunity for self-praise. Just as a birthday gives proud parents license to show old family albums or videos, so too does an anniversary grant the ability to educate employees and clients about the brand's history and the core corporate values. Oftentimes, as tasks filter down through the corporate structure to divisions and subdivisions, initiatives can lose focus and become a mere set of instructions without purpose or goal. But impressing employees and clients with a stylish celebration can help bring out the uniqueness, even quirkiness of a coherent, internal image.
An entertaining ambiance and good food will give political clout to a corporate event, but a captivating and engaging theme, well-executed, will be a lasting boon to the profit margin. Some people will be excited about the event; others will take more convincing than free food. Expressing the theme through pervasive details, such as rented furniture, props, and costumes stimulates a celebratory environment and signals a departure from business concerns. A compelling array of decorations, creatively deployed to reflect the era when the company was founded, for example, can instantly transport attendees to a foreign place, which can serve to educate, stimulate, relax and reward simultaneously. Rented furniture, props, and custom-made graphics can induce nostalgia and reverence of the company's history.
Some anniversaries implement a "through the eras" approach to the evolution of corporate culture, which feature a number of rooms made to represent various decades in the history of the company. Each room is decorated with photographs taken during the relevant time frame, marking events that shaped company history, as well as a general cultural heritage. Coincidentally, incisive use of lighting and scent machines can help guests distinguish between separate chambers and ambiances, making a variety of experiences open for anyone to join as they see fit.
Even themes that are less directly related to the company can be effective in creating an entertaining atmosphere where guests will sincerely enjoy themselves. Tropical themes can give everyone an evening vacation in the middle of winter, or Mardi Gras can be chosen to emphasize fun and relaxation. Each of these themes, when performed down to the smallest detail, show attendees that they are appreciated for what they do, and simultaneously give employees a source of pride. The more impressive the display; the more memorable the anniversary.
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