We know that small, intimate gatherings drive the most impactful conversations and relationships, but field event have gotten boring. I love Top Golf as much as the next gal, but another invitation to a corporate event at a Top Golf needs to have a special spin on it to get me excited (See idea #15!). How do you create fun, engaging experiences that bring customers and prospects together for an experience that is just as fun as your afternoon at Top Golf or dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse used to be (before everyone did it too much)?
Here are 15 TRAVEL-FREE field event ideas that Nicole and I brainstormed that you can turn into incredible small gatherings or field events.
It's time to add some fun into your field events and small gatherings!
Behind the scenes museum tour. Almost all cities have some sort of museum! Work with them to create a behind-the-scenes experience with the curator, or take a look at ones they already have ready to go and customize it. Like these options at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.
Find something weird, wild, and local in your community - For example, if you're in the Dallas, Texas, area, did you know that ShangriLlama exists?? Just 40 minutes outside of the city, you can meet and hang out with Llamas!
Like the animal vibe? If your city has a zoo or aquarium, look for behind the scenes experiences like animal encounters or, if your target audience is more on the geeky side, they might enjoy something like the St. Louis Zoo's Business Operations, Water Conservation, or Sustainability tours!
Photo shoot! Rent out an epic location, bring hair an makeup artists onsite, and hire an amazing photographer to do headshots and lifestyle photos for your customers.
Got a crew that might like board games? See if your town has a gaming bar like Austin's Vigilante Gaming Bar & Gastropub and host a board game tournament.
You sent out enough cocktail kits and held so many virtual mixology classes, now it's time to really teach your customers something cool. Don't just host a happy hour at a bar, host a legit mixology class IN PERSON! Just about every city can craft an experience like the one we found in Austin for you!
How long has it been since you rented out a movie theater? YEARS, right? You don't have to wait for the next blockbuster (though that's cool, too), you can bring back the classics for an experiential movie night in your own private theatre! Many movie theater operators can make this happen for you - opt for a theater that serves food and drinks for the best experience.
Wanna get really out of the box? I remember when I was a kid, my parents went away for a murder mystery weekend - they were mailed their character and they had to dress up in 1920s attire for the experience all weekend. Well, this isn't so all-encompassing, but what about an entire weekend experience with your customers or team at one of Keith & Margo's Murder Mystery weekends?
Cooking classes are one thing (and they are really fun!!) but what about a full-on BBQ extravaganza? Look for something like this one for a 3-hour masterclass in all things BBQ!
Planning an event in the fall, where it gets dark earlier and Halloween gets closer, what about a nice dinner followed by an incredible ghost tour? Many towns offer great opportunities to get to know the area... from a new perspective!
Gotta lotta coffee lovers amongst your customers or team? What about a barista training experience - or really stretch their creative muscles with a latte art class!
If you have a competitive set of participants, they might LOVE living out their game show fantasies with an experience like the one we found in Austin, Texas, called Game On ATX. Spin the wheel, family feud it, and more! This one happens to be BYOB, as well, so that cuts down on the ol' F&B budget!
Host a ukulele class! We found the most amazing nonprofit music school in Austin called the Armstrong Community Music School that can bring a music teacher to your event and teach your participants how to play two-three songs on the ukulele within 90 minutes of picking up the instrument for the first time! Bonus: a great Ukulele costs between $50 and $100 - what an awesome gift for your customers or team members to take home!!
Learn to make balloon animals! Talk about giving your participants a gift that keeps on giving - they will be the hit of every networking event they go to from now on with this arrow in their quiver!
Still feel the need for Top Golf? We get it! It's friggin' awesome! How about adding in a behind-the-scenes tour of the golf retrieval and gaming operation? Or (our favorite idea for groups between 30 and 75 people) add in a Spontaneous Think Tank to the experience. Use the meeting room to crowdsource and then use bays for small breakout conversations! Then end the day with a great game!
These sound really fun, don't they? Wanna know our secret? If we think we'd have fun doing it, then we think it should be done!
Comments