Southern California corporate entertainment activities

I’ve been a California resident for over two months now, having relocated with my family out to Long Beach to establish TrivWorks’ West Coast presence and expand our offerings to Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and basically everywhere along the Pacific. My wife and I have two small children, and we’ve had lots of fun times with them since arriving here. However, by far the most memorable was our visit to Disneyland.

My mother made a special trip out from the East Coast to be a part of it, and we all spent the day in the most Magical Place on Earth out in Anaheim. It was the first time there not just for the kids, but for me as well. I think we were there for twelve hours or something crazy like that, it was truly fantastic! We did just about everything you can do in the park with two small kids on a hot August day: the Peter Pan Ride, Pinocchio ride, carousel, Toon Town, Storybook Boat Ride, Jungle Cruise, It’s A Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean (our favorite), “Meet the Princesses,” Finding Nemo Submarine Adventure, saw a play, and ate a lot of stuff with sugar in it.

.@TrivWorks team trip to @Disneyland – we’ve earned it! pic.twitter.com/P1DL5hMe8K

— TrivWorks (@TrivWorks) August 26, 2016

It was a long day for sure, and definitely wasn’t cheap! But why’d we do it? Because we knew it would be an amazingly impactful experience for not only the kiddies, but for us as well. We stayed together the entire time, I think we only split up to go to the bathroom and the gift shops at the end. It was so different from our regular routine, such a departure from what we’d normally do, all wrapped around something which was truly enjoyable, whimsical and magical.

In short, there’s no way any of us are forgetting that day.

The very same can be said of the workplace. Creating memorable moments for a group of dedicated employees or loyal clients can have tremendous impact, especially if those moments are unique and positive. I’ve seen it firsthand over the past ten years, creating teambuilding activities and producing corporate entertainment ideas in SoCal, the East Coast and nationally. There’s just something about putting a group of people in a room together and giving them an absolutely fantastic time, which forges bonds like no other. I am a true believer in this, because I’ve been witness to it so many times.

Here’s why it works – and why you should consider it:

• It’ll Make You More Money – That’s the ultimate goal, right? It’s why your company/department exists, and why you are seeking to keep your colleagues and clients happy. When the people working with or for you are feeling good, when they like their colleagues and morale is high, they are naturally going to work better together. This in turn means less attrition, improved efficiency, higher quality output, and happier customers. The benefits of creating a reward experience for clients are self-evident, in that you will generate goodwill and, hopefully, retain their loyal business.

• It Shows You Care – Whether you’re trying to send the message to your staff or to your clients, the very fact that you are making the effort to do something special speaks volumes. It needn’t be fancy, though you can certainly go that route. If they see you’re committing time, effort, money or other resources purely for their enjoyment, to reward loyalty or say “thank you,” believe me, they’ll appreciate it.

• They’ll Work Better Together – Creating warm fuzzy feelings for your stakeholders is nice, but is it really necessary? I would argue yes, and here’s why: they’ll function better together if they have a great time together. There’s truly something disarming about group entertainment, provided it’s appropriate for everyone in the room, and even more so if it involves tons of laughs. I liken it to a release valve on a pressure cooker. We all know that the workplace can be a stressful environment, and that conflict and politics seep beneath the surface in virtually every office. Creating an enjoyable experience for people is a fantastic release – and relief – from such trivialities, allowing people to realize we’re all human, and not take things so seriously.

• It Sets You Apart From the Competition – Today’s talent marketplace is fiercely competitive, especially for knowledge workers. Once you’ve found high-performing people, you want to do everything within your power to keep them, right? The last think you’ll want to do is lose them to a competitor. Show them why working for you is better than jumping ship with a clear gesture of appreciation and gratitude (you also want to avoid the opposite: being the one company in your industry that DOESN’T do these sorts of things for staff!). With loyal clients, you want to make it abundantly clear that you value their business. Don’t lose these critical accounts to someone down the street whom they perceive treats their clients better than you.

I’m realistic when it comes to these events, and you should be as well: no one-time function is going to right a sinking ship. If morale is bad, you need to address it not with a one-off corporate party, but with a sustained, focus effort specifically addressing the issues. That said, there truly is nothing like a positive shared experience to establish and build relationships, give people a sense of trust, and something fond to remember. They will also associate the event with your company, and hopefully forge strong bonds there as well.

Improved connections to your company and to each other – who wouldn’t want that? Whether informal or formal, structured or casual, onsite or offsite, day or night, do something for your stakeholders. Give them a lasting memory like we gave to my kids at Disneyland, and they’ll truly appreciate it, hopefully sticking with you for a long time. I guarantee if you put in the time and thought and effort, they’ll love it – and love you as a result!

Further reading: www.trivworks.com/corporate-entertainment-southern-california/