10 client appreciation event ideas to build loyalty
Show your clients some love with a festive client appreciation event. These special occasions let you express gratitude for client support while creating long-term relationships with your guests and encouraging repeat business. Not to mention—they’re fun for everyone!
We’ve put together a list of 10 client appreciation event ideas to make your clients feel valued and appreciated. From cocktail parties to cooking classes, there’s something for every company—and every client. Take inspiration from these crowd-pleasers to curate a memorable event experience for your clients and get them excited for the next one.
Table of Contents
1. Launch parties and sneak previews
Let your customers know they’re in your inner circle with an exclusive launch party. Getting the first look at a new product or project creates excitement for your brand and strengthens your relationships in the business community.
- Invitations: Get the crowd buzzing with launch party invitations that set the scene for your project’s debut, such as “Scribble Script” by Paperless Post. Add a Video Block to give guests a product preview before they RSVP.
- Benefits: Launch parties create excitement for your brand and let clients and customers know that you value their feedback. It can also result in important leads to pursue long after the event is over.
- How to stand out: Send guests home with free samples, swag, prizes, and anything else that keeps your brand at the top of their minds. Use exclusive language in your event messaging, such as “members only” or “a special thanks for your support.”
2. Educational workshops and seminars
Demonstrate your business’s focus on growth and development with workshops, seminars, training opportunities, conferences, speaker series, and other educational opportunities. Bring in a speaker or host a panel on a topic that appeals to your audience. If someone on your team can offer expertise or tips, invite them to give a presentation for interested clients and guests.
- Invitations: Welcome your guests with seminar invitations like the formal yet distinctive “Modern Mood” invitation by Paperless Post. Upload your own logo to infuse your company’s branding within your invitation, and incorporate your brand colors throughout for a polished, professional look. Add a Speakers Block to include bios, photos, and website links for clients to learn more about the upcoming workshop presenters.
- Benefits: Creating space for an inclusive learning environment lets clients know that your business is a trusted industry leader.
- How to stand out: Find unique ways to involve interested clients in your professional development, like a biannual or quarterly speakers series or conference that offers your clients networking opportunities with their peers and industry-specific information.
3. VIP experiences
Treat your valued clients to a one-of-a-kind VIP experience, such as securing a suite at your local stadium to watch the hometown team—or a meet-and-greet with the players and ownership. Take it to the streets with a thrilling race car driving experience, or give your guests an evening at the theater for a private movie screening. Offer these client appreciation events as benefits for higher sponsorship tiers, highly valued clients, or loyal customers who win a raffle or contest.
- Invitations: Send a personalized VIP event invitation to get the momentum going. For an invitation with immediate impact, try “Exuberant” by Kelly Wearstler.
- Benefits: These memorable, once-in-a-lifetime events can make a major impact and leave a lasting impression on your VIPs, and the shared experiences will strengthen your relationship with them in the process.
- How to stand out: Tailor your VIP experience to your clients’ interests for a client appreciation event they’ll never forget. Choose unique experiences they’ll continue talking about until the next event!
4. Art exhibitions
For a culturally engaging client appreciation event, appeal to your clients’ artistic side with an art exhibition. Aligning your brand with the sophistication of the art world will help you stand out in your clients’ minds. Invite local artists to show their work in your office or corporate headquarters, and ask if they’d like to sell their items to your guests.
- Invitations: Capture the event’s elegance in an art exhibition invitation, like “Gilded Rainbow” by Ashley G, or keep the emphasis on the studio space itself with “Underscore” by Paperless Post.
- Benefits: You’ll give clients an opportunity to slow down and savor the sights of featured exhibits while creating deeper connections with your company.
- How to stand out: To make your client appreciation event even more special, consider commissioning work from a local artist to incorporate your brand’s mission into a mini print for your clients.
5. Golf outings
They say business is done on the golf course—and the same can be said for client appreciation events. Hit the links for some friendly competition and casual conversation with your clients. Arrange a tee time at a local golf course, and over the next 18 holes, you’ll be sure to develop a deeper connection with your fellow cart mates.
- Invitations: Tee up the fun with a vibrant design like “Join the Club” by kate spade new york or “Endlong” by Paperless Post.
- Benefits: A round of golf encourages extended periods of conversation in a laid-back setting. No matter who comes away with the lowest score of the day, clients will enjoy the ambiance and a memorable day on the green.
- How to stand out: Round out the experience with company-branded swag like golf balls, tees, and towels, all featuring your logo. Or take it one step further: When using Paperless Pro, add a Guest Survey to your golf tournament invitation to ask your guests for their shirt size. On the day of the golf outing, use the Paperless Post app to check in clients as you hand them their new golf polo.
