Business events are a powerful tool for creating memorable experiences. After supporting 900+ events this year, we’ve learned that people are very selective when it comes to what they choose to attend. People want to spend their scarce availability on events that offers value.

Salesforce understands what matters to their customers and their target audience so they created an afternoon full of experiences its guests are unlikely to forget. Events that feature product demos and best practice presentations have demonstrable value, but organizations don’t need to focus on the product at every event. Salesforce changed things up and hosted an event-driven by service and teamwork.

Event Community Partner

Salesforce partnered with Food Lifeline, a Seattle-based nonprofit, to spend an afternoon sorting and repacking thousands of pounds of food. Local restaurants, grocery chains, farmers, retailers, and manufacturers provide Food Lifeline with excess food that would otherwise be thrown out, and volunteers (more than 13K every year) spend time prepping the food for programs and partners throughout the community. Food Lifeline works hard to make sure everyone has enough healthy food to eat, and they are determined to solve the local hunger problem altogether.

Event Overview

Salesforce invited their local customers, partners, and employees to spend their Friday afternoon working together for a great cause. A few members of the Banzai team joined in and together we sorted and organized hundreds of watermelons, labeled cheese, sorted vegetables, and helped break down boxes.

Salesforce Account Executives Courtnie Lim and Lucas Laramore came up with the idea for the Food Lifeline event. “Salesforce is committed to human rights and building a more sustainable future for us all,” said Courtnie. “Giving back is a part of our culture, and events like this give us the opportunity to take time away from the office to help the people in our local community, together as a team. We wanted to invite some of our customers to experience our culture, and the more people we can get involved, the more effective we can be.”

Banzai’s copywriter, Patrick Leary found the afternoon to be time well spent away from the office. “Leaving the office for the afternoon is a big commitment,” said Patrick. “It felt good to do something that benefited our community while also meeting and networking with our peers in the industry.”

Salesforce’s group of volunteers packaged enough food for 23,257 meals. The experience encouraged hard work, team building, and giving back to the community.

As you begin to plan your marketing events for 2020, remember that your audience is being pulled in a million different directions. Host an event with the intention of creating a valuable experience that makes your guests time away from the office worth it.

Book a demo with Banzai to learn how Reach can support driving the right audience to your events.