Back

2023 Corporate Conference Ideas & Themes That Increase Engagement

Conferences are powerful platforms that bring together professionals from different fields, fostering collaboration, learning, and networking.

But traditional conferences can sometimes be… well, a bit stale.

It’s time we breathe some life into these gatherings, making them both productive and fun.

Ready to learn how? Let’s dive right in!

Understanding the Demand Behind Unique Conference Ideas

Over the years, conferences have transformed from dry, one-way presentations to rich, interactive, and engaging experiences.

Today’s savvy attendees look for innovative ideas and enjoyable activities to engage with the content and each other.

That’s where themes and team-building activities come into play, making modern conferences a blend of learning and enjoyment.

10 Unique Conference Themes for 2023

Selecting a theme for your conference can elevate it from a simple series of talks to a cohesive, immersive experience.

The right theme ties together your presentations and activities, generates excitement, provides direction, and captures the essence of your conference message.

Here are ten conference theme ideas for 2023 and beyond.

Technological Advancements: Embrace the digital age with a conference on emerging technologies. Delve into topics like artificial intelligence, virtual reality, data science, and more.
Environmental Sustainability: Highlight the importance of sustainable practices, renewable energy, and waste reduction in various industries. Encourage discussions about green solutions and innovations.
Inclusive and Diverse Leadership: Foster a conversation around the need for diverse representation in leadership roles. Discuss strategies for promoting inclusion and equality in the workplace.
Mental Health and Wellness: With increasing awareness about the importance of mental health, a conference themed around wellness can be a powerful platform to share strategies for maintaining mental health, promoting workplace wellness, and supporting employee wellbeing.
The Future of Work: The shift towards remote teams and hybrid working models has changed the work landscape. This theme can invite discussions about navigating these changes, from building a remote company culture to managing distributed teams.
Social Impact and Corporate Responsibility: Highlight the role of businesses in promoting social justice, community development, and corporate philanthropy. Discuss successful examples and strategies for incorporating social responsibility into business models.
Creativity and Innovation: Focus on the importance of innovation in business growth. Discuss how to foster a creative culture, handle disruptive innovation, and keep pace with changing industry trends.
The Role of AI in Society: AI is not just for tech companies anymore. Explore the implications of AI in various fields, from healthcare and education to finance and entertainment.
Digital Transformation: Digital transformation continues to be a driving force across all sectors. Discuss how to successfully implement digital transformation strategies, overcome challenges, and stay ahead in the digital age.
Globalization and Cross-Cultural Communication: In an increasingly interconnected world, effective cross-cultural communication is crucial. This theme can provide insight into understanding cultural differences, promoting effective communication, and fostering a global mindset.

14 Conference Team Building Ideas

Each of these conference team-building activities fosters collaboration, creativity, and a sense of camaraderie among attendees, enhancing the overall experience.

