13 Creative Corporate Event Entertainment Ideas in 2025

It’s easy to run out of new corporate event ideas, especially those that will have a direct impact on proving ROI and ensuring attendees are engaged. There’s already so much to think about, and relying on ‘old faithfuls’ is an appealing trap to fall into. 

But never fear! We’ve compiled a list of 13 creative corporate event entertainment ideas designed to maximize engagement, energize attendees, and deliver lasting impact. Whether you’re looking for interactive experiences, immersive performances, or unique networking opportunities, we hope these ideas inspire you to create an unforgettable event. 

We’ve also added our tips for success for each idea AND provided expert tips on how to plan your corporate event so you can’t go wrong. Let’s get started.

Choosing the best corporate event idea 

1. Roll out an escape room

Source: Outback Team Building & Training

A tried and tested activity, escape rooms are a fun corporate event idea that fosters teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking. By challenging participants to work together under pressure, they encourage collaboration and communication, both essential skills for any workplace.

Whether you’re hosting an event for a small team or a large group, escape rooms can be tailored to fit your audience. Mobile escape rooms can also be set up at your venue, offering a fully immersive experience, while digital and hybrid options provide flexibility for remote or global teams. This interactive entertainment option keeps attendees engaged, encourages friendly competition, and creates a memorable experience that strengthens connections long after the event ends.

Pro tips for success:

• Match the difficulty level to your audience: A  game that’s too easy won’t be exciting, and one that’s too hard might frustrate attendees.
• Keep it short and sweet: Aim for 30–45 minutes to maintain energy levels.
• Encourage team mixing: Use the escape room as a networking tool by pairing up attendees who don’t usually work together.

2. Go big with augmented reality (AR)

Source: IKEA Newsroom

Want to wow your attendees with an unforgettable experience? Augmented reality (AR) can take your corporate event to the next level by blending digital and physical worlds in exciting, interactive ways. And with 30% of organizers looking to incorporate AR elements into their events, it’s clear that this technology is becoming a must-have for engaging experiences.

You can bring AR to your next corporate event in several ways. For example, an AR scavenger hunt adds an interactive element by allowing attendees to scan QR codes or use an event app to unlock hidden content, trivia questions, or exclusive prizes as they navigate the venue. 

For a more shareable experience, AR photo booths let guests take selfies with digital mascots, futuristic overlays, or branded effects they can instantly post on social media. If you’re showcasing a product, interactive AR demos provide a unique way for attendees to explore 3D models and visualize how items fit into real-world spaces, much like the technology used by IKEA and Amazon.

Pro tips for success:

• Make it easy to access: Just as you may use a mobile event check-in app, use mobile-friendly AR experiences so attendees don’t need special equipment.
• Tie it into your event goals: Whether it’s networking, brand awareness, or education, ensure AR enhances the attendee experience.
• Keep it simple: Overcomplicated AR experiences can cause tech hiccups and frustration, so test everything in advance.

With AR becoming more accessible and engaging, integrating it into your corporate events can drive deeper audience interaction, increase engagement, and create an experience attendees won’t forget.

3. Take a chance with virtual reality (VR)

Source: SXSW

If you want attendees to be fully immersed in an experience, virtual reality (VR) is the way to go. Unlike AR, which overlays digital elements onto the real world, VR transports users into an entirely new environment—perfect for storytelling, product showcases, or interactive team-building. 

And event organizers are taking note: 22% of organizers say they want to incorporate VR elements into their events to create more immersive experiences and boost attendee engagement.

One way to incorporate VR into your event is through virtual office or factory tours, which allow attendees to explore a new office, manufacturing plant, or company headquarters without the need for travel. 

If your company supports a cause, impactful nonprofit experiences can bring attendees directly into the communities benefiting from your contributions, creating a powerful emotional connection. 

For product launches, immersive VR demos give guests the chance to interact with your latest offerings in a virtual space, which is especially useful for products that are too large or complex to bring to the event. 

Also, brand storytelling and rebranding experiences can take employees or customers on a virtual journey through your company’s evolution, new branding, or upcoming innovations, making these changes more engaging and memorable.

