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Return on investment (ROI) is a hugely important factor when it comes to company spending. ROI is essentially a metric that businesses use to understand how profitable a specific investment has been. When working out the ROI, you simply compare how much you paid for something with how much you earned. It’s that simple.

Now, ROI is often not taken into account when it comes to events. Events by their nature, are not always designed to be hugely profitable. They often have other aims, such as networking, raising a company’s profile, or boosting employee morale.

These aims can sometimes be hard to quantify, however, whatever you want to get from your event, hosting it on the River Thames, will go a long way to helping you achieve your goals.

Benefits of hosting a corporate event on the River Thames

Here at West End on the Thames we help lots of industry-leading organisations hold top-quality events on the river. And whilst there may be a number of unique corporate event venues in London, none offer the charm and sophistication that a River Thames cruise can provide.

That’s why we thought we’d put together a little list of some of the key benefits of hosting a corporate event on the Thames.

Boosting employee morale and enhancing soft skills

If you’re hosting an event for your team, in order to help with team bonding and boost morale, then taking them out onto the river is a great idea. Everyone will love being out on a classy boat, decked out in finery, winding its way through the glistening lights of our nation’s capital with some of its most iconic landmarks as a backdrop.

Whether you’re putting on a three course meal or some simple nibbles, your team can get together and socialise in style with a drink in hand watching as Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Battersea Power Station, and more go passing by.

By opting for a boat, you’re also able to provide your team with something a little bit different from a usual event venue. When the sun is shining, they can take their drinks out onto the deck and relax with the sun on their face, and as the night draws in, you can all head inside for a dance. Here at West End on the Thames, we offer a diverse range of entertainment options, including live bands, onboard team activities, and wine tasting experiences, among others. These enhancements add a special touch to your event, demonstrating your commitment to your team's experience while also fostering the development of soft skills.

So why not host your next team-building event on the river and boost employee engagement, morale, and team spirit, all in one hit?

Improved client relationships

In the same way that a riverboat cruise on the Thames can boost employee morale, it can also help improve relationships with clients. So if you’re looking to organise an event that aims to bring you and your clients together for a fun day of food, drinks, and entertainment, then you should look no further than hiring a vessel and heading out on the water.

Clients will be used to attending events throughout London, but you can stand out from the crowd if you opt for a riverboat experience. These cruises can engender a relaxed and impressive atmosphere that we’re sure clients will love. And it’s when people are feeling their most relaxed, that they’re able to truly engage with others, building bonds along the way.

This is important when it comes to ROI. The strength of your client relationships can often be hard to quantify or measure, but if you spend money organising a truly impressive event on the river and your clients go home feeling like they’ve truly engaged and bonded with your team, then your event was worth every penny. It's likely to generate interest, potential investment, or sales in your products or services.

Enhance brand image

If you’re looking to impress future clients and enhance the image of your brand, then there are few better ways to do it, than by hosting a glamorous and fun event on a beautiful boat on London’s iconic River Thames.

Showcase sophistication and attention to detail by hosting a classy event on the water, and you can impress staff, clients, competitors, and those all-important potential clients.

Why not hire a photographer, or bring your own, and share the top quality photos of your event on your website and social channels? This can help enhance how your brand is perceived in the wider world. You could even film the event, interviewing people throughout the day, to post online and really show off the lengths you go to for your clients.

A few other benefits

On top of all of the above, there are a few other great benefits to hosting a corporate event on the Thames.

First up, a cruise on the Thames offers you unique access to some of London’s most iconic locations. You can plan a route that takes you past a number of landmarks, and depending on your plans for the day, you may even be able to stop off at a few choice locations, or end your trip in a specific spot so you can disembark and head on to a different venue.

On top of this, a River Thames cruise offers a unique space in which to network with clients and service providers and it also provides you with the opportunity to give your staff the chance to reduce stress in a fun and relaxing environment.

Don’t take our word for it, see what these people had to say…

Here at West End on the Thames we have worked with a number of amazing, industry-leading corporations to help them hold unique corporate events in London. So we thought we’d tell you about a few.

First up is Revolut. We worked with the Revolut team to host a social gathering for the whole team to celebrate one million users on their platform. We created a truly bespoke event, with a summer barbecue, reception drinks, garden games, and on-board entertainment. We also put some Revolut branding on the boat and helped with audio equipment for speeches. The event went really well and the team at Revolut had this to say: “The staff were fantastic and super available. She (Eliza - Our Senior Event Planner) made sure everything was on point. The boat was perfect and we were so happy to spend time on the upper deck. Big shout out for the food, it was delicious - great job!"

We also worked with Pepsico to create an event so they could get their global team together for a social do, allowing them to get to know each other after a week of meetings. We ensured that (as requested) Pepsi was the only soft drink aboard the boat, and also helped provide nibbles, drinks, garden games, and more.

They were very happy with the team, saying: “Thank you for allowing us to see London in the most amazing way, to your staff for their incredible service onboard during the event, to the captain for his landmark and area information, to the photographer again for his efforts capturing the team essence and for advising us of upcoming landmarks for picture ops! Wonderful! And of course, to you all - the events team - for your professional partnership and wonderful organisation.”

And finally, we created, organised, and ran a fabulous event to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Clare PR. Their team wanted something unique and liked the setting that we could provide. On the day the weather was good and the guests made the most of the spacious outdoor deck and furniture.

The feedback we received was great, with their team saying: "We appointed West End on the Thames to organise Clare PR's 30th anniversary soiree. Right from the start the event organisation was exemplary. All of the details were thought out and fulfilled. I would not hesitate in appointing West End on the Thames again!”

Visit our case studies page to see some more events we’ve organised on the Thames.

How do you measure ROI for an event?

Measuring ROI is a valuable approach to a number of aspects of running a business. However, it can be difficult with events. Often the true benefits of a well-run event are intangible and immeasurable. They can appear vague, but that doesn’t mean they are not worth every penny you invest.

Some clients choose to carry out a pre and post event survey to all attendees, as this is a good way to measure satisfaction. But even if you don’t choose to do this - if your employees, clients, and other attendees come away from your event feeling buoyed and positive about your brand, then it can be invaluable.

To conclude…

So it’s safe to say that we feel that the only way to truly get value out of hosting an event, is to ensure that you’re organising and running the very best event possible in a truly unique setting. That’s why it’s important to ensure that you select a venue that oozes class and sophistication, whilst letting expert professionals take care of the legwork for you.

Here at West End on the Thames we can do just that. Our team is able to plan a bespoke event from start to finish, and our team will work closely with you in the buildup to the event, and on the day, to ensure that everything runs smoothly. If you’re interested in hosting a corporate event on the River Thames, then get in touch with us today. You can give us a call on 020 8323 5827 or drop us an email at sales@westendonthethames.com.

Written by Adam Rowden, creative copywriter at West End on the Thames.