Escape Room Challenges: These promote critical thinking and collaboration. Whether in a physical or virtual escape room, teams must work together to solve puzzles and escape within a given time.
Charity Challenges: Participating in charity-related activities promotes teamwork and enhances your organization’s corporate social responsibility. These challenges could include assembling care packages, building bikes for kids, or participating in a charity race.
Themed Activities: Align your team-building activities with your conference theme. For example, if your theme is innovation, consider an ‘invent-a-thon’ where teams develop an inventive solution to a problem.
Scavenger Hunt: This classic game can be customized to your conference venue or digitally. It encourages communication, strategic thinking, and fun competition among teams.
Team Cooking Challenge: Organize a cooking competition where teams must work together to prepare a dish. This can also be paired with a cooking class led by a professional chef.
Drone Challenge: Technology-based activities like drone flying can be a unique way to promote team building exercises. Participants can learn drone flying basics and then complete a drone obstacle course.
Improv Workshop: An improvisation workshop can help attendees enhance their communication skills, think on their feet, and promote creativity and laughter.
Bridge Building: Teams are provided with limited materials (like spaghetti and marshmallows or LEGO blocks) and tasked with building a strong, stand-alone bridge. This activity encourages problem-solving, strategic thinking, and cooperation.
Outdoor Adventure Activities: If your conference location allows, consider activities like a guided hike, rafting, or a team relay race. Outdoor activities can provide a refreshing break and promote team bonding.
Storytelling Workshop: A storytelling workshop can help foster creativity and enhance presentation skills. Teams can create a story around a given theme, presenting it to others using their newly learned skills.
Virtual Reality Challenge: If your conference is tech-focused, a virtual reality challenge could be a hit. From virtual escape rooms to multiplayer games, VR can offer unique team-building experiences.
Mural Painting: Collaborating on a large art project like a mural can be a fun, relaxing, and creative team-building activity. Plus, you’ll have a unique piece of artwork as a memory of the conference.
Mindfulness Session: Hosting a guided mindfulness or meditation session can promote relaxation and focus among attendees. It’s a unique ‘team building’ activity emphasizing individual wellbeing and collective calm.
Role-Play Scenario: Using role-play scenarios related to your industry can be an engaging way to foster team building. They can help attendees understand different perspectives and learn to navigate conflicts or challenges.

Conference Meeting Ideas For Breakout Sessions

With these creative conference event ideas and meeting formats, you can break away from traditional, often monotonous, meeting structures.

These ideas will engage attendees more effectively, creating a lively, interactive atmosphere that fosters learning, collaboration, and networking.

Roundtable Discussions: Create a more intimate, interactive environment by organizing roundtable discussions. These small team sessions encourage more active participation and deeper conversations.
Workshops: Hands-on workshops that provide practical knowledge and skills can be valuable to your conference. These range from technical skills in your industry to universal skills like leadership or effective communication.
Expert Q&As: Bring in industry experts for Q&A sessions. Attendees can prepare questions in advance or ask them in real-time, gaining direct insights from professionals in the field.
Brainstorming Sessions: Encourage innovation and creativity by organizing brainstorming sessions on industry challenges. Participants can collaborate, fostering a sense of teamwork and co-creation.
Fishbowl Conversations: In this format, a small group sits in a circle (the fishbowl) discussing a topic while a larger group sits around them observing. After a set time, the groups switch. This promotes active listening and diverse perspectives compared to traditional group discussions.
Open Space Technology: This participant-driven process allows attendees to create their own agenda and self-organize breakout groups. It’s a great way to empower participants and promote active involvement.
Pecha Kucha Presentations: This format allows presenters to show 20 slides for 20 seconds each, encouraging concise, engaging presentations. It’s an effective way to present many ideas or projects quickly.
Panel Discussions: A group of experts discussing a topic in front of an audience can offer multiple perspectives and deeper insights. Ensure to include Q&A time to engage the audience.
World Café: In this format, attendees move between tables where discussions occur. It’s a dynamic way to gather diverse input and promote networking.
Ignite Sessions: Similar to Pecha Kucha, presenters get five minutes to share their ideas, accompanied by 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds. It creates a fast-paced, engaging presentation environment.
Speed Networking: Like speed dating, attendees rotate and have brief, timed conversations with each other. It’s an efficient and structured way to promote networking.
Interactive Polling or Quizzes: Use real-time polling or quizzes during presentations to engage the audience, gather opinions, or reinforce key points.
Unconferences: Also known as a ‘user-generated conference’, the attendees create the agenda at the start of the meeting, fostering a participant-driven environment.
Fireside Chats: Informal yet focused conversations between a moderator and a guest encourage a relaxed, intimate discussion, often resembling a storytelling session.
Demo Stations: If your conference involves tangible products or technologies, set up demo stations where attendees can experience these elements firsthand.

12 Fun Things To Do At a Conference

As the expectations of conference attendees evolve, so must the conference experiences we offer.

That’s where fun conference activities come into play.

It’s no longer enough to present information and expect attendees to retain it.

