4 important factors to help kickoff event be successful

Meetings are often necessary to unify and complete work, especially for large-scale businesses with abundant workforce divided into many departments. In particular, the kickoff event, symbolizes the exciting start of a new project that promises to bring much success.

What is a kickoff event?

Before going deeper, let’s first understand what a kickoff event is. Nowadays, “kickoff” is often used in the sense of “starting” when starting to implement a project, a plan, a common goal where there needs to be solidarity and unity of the parties that will accompany the business such as employees, partners, customers, etc.

Times when kickoff should be organized to achieve the best work efficiency:

When the business is newly established
When the business enters a new year of operation
Before implementing plans and goals of new stages
Before implementing a new project
Before meetings, conference programs, seminars, training

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Factors that contribute to a successful kickoff event

1. Define the goal of the kickoff event

In most kickoff events, the purpose is to orient employees to the company’s new goals. Changes in strategy or focus for the upcoming chapter are often communicated to all employees. The desired outcome of the event is to create optimism and a will to break through for company members through the messages and activities during the event. Consider giving the event a meaningful name or motto that reflects the goal and let it run throughout the program.

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2. Kickoff Event Participants

An equally important question as the question about the event’s objectives is: Who do you want to reach with your event? Businesses can organize a kickoff day for their entire workforce or just for management, a small number of people involved in an important project.

Kickoffs are also ideal for team building activities. There is no better opportunity to get to know your colleagues than to happen to work in a team, working side by side to win.

3. The right venue

To organize a successful kickoff event, choosing a venue that matches the business’s kickoff motto is extremely important. Aspects to consider when determining the venue are: Does the venue have enough capacity to accommodate the expected number of participants? Is the technical equipment available on site or will the unit need to buy or rent additional equipment? What are the side dishes served throughout the program?

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4. Opening Content

Here are some content considerations when planning a kickoff event with your team members, company:

Create a sense of urgency: Take employees on an emotional journey right from the start to engage everyone.

Audio and visual highlights: Many of us think too much about content when planning an event and ignore the visual and audio preparation step. In fact, we need to combine perceptions with other sensory organs, especially the eyes and ears. Put yourself in the shoes of the participants and ask yourself what they should see and hear at this kickoff event. The visuals in the presentation combined with the sound system can promote emotions and leave an impression on participants after the program ends.

Presenting events and figures: Figures and milestones are never redundant in kickoff events. This is the best way to reinforce the company’s goals to all employees. Most importantly, this information must be relevant and should be emotionally embedded in the opening story.

Invite a speaker or hire a moderator: Speakers will have professional speeches specifically designed to convey the company’s goals. The moderator can be an employee of the company or hired from outside to support the program to stay on track.

Promote team spirit through teamwork: For large projects, team spirit and group cooperation will be more effective than individual work. The kickoff event is an opportunity for team building, team bonding and promoting the spirit of inspiration for participants.

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Conclusion

A successful kickoff event is one where all participants feel energized and ready for new challenges. By applying the above tips and tricks, your company’s next kickoff event can be the first step towards a successful project. We wish you effective kickoff events for your business and team building.

If you are in need of a kickoff event, do not hesitate to contact Next Level for advice!