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Giving your corporate event a theme can make it memorable. The trick is for it to be a memorable time for your employees and their families without making it feel too much like a work event.

Here are some tips for how to choose the right theme for the logistics, purpose, and goals of your next corporate event. Our team at Frogbridge Events can help you choose a corporate theme and host your event. 

How to Choose a Corporate Event Theme

Some of the best ways to begin to choose a corporate event theme include:

Figure Out Where, When, and Who

The first step in choosing a corporate event theme is to get on top of the logistics. It’s impractical to choose a theme if you don’t know the event’s venue, date, and who will be coming. Select an event venue that gives you the most options, theme-wise. It should have plenty of space, be easily accessible for your attendees, and offer a range of amenities that you could incorporate into a theme. 

Also, give some thought to the day of the week and the week in the month you prefer. The last thing you want is to choose a date that’s too inconvenient for most people to attend. Ask yourself: Is your company or industry one that can take a day off mid-week or is a weekend event your only option? This can help narrow down dates for the event. 

The theme of your corporate event will also depend on the mix of attendees and how many there will be. Some themes work best for a large group of employees and their families. Others tend to suit employee-only gatherings or get-togethers with company clients or customers.

Match the Theme to Your Event’s Purpose

Corporate get-togethers can have various purposes. Some are celebrations of a business milestone while others are annual traditions or special thank-yous for employees or customers. A corporate event can also have a business-driven aim, such as a team-building exercise. The possibilities range far and wide. 

It’s important to have a clear understanding of your event’s core purpose so that you can choose a theme to match. Aligning an event’s theme and purpose gives it a cohesive feel that generates positive buzz and goodwill. Themes that conflict with the purpose of an event, in contrast, often fall flat.

For example, fun-centered corporate summer picnics tend to work well with themes that evoke the season and its typical activities, like the Fourth of July, a Tropical Luau, or a Day at the Ballpark. 

Pick a Theme That Will Benefit Your Corporate Goals

The ideal corporate event leaves attendees feeling positive about their future working for or doing business with your company. What sort of theme would help you achieve that goal? To find the answer, take a cue from what your team or business partners may need and expect from the event. 

For instance, if your employees will have been working all out, a laid-back theme focused on relaxation and stress-free fun can communicate your appreciation of their efforts and their need for a restorative break. On the flip side, if your business will be ramping up a new project soon after the event, the right choice could be an activity-based theme that generates energy and camaraderie. Use your knowledge of your company’s personality and culture to select a theme that gives attendees a reason to feel confident in your leadership and inspired to continue working with you. 

Let Frogbridge Events Help You Choose the Theme for Your Next Corporate Event in New Jersey

The right theme for your corporate event can boost your employees’ morale, strengthen relationships with your clients and customers, and pay dividends for your business. Following the tips above can guide you to a theme suitable for your event’s logistics and purpose, and your corporate mission. 

Our purpose-built corporate event venue in Millstone Township, New Jersey, offers the ideal setting for your next company gathering. Our experienced event planners are ready to work with you to develop the perfect theme for it. Contact us online or call us at (609) 208-9475 today to get started.

In-person meetings continue to be a staple of the corporate world. But with sustainability concerns on the rise, making your corporate events more sustainable has quickly become a core priority. Fortunately, when planned the right way, the process can be surprisingly straightforward.

The best events make an impact on everyone attending, as well as the company as a whole. But don’t assume that when it comes to the environment, that impact has to be negative. Instead, take the steps you need to make your next corporate event more sustainable. Consult with Frogbridge Events to ensure that your next corporate event is sustainable. 

First Things First: What Is a Sustainable Event?

Put simply, a sustainable event is an occasion that minimizes the carbon footprint you and all attendees generate. It typically focuses on eco-friendly practices that ensure the environmental impact is as small as possible. 

Every choice you make in your event planning process can contribute to that goal. Small choices, like whether or not to include recycling options at the venue, make as much of an impact as big choices, like choosing a venue with renewable energy sources or other green-first priorities. 

5 Tips to Make Your Corporate Events More Sustainable

There are many ways that you can make your corporate event more sustainable, such as: 

1. Book a Sustainable Venue

It’s not an exaggeration to suggest that your venue will likely be the single biggest sustainability variable for your event. It starts with a simple choice: will you hold your event indoors or outdoors? Outdoor events reduce the costs needed to heat, cool, and light any meeting rooms you might otherwise need.

