Globalisation has seen companies leveraging on the strength of different resources around the world to achieve economies of scale. Subsidiaries are being established around the world, and bringing people into one location for business meetings has become a norm.
Many meeting planners are contemplating the need to incorporate diversity into a meeting program in order to facilitate relationship building, communicating key messages including brand identity, values and culture to all participants.
Off-site events incorporate fun elements and relaxation into otherwise hectic daily meeting programs. It is the best platform for people to interact and build relationships in a relaxed environment.
One of the greatest excitements in organising off-site events is the ability to create events that meet meeting planners’ goals in terms of communicating key messages, brand identity and other perspectives across to the participants.
The key to a successful off-site event is the ability to be innovative and creative; to make an impact on participants, and that they leave the destination with fond and memorable memories.
The success of off-site events is also the result of developing close working relationships with various vendors: from food and beverage, staging and lighting, florists, tentage, etc, as opposed to organising an event in the hotel where many elements are obtainable from within.
One of the challenges of off-site events is the ability to provide all elements, in line with a company’s objective, within budget. Creativity comes into play in fine-tuning what is possible to create a ‘wow’ factor for the event.
Weather conditions is another area of challenge because this is beyond planners’ control. For every off-site event, it is important to have a wet weather contingency plan. This will avoid any disappointment on the day of event should it rain.
Meeting planner should consider holding off-site events because this will incorporate a fun element to a day’s long meeting where concentration might be reduced after a full day of indoor discussions. Evening off-site events provide opportunity for informal discussion and rapport-building among participants.
For information, contact Robert Guy, regional managing director, Pacific World Singapore, Malaysia & Indonesia, on bobguy@pacificworld.com.
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