The event was a hit.

Great catering, great programme, people had fun.
Happy client, happy agency. Everyone’s congratulating each other.

So, a success. Or was it?

A company spends tens of thousands of euros on an employee event.
People eat, have fun, take photos, and on Monday they’re back at work.

If we didn’t agree beforehand on what we wanted to achieve, all we can measure is how much alcohol was drunk and how many schnitzels were eaten. Congratulations. We’ve organised a very expensive dinner. But the photos look great! 

Thanking employees is a goal too.
So is getting people from departments that don’t usually work together to meet.
So is giving them a nice evening together.

The difference is that you can check whether it happened. You can find out whether people really felt appreciated.
Whether they talked to someone new. Whether they’d come again.

It’s just harder to measure than schnitzels. So we measure schnitzels.

No event will change company culture on its own.
But it can strengthen relationships, communication and a sense of belonging.
And that can go into the brief just as specifically as the number of guests.

We know how the event went right away.
What it delivered, we only find out later. If we ask.