November 03, 2022
By Caroline Howard

Whether you’re planning business meetings, brainstorming sessions, galas, or teambuilding, the right theme will set the tone for corporate events. Themes can also be instrumental in conveying complex information during presentations, conferences, and training and development programs.

Use your theme to drive decisions about venues, menu selections, messaging, graphics, music, and entertainment.

Here are 10 ideas to get your creative juices flowing next time you're the one picking the theme for your next corporate event:

1. Construction

  • A construction theme can add a creative touch when you are offering training about building constructive team relationships, constructing a new location or launching a new computer system. Build the theme with Lego and construction toys and tools. Have presenters wear hard hats, construction clothing, and boots.
  • Venue Ideas: Any meeting or event venue overlooking a construction site. Venues with dramatic architectural designs.

2. Escape Room

  • Escape rooms force teams to work together to reach a common end goal, which is perfect if you are looking to improve team relationships. You can go to an established local escape room or get creative and make your own!
  • Venue Ideas: Local escape room, the office, or anywhere with the creative space.

3. Cook-Off

  • Structure this cook-off into teams and have judges to make a light-hearted, delicious team competition.
  • Venue Ideas: Local parks.

4.  Luxury Cars

  • For kickoffs, sales events or to inspire employees to reach new targets, Formula One, Ferrari, or Lamborghini events are a perfect fit. Convey the theme with posters, videos and racing wear for presenters.
  • Venue Ideas: Treat your team to a real Formula One event. Some car dealerships have event spaces; or use venues like Ferrari World.

5. Sports Game

  • Take your team out of the office to relax, eat some ballpark food and cheer on your local team.
  • Venue Ideas: Any local sports team stadium.

6. Country Fair

  • Set up carnival games, team building activities like tug of war and enjoy feeling like a kid again.
  • Venue Ideas: Be creative! Check out a park, empty lots, or a warehouse. Don't be afraid to use your imagination when picking a space.

7. Volunteer Together

  • Use your event as a time to give back. Deliver food to the homeless locally, volunteer at a shelter, or organize a clothing drive are just a few ideas.
  • Venue Ideas: Wherever this takes you!

8. Desert Survival

  • A perfect fit for designing strategies to thrive in the midst of turbulence or uncover hidden business opportunities.
  • Venue Ideas: Deserts! Consult Cvent Event Blog features about American style desert safaris and desert survival events in Dubai.

9. 1001 Arabian Nights

  • When you want to add the wow factor for galas and parties, add the wow factor. Create this theme or desert survival at any indoor or outdoor venue with Persian carpets, low tables, tents, and divan seating or cushions.
  • Venue Ideas: Middle Eastern or Persian Restaurants/Bars.

10. Wilderness Survival

  • This theme is ideal when charting a new course or rolling out a new strategy.
  • Venue Ideas: Conservation areas, forests and wilderness retreats in Canada and around the world.

Virtual Event Themes

Looking for theme ideas for a virtual event? Get creative when it comes to content, production, and networking. Have virtual attendees dress up or have them make a sign. There's no limit to what can be done virtually - it just takes a little inspiration. 

These are just a few ideas. Brainstorm. Look to movies, reality TV, games shows and music as sources of inspiration. Let your content and core messaging drive your theme and have fun with it! 

Caroline Howard

Northern Virginia native turned southerner at The University of South Carolina. My skills include planning 4,000 attendee corporate events and then blogging about them.

My friends always ask where I am, because when I'm not behind my laptop writing, I'm off exploring new places like Cuba and Spain.

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