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How to charm high end clients with corporate hospitality

Corporate hospitality is about more than just watching a show or a sporting event in premium comfort. Inviting clients to watch a match or performance in style can have many benefits, but you have to play the game right too. Don’t charm your guests enough and you will have wasted your money on an expensive event. But try too hard to win them over, and you could not only come across as disingenuous, but you could also end up breaking bribery laws. Here is how to be safe and effective when charming high end clients at a corporate hospitality event.

Pick an appropriate event

The first thing you need to think about is which kind of hospitality event you want to bring your clients to. With so many industries providing corporate hospitality packages, there are almost too many to choose from. Whatever you choose, make sure it is something that everyone you invite will enjoy.

If you know that your clients are especially into sports or music, you can easily narrow it down to one of those areas. But even within these categories there are different kinds of hospitality on offer. For example, Smart Group’s Twickenham rugby hospitality includes gourmet food and the chance to rub shoulders with ex-England captain Martin Johnson. Liverpool FC’s Carlsberg Dugout package on the other hand is squarely focused on exploring the venue and club’s history. If you are unsure which kind of event to attend with your clients, don’t hesitate to ask their opinion.

It is important to ensure that all your party can access whichever venue you end up choosing. Premier Platform Lifts recently found that only 17% of theatres and cinemas are accessible to the disabled, and more than a third of Premier League stadiums do not meet accessibility standards, so make sure to check before you go down this route. There are few things less charming than being invited somewhere you can’t get into.

Dress to impress

Once you have decided on an event, make sure you and your colleagues look the part. For example Chelsea’s corporate hospitality events specifically outlaw sports shirts. However, most sports hospitality events have fairly relaxed dress codes, opting to suggest smart/casual over formal dress. At events like these, it’s important to look your best, but try not to outclass your clients. Otherwise you might cause them to feel embarrassed.

Other corporate hospitality events, such as theatre or opera packages, have more formal dress codes. For these events, make sure you dress to impress. Whatever the dress code, ensure you let your clients know what they have to wear so they don’t feel humiliated upon arrival and thus become very difficult to charm.

Treat, but don’t bribe

Impress your clients by treating them like royalty, but never bribe them. As established in the Bribery Act of 2010, there is a fine line between bribery and perfectly legal charming or rewarding.

Government guidance on the matter specifically stated that the Bribery Act is not intended to block corporate hospitality. “Establish[ing] cordial relations” and “getting to know [your] clients” through corporate hospitality is perfectly legal. According to legal advisors Shoosmiths, any hospitality that is “proportionate and reasonable” is perfectly acceptable for a company—especially a small company—to carry out.

Build that relationship

One of the important aspects of organising corporate hospitality is to make the absolute most of the event to build your relationship with your guests. If they enjoy your company, they will use your company. And if you all like each other, you will work together much more easily. Corporate hospitality can help nurture and maintain relationships. That, after all, is what business is all about.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Caitlyn Stevens .