Pro tips for success:

• Make it optional: Not everyone is comfortable wearing a VR headset, so provide alternative experiences.
• Choose high-quality content: A clunky or low-resolution VR experience can hurt engagement instead of helping it.
• Have staff on hand to assist: Make sure you have on-site experts available to help attendees navigate VR technology smoothly.

While VR/AR technology can be a bigger investment, it offers a high-impact, immersive experience that leaves a lasting impression. As VR technology becomes more affordable, expect to see it become a game-changer for corporate events.

4. Hire a live musical act

Source: MusicHQ

Live music is a classic corporate event idea that never goes out of style. While booking a Grammy-winning artist might seem like the ultimate crowd-pleaser, there are plenty of creative ways to incorporate live music without breaking the budget. Consider featuring local talent to give your event a unique, regionally inspired vibe while supporting the local economy. A rising indie band, a jazz ensemble, or even a high-energy cover band can set the perfect mood for your gathering.

For virtual or hybrid events, crowdsourcing the musical entertainment can boost engagement. Let attendees vote on the genre or artist they’d love to see, or host a live-streamed performance where the band takes song requests in real-time. Interactive elements like virtual tip jars or behind-the-scenes Q&A sessions with the performers can also add a fun, personal touch.

If you do opt for a big-name act, consider tying the performance to a cause to make it more meaningful. In recent years, companies have blended entertainment with philanthropy, like Dolby Laboratories’ exclusive Imagine Dragons concert at CES, which raised funds for pediatric cancer research.

In 2025, more brands are weaving social impact into event experiences, so finding ways to align live entertainment with your company’s values can leave a lasting impression.

5. Bring in visual artists

Source: Jenny Leonard Art

Adding a live artist to your event can be a memorable touch. Depending on the type of corporate event you are having, this could include providing caricatures, paintings, or silhouettes to attendees. It could be capturing takeaways, key takeaways from keynotes, and anything else you can dream up.

Live artist Jenny Leonard, for example, does live illustration for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events and has worked with companies like Google, TikTok, BP, the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), Oracle, and more.

6. Get interactive with mixology class

Source: The Cocktail Guru

During the pandemic, virtual mixology courses took the interwebs by storm. They were showing up at family gatherings, team-building events, and more. But mixology classes can be fun for any format of corporate event. Mixology is great for morale-boosting corporate events, small departmental gatherings, intimate events with key customers or investors, and other events.

The Cocktail Guru, for example, unites teams live, virtually, or a mix of both. The company adapts to your venue, no matter the size, and provides all the ingredients, materials, and instructions. Yes, they’ll even send a goody box of liquors, mixers, and garnishes ahead of time to ensure everyone can take part in the fun.

Note: It’s essential to ensure everyone attending your event feels comfortable with a mixology event. You may have recovering alcoholics, individuals who don’t drink for religious reasons, or folks who just don’t like alcohol in attendance. If this is the case, check with your mixology class partner to see if they can do virgin drinks — or you may want to skip the mixology entertainment altogether.

7. Feed the senses with a cooking class

Source: Cuiline

Another corporate event entertainment idea popularized during the pandemic? Cooking classes! Yes, we were all at home baking sourdough and watching TikTok recipes take off (anyone down for some baked feta?) and fell in love with online cooking classes. Why not bring a cooking class into your next in-person or virtual corporate event?

Like so many corporate entertainment activities, a cooking class gets everyone on the same page and working in sync to follow detailed instructions while creating something delicious. You can even have your attendees break into teams for a competition in the spirit of Chopped with mystery ingredients galore.

Cuiline, for example, offers corporate cooking classes and specializes in team-building events, ice breakers, and recruiting events, diversity and inclusion events, and client entertainment. With clients like Pfizer, CNN, the U.S. Airforce, and Intel, you can bet you’ll give your attendees a delicious, engaging, and entertaining experience.

8. Host a roast

Who doesn’t love a good corporate roast? In 2022, She Runs It held a roast of MediaLink founder Michael Kassan with roasters from Disney, Lowe’s NBCUniversal, and more. Poking lighthearted fun at the head of the company or a retiring tour de force can be a great way to lighten up a corporate event, whether the roast is part of the dinner entertainment or held separately.

It’s vital to ensure everyone is onboard — particularly the person being roasted — and that you know where the lines in the sand are so there are no uncomfortable moments, humiliations, or post-event grumbles.

