Photos by Hillary Ehlen

Contents

1. Sales or other trainings 2. Holiday Parties 3. Employee Appreciation 4. Customer Appreciation 5. Investors

Most businesses only think about events during the holiday season. While that’s a great reason to have a party, there are many other reasons your business should consider throwing more events. We talked with Jess Bledsoe, Wedding and Event Coordinator, and Andy Richards, Chief Operating Officer, at the Avalon about what face-to-face events can do for your company.

1. Sales or other trainings

Off-site sales trainings can offer employees a different experience. Without being in the workplace, employees can be more engaged in these meetings.

“People can be more receptive to the information they’re being given if they’re not sitting at their same workplace. A change of scenery can really brighten people up. If you don’t have the space in your workplace to do the training, it’s easier to have a space that’s ready for you to walk into and you’re good to go.” – Jess Bledsoe

Pro tip
The Avalon can do competitive pricing for smaller events held during the week. It is often cheaper to do an event on a Tuesday morning, rather than a Saturday night.

2. Holiday Parties

What better way to say thank you to your employees and happy holidays than an off-site holiday party. You can have hosted casino nights, game nights, concerts and more for companies who want to show their employees they appreciate what they do around the holidays.

“It’s definitely better to secure your spot earlier, especially if you’re looking at a Friday or Saturday. A lot of companies do book holiday parties during the week as well. Thursdays are a really big day. Holiday parties are a good way to extend a thank you to your employees for what they do and it shows them that you appreciate everything they do for you.” – Jess Bledsoe

Some holiday party ideas

Have a band play your party
Casino night
Gala (Great Gatsby is a popular theme)
Silent auction supporting a favorite charity
Rather than a holiday party, consider renting a room for big sporting events like the Super Bowl

3. Employee Appreciation

You don’t need a holiday to show your employees how much you appreciate what they do. You can host a small (or large) get together to boost morale with apps and drinks!

“Usually, at the end of every fiscal period, you can find money that you can allocate and you can write those off for professional services or marketing. That way, it creates retention and you can increase the awareness of your company if you open it up to the public.” – Andy Richards

Pro tip
Bell Banks does a Years of Service event every month where they appreciate their long-serving employees. This is a great way to recognize employees’ loyalty.

4. Customer Appreciation

Without your customers/clients, you would not be you. Show your appreciation for their business with an event. Fundraisers, galas, concerts, game nights or even a nice four course plated dinner can be a great thank you for their continued loyalty.

“Some of the bigger ag companies in town do customer education, which could also be customer appreciation, where they host a huge event to educate their consumer on a product or service and they provide food in a social environment and usually have a mixer at the end so people can talk and have a good time. Sometimes, that can expand to a multi-day event if they get vendors involved.” – Andy Richards

Pro tip
The Avalon recently started doing mixology courses where they’ll do custom classes teaching you about the art of making drinks. This is a great way to ensure your customers are engaged in the event.

5. Investors

Have a client you are wine and dine? Try their Roosevelt Boardroom for your next investor dinner. Restaurants can be busy and loud, but their Roosevelt room can give you the privacy you need and the class you desire.

“With the investor meals and donor dinners, you have the ability to conduct the entire night in a fashion and succession you want so you can control all elements about what’s going on when you’re about to ask for a lot of money or you’re about to present to people. That’s something that’s usually missed at a lot of those meetings. Having a side room at a restaurant is still extremely loud and cluttered and you usually don’t have the right equipment to do a presentation.” – Andy Richards

Pro tip
You can do special requests for food and drink if you really want to impress somebody. For example, Carson Wentz brought in North Dakotan elk and pheasant for a fundraiser.