But your venue can make an impact beyond that basic choice, as well. For example, LED lighting requires significantly less energy than its fluorescent alternatives, and recycling options can reduce the waste your event generates for the landfill. Ask any potential venues you’re considering about their sustainability choices early.

2. Minimize Your Paper Use

The average office worker wastes about two dozen sheets of paper per day. Imagine how much more it gets once you consider the agendas, worksheets, overviews, and other paper-based pieces that are such a common part of most corporate events.

Instead, consider going paperless. Project important documents rather than printing them out. Use technology like QR codes and tablets to reduce your printing needs and allow your attendees to leverage their technology for all important information.

3. Eliminate Plastic Where Possible

Similar to paper, plastic is one of the most common reasons your current event setup may not be sustainable. Fortunately, you can take a few steps to eliminate plastic from your corporate event, such as switching from offering one-use, plastic water bottles to refillable water bottles.

If you’re feeling ambitious, try aiming for a completely plastic-free event. It might not ultimately be possible, but even making an effort can go a long way toward creating a more sustainable corporate event.

4. Reduce Your Water Usage

Water is a large component of making your event more sustainable.

The above-mentioned plastic water bottle reduction can help in that regard. Simply serving water on demand can help you avoid gallons upon gallons getting wasted and increase the negative environmental impact of your event.

5. Work With Sustainable Vendors

Finally, don’t underestimate the impact the vendors you work with can make on making your event more sustainable. As you source potential partners for the event, ask pointed questions about their commitment to sustainability, and what eco-friendly options they might have.

Plan More Sustainable Corporate Events With Frogbridge Events

With sustainability an increasing organizational priority across industries, it’s time corporate events began to follow suit. The above tips can go a long way toward helping you minimize your event’s carbon footprint and negative environmental impact, helping your organization play its role in green and sustainable practices.

At Frogbridge Events in New Jersey, sustainability is a core part of what drives our corporate event venue. Reach out to us online or call us at (609) 208-9475 to get started in planning a more sustainable event.

Even the best-planned corporate events won’t succeed if you don’t get the details right. Naturally, that also includes making sure all attendees enjoy the food by choosing the right catering option. 

Planning your next corporate event may be a major undertaking, but food is often one of the most important parts. In fact, you could argue that your catering choices and planning play a massive role in determining the success or failure of your event. With these 5 tips, you can make sure that the food, and by extension your corporate event, will be a full-on success. Frogbridge Events can provide you with multiple catering options for your event as well.

5 Tips to Help You Plan the Catering For Your Corporate Event

Take the following tips into mind when you’re planning your next corporate event: 

1. Plan Your Venue With Catering in Mind

The type of venue where you’ll host your corporate event will have a massive impact on your catering choices. Some venues may require or encourage a formal sit-down meal, while others may be tailor-made for more casual hors d’oeuvres. 

Simply put, you won’t know all of these variables until you pick the venue. If you have a rough outline of what type of food and beverage service might make sense, you can use that to influence your venue choice.

2. Align Your Catering With Your Event Details

Once you’ve chosen a venue, it’s time to go more in-depth on the details. Your event will likely have a core theme or goal, whether that’s getting company leadership together for a retreat, team-building exercise, or a more formal planning session. Your catering will be best when aligned with that goal. Consider the options:

• For a roll-up-the-sleeves planning session, you might be best served with a buffet of finger foods.
• For a more formal presentation of company goals and vision to internal and/or external stakeholders, a more formal sit-down meal may make more sense.
• For a team-building session that occurs outdoors, you might want to turn the meal into a more casual occasion before or after the occasion.

Of course, these are just a few of the many options you have. The more clearly you can define your event details and goals early on, the better you’ll be able to pick catering options that match up with those details and goals.

3. Consider the Timing of the Event

Naturally, the length of your event will drastically impact the planning process, so it should not come as a surprise that it impacts your catering choices, as well. Those choices begin as simple as picking between breakfast, lunch, and dinner foods. Likewise, coffee and tea make sense in the morning, while a bar could fit the theme of an evening event. 