6. Cocktail receptions
Toast to a client appreciation event that hits all the right notes with a cocktail reception. Your guests will love the opportunity to enjoy libations in a refined setting while unwinding and enjoying good company.
- Invitations: Send a corporate cocktail party invitation like “Dashing” by Paperless Post to promote a cocktail event full of sparkling conversation.
- Benefits: The relaxed yet sophisticated setting of a cocktail party encourages mingling and merriment among clients and business associates.
- How to stand out: Invite a mixologist to create exclusive craft cocktails and mocktails so that everyone can imbibe—or host a class on how to make a world-class cocktail and send your clients home with the recipe.
7. Dinner parties
Encourage your clients to relax and unwind by hosting a dinner party in their honor. Book a room or reserve the entire space at a restaurant or upscale venue for an evening of deep conversation and meaningful interaction. Accommodate your clients by including Guest Surveys with your invitation, which allow you to ask questions about dietary restrictions or wine preferences.
- Invitations: Set the tone for a night they’ll remember by sending business dinner invitations that convey the scene and setting. “Rosemary” by Paperless Post presents a fresh take on the dinner invitation with an herbal-focused design.
- Benefits: Intimate dinners are an ideal setting for publicly thanking clients for their loyalty and business, and can be as versatile as you’d like them to be. Give a speech, present awards, or offer a toast to your collective success.
- How to stand out: Work with the restaurant or caterer to create a customized menu for your party, or bring in a local chef to make a meal out of the season’s finest offerings. Add to the ambiance by featuring a musician or band for a curated experience your guests won’t get anywhere else. And if you’d like it to be a truly personalized night, host the event at the CEO or president’s home.
8. Wellness retreats
For client appreciation event ideas with a holistic spin, nothing beats a wellness retreat. Wellness retreats offer a chance for your customers and clients to escape the demands of their daily lives and get grounded. These retreats promote the idea of resetting and recalibrating and can include spa services, yoga or meditation classes, and healthy foods. Invite local spas or wellness experts to contribute their goods and services to your event.
- Invitations: Invite clients to an outing that promises overdue respite with a customized client appreciation invitation in relaxing blue hues, like “Join Us” by Linda and Harriett.
- Benefits: Hosting a wellness retreat shows that you know your clients and value their well-being in addition to their business.
- How to stand out: Welcome your clients with wellness-inspired gifts like essential oils, yoga towels, snacks, and tea. Special touches and attention to detail will make your clients feel valued and appreciated—and will have them eagerly awaiting the next event.
9. Networking events
Networking events encourage camaraderie, connection, and community. Invite notable clients to wine tastings, local community meetups, outdoor picnics, or any other event encouraging small talk and elbow rubbing. Take the helm and host a networking event that brings the best and brightest of your industry together. Once you’ve sent your invitations, use Guest Tags to group guests into categories to indicate how your organization knows them.
- Invitations: Choose from our array of networking event invitations to capture the theme and set the scene. Designs like “Restart” by Jonathan Adler cultivate a playful mood for a family-friendly gathering, while “Simbad” by Marimekko pulls in lush green tones and elements evocative of a vineyard or garden setting for a wine tasting.
- Benefits: Networking events strengthen relationships and position your company as a community leader and facilitator.
- How to stand out: Make your networking event stand out from the rest by incorporating entertainment options, hosting games and contests, and offering attractive prizes.
10. Exclusive classes
The best client appreciation party ideas usually include a break from the norm or an interesting twist on tradition. Invite clients to learn new skills—or hone existing ones—with experts in cooking, mixology, painting, ceramics, or anything else they’d like to learn. If your team has expertise in business concepts, such as marketing or social media, consider hosting classes for clients interested in those topics as well.
- Invitations: Describe the details and tone of your event with versatile designs like “Lentil” or “Gold Trimmed” by Paperless Post, or choose an invitation design that features the unique experience you’re offering. Include a Details Block to give guests more information about the class, and add a Links Block to provide any registration links they’ll need to complete beforehand.
- Benefits: Exclusive classes bring clients together to bond over a shared experience that is often new to them. Introducing a new skill or topic encourages clients to work together, help each other, and create new connections.
- How to stand out: Send your guests home with a useful token of your appreciation that ties into your event. They’ll remember their experience each time they reach for it.
Create a crowd-pleasing client appreciation event with Paperless Pro
Whether it’s a fun, casual outing or a polished and professional affair, client appreciation events show your clients how grateful you are for their continued support. Paperless Pro streamlines your planning with invitations for every setting and scenario as well as customizable options that get your messaging and branding just right.
Find sophisticated, business-minded designs that streamline planning and impress guests.
