Hosting corporate hospitality events, networking meetings and seminars is a fantastic way to promote your business, entertain existing clients and gain new ones.

However, these days business owners are often swamped with invitations to all sorts of events and will pick and choose the ones that appeal to them most.

So how can you make your event appealing enough to attract the people you really want to entertain? And when they do attend, how can you help break the ice and ward off that awkward feeling that puts so many people off attending in the first place?

The simple answer is you need an event puller. Something that will stand out and encourage attendees to return their booking form immediately and something they know will alleviate that daunting feeling experienced when arriving alone.

Finding an event puller however can be an arduous task. High profile speakers are always a good idea, but securing them is another matter. Often their diaries are booked up way in advance, and many charge a high fee making the idea out of bounds for smaller companies.

Organising some form of entertainment is another option and there are various types of activities that could appeal to a wide range of guests. If you want to make everyone feel at ease from the outset, choose something interactive that gets everyone involved. Add a touch of competition to really help break the ice; something with a sporting theme will give everyone the opportunity to relax and get chatting about their own sporting passions.

One very important thing to take into consideration when choosing an activity for your event is the weather! This is one element that no amount of strategic planning can control, so if you are organising an outdoor affair make sure you have a back up plan in place because otherwise, the entire event could be a complete washout!

Whatever type of event you are planning, make sure your crowd puller is something that will offer a fun edge; act as an effective ice-breaker; keep within your budget; and most of all, be completely reliable whatever the weather!

Tags: business owners, arduous task, seminars, strategic planning, simple answer, all sorts, smaller companies, invitations, passions, high profile, weather, attendees, outset, networking meetings, crowd puller