4. Know Your Numbers Early On

When it comes to catering, two numbers matter more than anything else: your headcount and your budget. The first enables you to better understand the scope of the food and beverages required, while the second defines the range and type of service realistic for your event.

Talk to your caterer about your budget early in the process, which lets them suggest options that match that budget. With the total budget set, your caterer will suggest options based on the per-person count, which means they’ll need at least a rough head count. 

5. Keep Dietary Restrictions in Mind

Finally, you need to plan your corporate event catering with your guests in mind. Allergies, religious restrictions, and dietary needs may mean that this step can get complex quite quickly. The right caterer will be happy to work through your options, as long as they know what they can expect.

Plan Your Next Corporate Event With Frogbridge Events

Don’t underestimate the importance of catering for your next corporate event. From the early planning stages, you can integrate food and beverage considerations to ensure that you get this piece of the puzzle just right on your way to making the event a success.

That process, in turn, begins and ends with finding the right corporate event venue. And that’s where Frogbridge Events in New Jersey comes in. Our dedicated team of event planners will help you keep considerations like catering in mind and even suggest vendors that have worked well with us in the past. Ready to get started? Contact us online or call us at (609) 208-9475 to get started.

Bringing your team together outside the formal work setting can go a long way. From strengthening communications to boosting productivity, you can achieve a wide variety of goals while keeping your employees happy.

Arranging a successful retreat starts with some serious brainstorming. Figuring out how to encourage team building isn’t always easy. By leveraging decades of corporate retreat experience, Frogbridge Events can share ideas to drive your event forward.

Company Retreat Ideas

Planning a company retreat can be difficult, but we are here to help. Some great retreat ideas to unite your team include:

A Technology-Free Day

No matter what industry you are in, your team is likely to be leveraging all kinds of tech for work and communication. Running around with a smartphone in your hand can be highly stressful. Thankfully, you can take this stress out of the picture by arranging a tech-free day.

An outdoor retreat with a variety of activities can take your team’s minds off work and encourage clarity of thinking. No-tech retreats can work amazingly well since the number of distractions is limited. Bring plenty of pens and paper. Outdoor no-tech meetings are bound to bring numerous fresh ideas to the table.

Winery Retreat

A visit to the winery can be a fun experience for the entire team. While they can learn something new about the history of wine and the way it’s made, your employees can relax and have fun without thinking about work. The beautiful scenery coupled with world-class wine can encourage communication and team bonding.

Also, when it comes to arranging alcohol-related events, make sure to check the way your employees feel about it in advance. Some people may not be happy with this choice for religious or health reasons. If that’s the case, you may want to choose another option.

A City Tour

The city or town you work in is bound to have some history your team doesn’t know anything about. To bring your employees closer together, you can take them on a day-long city tour with an experienced guide. During the tour, you can explore the local cuisine, visit museums, and learn more about the place’s history. Such explorations do wonders for bringing people closer together and inspiring new ideas.

If you can’t find a worthy tour in your area, consider taking a bus to the nearest city that can offer something fun and exciting.

Cooking Class

Learning to do something together is the pillar of team building. During a corporate retreat, you can consider arranging a cooking class. Being together in one kitchen and sharing responsibilities is a great way to foster trust and collaboration.

Besides having fun and developing new skills, a cooking class creates an opportunity for sharing a meal afterward. 

Play Team Sports

Team sports are as close to teamwork as you can get. Volleyball, basketball, or bowling are fun to play. Even if one of your team members has never played the game before, they can easily learn the rules and join the excitement.

When you arrange a team sports event, you don’t just encourage teamwork. You take care of your employees’ well-being. After the game is over, employees can discuss their achievements over a tasty meal.

A Picnic

If the weather allows, company picnics are always fun and relaxing. The opportunity to cook and share food can give your team members a chance to collaborate outside the traditional setting. Outdoor picnics aren’t just entertaining, they are great for your team’s health.

Research shows that spending just 20 minutes in the park can improve a person’s well-being. A well-planned picnic can reduce stress levels, boost relaxation, and drive inspiration.

A True Adventure

If your team members have an adventurous nature, you can get away with planning an unusual company retreat. From zip lining and bungee jumping to snorkeling and scavenger hunts, your team members will love the idea.

