Community spaces at corporate and association events are ideal ways to invite in participants, highlight activities and produce some bite-sized education. Just as association booths evolve into happening hotspots, corporate event architects are thoughtfully establishing spaces where attendees can gather for structured and unstructured networking.
The HUB at our own recent annual companywide meeting was just such a place — a large area outfitted for participants to come together for fun and learning. A few elements we added may spark an idea for your next event.
Comfy meeting space and sense of place
Be sure attendees know they can meet each other with ease in a designated space. “Meet me in The HUB” should be a common refrain for first-timers, committee members and those reuniting each event cycle face to face.
Easy access points and tactile interaction tools
Not all attendees dive right in. Latent information across printed graphics can help with messaging, provide understanding of the overall event and help with their personal achievement goals for the next couple days. Tactile interaction tools, in this case simply puzzle-forming coasters, can drive messages more deeply thanks to their tangibility and help active learners stay engaged.
Interactivity and Gamification
Make the community space a starting point for games and activities that are being deployed across the event. It can be the home base, as it was during our Kickoff+ Experience that brought out everyone’s competitive nature with a series of team-oriented challenges.
