On September 10, over 81,000 people ventured to Lambeau Field to watch the Green Bay Packers kick off their season with a win against the Seattle Seahawks. While it was only week one, the importance of the event should not be overstated. Across all 50 states, thousands of Packers fans took this opportunity to get together. Good vibes brought upon by the return of Packer football carried over and were felt by separate communities joined by a common love. Beers cheers-ing, meals shared, conversation and laughter… it was only one game, but to be a part of it felt like so much more.
This is an example of Communitas: a Latin noun referring to the spirit of community, and when members of a community are equal and sharing a common experience. When businesses take this concept and utilize it in the form of events, the benefits reach numerous stakeholders.
If a company decided to have a cocktail networking event in hopes of finding new employee candidates, the gathering of people could benefit the business in several ways: by earning them brand impressions from members of the community, earning HR managers new prospective candidates, presenting candidates with unique career opportunities, and providing the event staff with work. Just one community event can have a significant impact on people’s days, weeks, and even lives.
How can your business harness communitas to the advantage of you, and your larger community?

• Plan Events: If your business is organizing an event, might as well make it a memorable one. Utilize creative teams within the company to obtain input about what activities might best resonate with your target demographic, and what types of ideas would create the best lasting impression.
• Advertise: Once there is a community event planned, make sure people know about it. This means advertising in advance by way of email, word of mouth, signage, and especially social media platforms, as that’s where people look and scroll in an effort to find new events, plans, and opportunities.
  • Use a Story: In advertising the event, it helps tremendously if it’s told in the form of a story. Talk to past attendees and use them in the form of testimonials. What did they gain from attending your event? A job? A valuable connection? A spouse, even? All of those are valuable selling points.
  • Sell the Experience: If your company is organizing an event, the advertising campaign often (inadvertently) becomes about the company, instead of being about those attending. Keep in mind that your event will only be successful if there are worthwhile attendees, and those attendees will only attend if they feel it will benefit them. Advertise the fun, the activities, the food, the drinks, and the people they’ll meet. Give them value and they will come.

The impact of a well thought out opportunity to bring stakeholders together goes beyond the surface. What type of community event could you plan to generate business success, come together, hire new employees, or even celebrate the return of a team you love?

The spirit of a community is sometimes hard to explain, but you know it when you see it – and feel it. Has your business capitalized on events that bring your customers and employees alike together? Share with KJ below or email him directly.