Excitement coupled with adrenaline can help your team members discover each other’s strong sides and learn how to make them work for the common cause.

Plan the Ideal Company Retreat with Frogbridge Events in New Jersey

The key to the ideal company retreat is the locale. Frogbridge Events offers the perfect location that puts excitement, activities, and relaxation into one package. Whether you are planning a basketball game, an anti-conference, a picnic, or a tech-free day, we can make it work.  Our team can help you bring even the boldest corporate event ideas to life. 

To learn more about this comprehensive retreat opportunity, please fill out a short contact form or call our team at (609) 208-9475.

At a corporate retreat, achieving the perfect balance between work and fun is never easy. Finding the ideal place that resonates with your team’s wishes while keeping focus on the agenda requires some serious planning.

When organizing a perfect retreat, you have to keep hundreds of things in mind. However, you don’t need to go through this planning process alone. Our team at Frogbridge Events is here to provide all the support you may need as you plan your corporate retreat.

Corporate Retreat Planning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

There are a multitude of things to keep in mind while planning your retreat. Some common mistakes – along with how to avoid them – include:

1. Ignoring the “Employee Persona”

While you and your employees are a strong team, you may have different retreat preferences. Since the goal of your corporate event isn’t just to focus on work but to create a relaxing atmosphere, ignoring these preferences is a mistake.

Consider taking the time to learn what your team wants to achieve during this retreat and how it prefers to relax. The easiest way to do this is to ask. A quick email survey can do the trick.

2. Forgetting About Schedule Conflicts

If your team members have to miss a Thanksgiving dinner because you are taking them away on a retreat to a different state, they are going to have some serious trouble focusing on work. Discussing the date and time with your team members is a great way to make sure that they are emotionally and mentally available for the event.

3. Staying in the Office

Many executives make the mistake of thinking that a corporate event in the office does wonders for the team’s focus. In reality, the reason why it’s called a “retreat” is because you are “retreating” from the traditional work setting.

The place for your retreat should be as different from the office scene as possible. Changing the scenery encourages relaxation and creativity. 

4. Focusing Solely on Work

The point of the corporate retreat is to create a relaxing atmosphere for your team. It means adding the entertainment element to the event. Whether it’s miniature golf and beach volleyball or horse riding and poker games, you need to make sure your team is having fun.

While brainstorming, searching for new solutions, and discussing the work agenda can be integral to a successful retreat, giving your mind a chance to relax can streamline the process tremendously.

5. Not Planning for Families

If you want to encourage some serious team building, you may want to consider inviting families and children to your corporate retreat. The goal is to make sure everyone feels comfortable. So, if you are ready to reap the benefits of employee family bonding, you need to make sure their families are part of the fun.

6. Sharing Rooms

If your retreat is more than one day long, you have to think about lodging. When booking rooms for the team, many companies try to save money and put two people in one hotel room. While it’s definitely a great way to save, this type of arrangement can lead to a disaster.

Working together and living together are two completely different things. Two people who hit it off perfectly in the office could hate each other’s sleeping or showering habits. Forcing them to share accommodations could ruin your team-building plans and cause burnout.  

7. Not Planning Enough Free Time

No matter how great of a planner you are, don’t overplan the retreat. Your team should have some free time to have fun, relax, and even get some sleep. By the way, scheduling early morning meetings during a retreat is a big no-no. If your employees have to get up at 6 a.m. to get ready for a meeting, you take the fun out of the entire day.

Instead, you can schedule a fun morning activity and move the meeting to the afternoon. Then, you can let your employees choose how they want to spend their evenings.

8. Expecting Too Much

The success of your corporate event depends on hundreds of factors, many of which aren’t under your control. Keep your expectations reasonable, and you can truly enjoy the process while reaping maximum benefits.  

Start Planning Your Perfect Corporate Retreat with Frogbridge Events Today

When it comes to making the most out of your corporate retreat, you need the perfect location. Frogbridge Events offers a highly versatile outdoor locale with everything you need to make your team happy. From sports activities and swimming to comfortable meeting spaces, we give you everything you need to reach your retreat goals.

If you are looking for a beautiful location, we are here to help. To explore our multiple options, please fill out a contact form or call us at (609) 208-9475.