9. Bring in a corporate comedian

Source: Clean Comedians

If you want to deliver laughs, you can’t go wrong with hiring a comedian or comedy troupe to entertain the crowd. Choosing a comedian who gets your audience, event goals, and the theme is essential so they can tailor their show with relevance. Agencies like Clean Comedians and Funny Business Agency have comedians who specialize in PG comedy — “no politics, no profanity, no prejudice” — and are familiar with the corporate world.

10. Capture memories with a photo booth

Source: Outsnapped

Photo booths can be an endless source of entertainment and a great way to give attendees something to take home to relive the event for months to come. There are many types of photo booths on the market today for corporate events, including the following:

• Augmented reality photo booth
• Green screen photo booth
• 360-degree photo booths
• Glam photo booths (think Glamour Shots but 2023)

Companies like Outsnapped offer all of these in-person options and much more, including options for virtual and hybrid audiences worldwide. With all of the photos you can capture at your corporate event, you’ll have plenty of visuals for social media, your careers page, and more.

11. Put on a light show

If you’re hosting an in-person event, you can take the experience to the next level by incorporating wearable event technology like Bizzabo’s SmartBadges™. These badges don’t just streamline networking and event check-ins—they can also double as interactive entertainment that transforms your audience into a living, breathing light show.

One of the biggest benefits is the wow factor they bring to keynote sessions, performances, and main-stage moments. At INBOUND 2022, HubSpot used SmartBadges™ to create an unforgettable spectacle right before former President Barack Obama took the stage. As anticipation built, attendees’ badges lit up in a rainbow pattern, filling the venue with a dynamic glow that had everyone reaching for their smartphones to capture the moment. Later, during comedian Jimmy O. Yang’s stand-up set, the badges illuminated once again, amplifying the energy in the room.

Beyond aesthetics, SmartBadges™ also provide seamless audience interaction. Whether it’s triggering light cues for standing ovations, signaling networking prompts, or syncing with music for a fully choreographed experience, this technology turns passive attendees into engaged participants.

12. Turning corporate events into destination experiences

Source: Smart Meetings

In 2024, the MPI Southern California Chapter took a bold approach to its annual WeCon event in Newport Beach, California. Instead of sticking to a traditional conference format, they incorporated immersive, hands-on activities like scavenger hunts, Moke car tours, group fitness classes, and even a guacamole-making competition. These activities weren’t just for fun—they were strategic, designed to foster meaningful connections, boost engagement, and create a more memorable attendee experience.

Modern event-goers crave more than just keynote speeches and networking breaks. By integrating unique activities, WeCon encouraged organic conversations and collaboration in a relaxed setting. Attendees bonded over shared experiences, making networking more natural and enjoyable. Plus, the inclusion of fitness activities and culinary competitions added an element of wellness and play, helping professionals recharge and stay engaged throughout the event.

Looking to replicate WeCon’s success? Think beyond the ballroom. Consider incorporating interactive elements that align with your brand and audience, whether it’s outdoor excursions, team-based challenges, or hands-on workshops. The key is to create moments that feel personal, exciting, and worth talking about—because when attendees are engaged, your brand reaps the benefits.

13. Create small, entertaining moments with activations

Not all entertainment needs to stop programming or big flashy to be entertaining; you can create small moments throughout the event and venue to delight attendees. Here are a few event activations examples to consider:

• A pianist in the cocktail area at the reception
• A portrait artist or cartoonist in near the coffee cart
• A photographer taking impromptu headshots
• A coffee artist doing portraits on lattes

5 expert tips on how to plan your corporate event idea

Whether you’re organizing a conference, shareholder meeting, or internal training session, striking the right balance between budget, experience, and impact is key. In an era where financial scrutiny is high and audience expectations are even higher, event professionals must be strategic in their planning.

Here are five expert tips to help you pull off a memorable, results-driven corporate event that meets your goals and resonates with attendees.

1. Define your event goals and audience needs

Before diving into logistics, take a step back and ask: What do we want to achieve? Every successful event starts with a clear purpose, whether it’s educating employees, strengthening client relationships, launching a product, or building brand awareness.

