Intro

Employee Resource Groups are leading the charge on company culture - and a huge part of that is planning events that foster engagement, belonging, purpose and awareness. At Verbate, we know this is no easy task. Our job is to make your job easier. 

For a deep dive on how to make sure your events are leveraging the best practices, check out our guide to successful events here. In this article, we give you some example events to get those creative juices flowing! 

Example ERG Events

Networking Happy Hour

Description: A networking happy hour gives members of your ERG an opportunity to meet each other in-person and others who support your community. 

Alignment: ‍‍‍

Goals: Fosters Community, Career Development & Morale

Stakeholder: ERG Community chair working with events team

Execution: 

Timeline: September 4, 2022

Internal Comms: Company-Wide email day prior to event, Verbate calendar post

Critical Tasks: Book space, purchase food/beverages

Reporting: 

Key Metrics: Attendance

Post-Event Retro: Virtual Touch Base

Company-wide Speaker Event

Description: A speaker event brings together members of your company to learn from a leader who represents your ERG’s community. 

Alignment: 

Goals: Show company commitment to ERG, Fosters Community

Stakeholder: ERG Lead & Company Chief of Staff

Execution: 

Timeline: January 8, 2022

Internal Comms: Company-wide email day before, General Slack Channel message day of, Verbate Post

Critical Tasks: Book speaker, book virtual or in-person venue

Reporting: 

Key Metrics: Attendance, Education Survey

Post-Event Retro: Company Survey, ERG Retro 

Heritage Month Celebration 

Description: Celebrate your ERG’s heritage and highlight cultural traditions with a heritage month celebration. 

Alignment: 

Goals: Showcase Culture, Foster Community, Show company commitment to diversity

Stakeholder: ERG Co-Leads, Executive Sponsor

Execution: 

Timeline: February 15, 2022

Internal Comms: ERG-wide email day month before, company-wide email day-of, Verbate calendar post

Critical Tasks: Buy necessary materials, reserve space if necessary

Reporting: 

Key Metrics: Attendance, Employee Engagement Survey

Post-Event Retro: ERG Virtual Meeting

Need More Inspiration? Here’s a speed round of event ideas:

• Mid-Level Employee Seminar with Leadership
  

• Post-Event Retro: Company Survey, ERG Retro 
  

• ‘Day in the Life’ Cross-Team Event
  

• Community Volunteer Day
  

• Offsite for ERG Leads & Members
  

• New Hire Welcome Lunch
  

• Cultural Cooking Night

• Community Town Hall on Timely Issues