Instead, the best conferences today offer interactive, engaging, and fun experiences that energize attendees and create memorable moments.

Tastings: Whether it’s local delicacies, craft beers, or fine wines, a tasting event can introduce attendees to the local flavors and create a relaxed atmosphere for networking.
Local Tours: Take advantage of your conference’s location by organizing tours to local attractions, historical sites, or even renowned businesses. It’s an excellent opportunity for attendees to explore and connect outside the conference setting.
Sports Events: Casual sports competitions, such as a mini-golf tournament or a table tennis challenge, can encourage networking in a fun, relaxed setting.
Cultural Experiences: If your conference is in a place known for its cultural heritage, arrange for performances by local musicians, dancers, or artists. This not only entertains but also broadens attendees’ cultural horizons.
Yoga or Fitness Classes: Kick-start the conference day with a group yoga or fitness class. It’s a fun way to energize attendees and promote health and wellness.
DIY Workshops: A do-it-yourself workshop, such as a painting class or jewelry making, can provide a creative break from the usual conference activities.
Interactive Photo Booths: Set up a photo booth with fun props where attendees can take photos or gifs. It adds a fun element and gives attendees a memento to take home.
Themed Parties: Organize a themed party, such as a 80s retro night or a costume party. It’s a chance for attendees to let loose and show their creativity.
Networking Games: Light-hearted networking games can help break the ice and foster connections among attendees. This could include ‘speed-networking’ sessions or a ‘people bingo’ where attendees find people who meet specific criteria.
Live Music: Whether it’s a solo performer during lunch or a band for the evening party, live music can create a lively and enjoyable atmosphere.
Magic or Comedy Show: A professional magician or comedian can provide entertainment and laughter, making the conference experience more memorable.
Wellness Corners: Set up a wellness corner where attendees can get a quick massage, try aromatherapy, or learn stress management techniques. It’s a unique way to promote wellness and provide a relaxation space during the busy conference.

Graphic Recording: The #1 Solution for Increasing Audience Engagement

When it comes to fun conference ideas, there is no better way to memorialize event experiences than graphic recording.

Graphic recording is a powerful tool that brings conference content to life.

By translating complex information into compelling, easy-to-understand visuals in real time, sketch artists enhance attendee engagement and comprehension.

Graphic recording can be applied effectively in both in-person and virtual events, offering a variety of benefits:

Improved Engagement: Attendees are naturally drawn to visually stimulating, colorful graphics. This visual engagement can boost their attention levels and participation during sessions.
Enhanced Retention: Visual representations help attendees remember information better than text or speech alone. Graphic recording fosters a deeper understanding and long-term content retention by connecting ideas visually.
Real-time Summary: A graphic recorder creates a visual summary of discussions and presentations as they happen. This quick visual recap can be an excellent tool for reflection and review during or after the conference.
Complex Ideas Simplified: Graphic recording breaks down complex concepts into understandable visuals. This makes it an effective tool for presenting challenging ideas or information digestibly.
Encourages Dialogue: The visual canvas can stimulate discussion among attendees, encouraging them to interact and share ideas based on the graphic record.

In an in-person conference, a graphic recorder typically works on large sheets of paper or a whiteboard at the front of the room. This allows for immediate sharing and discussion of the visual content and creates a dynamic and engaging visual performance.

The final graphic record can be displayed throughout the conference as a continuous display of the ideas and discussions.

In a virtual conference, graphic recording can be done digitally, with the illustrator sharing their screen as they create the visuals in real time.

The final digital graphic record can be easily shared with attendees via email or social media, providing them with a permanent, accessible conference record.

It can also be used in post-conference communications, reinforcing the key takeaways and keeping the dialogue going.

By leveraging the power of graphic recording, conference organizers can amplify engagement, comprehension, and retention of content, making their event more impactful and memorable for attendees, whether they are in-person or joining virtually.

So, as you plan your next conference, don’t forget to make room for some fun!