We live in a world where experiences are valued more than ever. At the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin, researchers found that people are happier with experiential purchases over material ones — no matter whether you measure happiness before, during, or after the purchase or experience. Researchers say this is because experiences endure in people’s memories while the value of material goods weakens over time.

Once you’ve nailed down your goals, shift your focus to your audience. A senior leadership retreat will have different expectations than a large-scale customer conference. Ask questions through event surveys, analyze past event data, and talk to key stakeholders to understand what attendees value most. Are they looking for networking opportunities, hands-on experiences, or inspirational keynotes? The more aligned your event is with audience needs, the more engagement and ROI you’ll generate.

2. Align ideas with your brand and theme

Your corporate event should be an extension of your brand. Everything from the event messaging and visuals to the agenda and session formats should reinforce your company’s identity and objectives. A strong theme not only makes your event more cohesive but also helps attendees connect emotionally with the experience.

For example, if your company is rolling out a bold new sustainability initiative, incorporate eco-friendly catering, digital-only event materials, and a keynote from an industry leader in sustainability. If innovation is at the heart of your brand, leverage cutting-edge event tech like virtual networking tools for engagement. 

For consistency, ensure your branding is reflected across event signage, marketing materials, digital platforms, and the event’s color scheme. A well-aligned corporate event theme adds polish and professionalism, making your brand more memorable to attendees.

3. Evaluate logistics early

Behind every seamless event is a solid logistical plan.  Venue selection, budget allocation, and vendor coordination should be at the top of your checklist—but don’t stop there. Take a proactive approach by anticipating potential obstacles, such as travel restrictions, tech failures, or last-minute speaker cancellations, and develop backup plans in advance.

Start by mapping out the event flow. Will attendees need transportation between venues? How long will session transitions take? Is there enough bandwidth for hybrid streaming? Addressing these details early prevents last-minute stress and ensures a seamless experience for both in-person and virtual participants.

4. Choose flexible entertainment options for hybrid formats

Hybrid events present a unique challenge: keeping both in-person and remote attendees equally engaged. To make your entertainment accessible across formats, opt for experiences that blend live and digital elements.

 If you’re booking a keynote speaker or comedian, ensure they have experience engaging hybrid audiences. What works in person doesn’t always translate through a screen. Gamification, live polling, breakout sessions, and virtual networking rooms can also help make your event more interactive for all attendees.

Leveraging event networking technology can further enhance engagement by connecting in-person and remote participants seamlessly. Features like AI-powered matchmaking, virtual meetups, and integrated chat functions help create meaningful interactions, regardless of where attendees are joining from.

As technology continues to shape the event landscape, flexibility is key. Offering interactive elements that can be accessed from anywhere helps ensure that every attendee, no matter their location, remains fully engaged throughout the experience.

5. Measure success and gather feedback post-event

Your event isn’t truly over when the last speaker leaves the stage—it lives on in the insights you gather afterward. To understand if your event hit the mark, take a close look at key engagement metrics like attendee participation, networking activity, and content downloads. Were people actively involved in sessions? Did they connect with others? Figuring out these indicators can reveal what resonated most.

And don’t wait too long to collect feedback! Send out surveys while the experience is still fresh. Ask attendees what they loved, what could be improved, and whether the event met their expectations. Their honest input will help fine-tune future events and maximize ROI.

Beyond the numbers, take time to debrief with your team. What went smoothly? What unexpected challenges popped up? Documenting these takeaways ensures that each event is a step forward, making your next one even more impactful.

Finding the perfect corporate event idea

Corporate event planning requires a balance of strategy, creativity, and execution. By clearly defining goals, aligning the experience with your brand, ensuring smooth logistics, offering flexible engagement options, and measuring success, you can create an event that delivers meaningful results. Thoughtful planning and continuous improvement will not only enhance your event’s impact but also strengthen your company’s overall event strategy.

Here’s a quick recap of some of the takeaways we’ve covered:

• Consider what your audience wants. Validate your entertainment selection with pre-event surveys.
• At the end of the day, your entertainment should tie back to your event brand and, by extension, your event goals.
• Keep your event budget in mind. How much will entertainment cost? Are there any hidden fees? Can you negotiate?

Planning a virtual or hybrid corporate event? Get tips for maximizing the experience in our article, “Guide To Planning the Best Hybrid and Virtual Corporate Events.”