Insight Type: Event Strategy

What the latest workplace research tells us about the power of bringing people together. 

The case for well designed internal events has never been stronger. Employee engagement is falling, loneliness at work is rising and AI is reshaping how we work. The need for meaningful human connection is becoming increasingly important.

Research from the Institute of Internal Communications and other leading workplace studies highlights the value of face to face experiences and why internal events need to do more than simply bring people into a room. People need opportunities to connect, contribute and feel part of something.

At Powwow, that’s where we start. Not with the venue or the agenda, but with what the experience needs to achieve for the people in the room and the organisation bringing them together.

People want to be together. They just need a reason.

The Gensler Global Workplace Survey found that employees currently spend 54% of their working week in the office, but want to spend 61%. That gap has held for three years running. The implication for internal events is clear: when people gather with genuine purpose, it lands. Without it, it’s just another day in a room.

54% of employees’ time is spent in the office, against a desired 61%

Engagement is in freefall. And that is a problem events can help solve.

Gallup’s 2026 State of the Global Workplace report delivers a stark finding: global employee engagement fell to 20% in 2025, its lowest level since 2020. That is two consecutive years of decline, the first time Gallup has ever recorded back-to-back drops in its 12 years of tracking this data. No region of the world saw engagement increase. Not one.

To understand what that means in human terms: each percentage point of global engagement represents roughly 21 million workers. The three-point drop since 2022 represents tens of millions of people who have psychologically checked out of their jobs. Gallup estimates that disengagement cost the global economy $10 trillion in lost productivity in 2025 alone, the equivalent of 9% of global GDP.

$10 trillion estimated cost of disengagement to the global economy

The IoIC’s IC Index 2025 adds crucial nuance. It identifies leaders as a central part of the problem: employees need the human touch. They want leaders who listen, who break down hierarchical barriers and who have real conversations. The data points to higher employee advocacy, engagement and retention as tangible outcomes when that happens. Internal events, designed well, are one of the most direct mechanisms for making it happen.

Loneliness is a business problem, not a personal one.

67% of Gen Z report feelings of loneliness, and 27% say it is affecting their motivation at work. These are not abstract wellbeing statistics. They are signals about what your people need from the time they spend together. Internal events that are genuinely designed to connect people, not just brief them, address something real and increasingly urgent.

27% say loneliness is affecting their motivation

AI is making human connection more valuable, not less.

Perhaps the most counterintuitive finding in the research: high AI users are spending more time in collaborative and social activities than their peers, not less. The technology is creating a pull towards human interaction. This puts well-designed internal events in a strategically important position, not as a nice-to-have, but as a direct response to how work is changing.

Internal communication has moved beyond broadcast.

The IoIC Future of IC white paper positions internal communication as the glue that coheres teams, and identifies live events as one of the primary tools for building cross-functional community. The shift is from telling people things to involving them in something. That distinction is everything when it comes to designing a programme that actually moves people.

If you are thinking about your next internal programme and want to make sure it earns its place, we would love to talk.

A great summer event is about more than sunshine, good food and a chance to celebrate. It’s an opportunity to recognise achievements, strengthen connections and give your team something to look forward to.

Whether you’re celebrating a milestone, bringing colleagues together or building momentum for the months ahead, a well-designed summer gathering can make a real difference.

And the best ones? They balance a clear purpose with an experience people genuinely enjoy.

Why summer celebrations matter

Celebrating achievements.

Recognising progress at the halfway mark reinforces positive behaviours and acknowledges the effort your team has already invested, giving everyone a chance to celebrate how far they’ve come.

Building stronger connections.

The relaxed atmosphere of summer events creates natural opportunities for team members to interact outside their usual work groups, fostering collaboration that carries forward into future projects.

Creating momentum for what’s next.

A well-timed summer event provides the perfect opportunity to realign around goals for the second half of the year, reconnecting people with a shared sense of purpose.

Three summer event themes to inspire your next celebration. 

Havana nights: vintage cuban elegance

Transport your team to 1950s Cuba with this sophisticated yet energetic theme. Picture ornate ironwork, vintage furniture settings, lush tropical plants, and subtle Art Deco touches creating an atmosphere of relaxed elegance.

The experience comes alive through live Latin jazz or Cuban son performers, cocktail stations featuring rum classics beyond just mojitos, and food stations offering elevated takes on traditional Cuban dishes. Consider interactive elements like cigar-rolling demonstrations or salsa dance lessons to keep the energy high while creating natural conversation starters.

Recently, we’ve brought this theme to life ourselves, transforming a hotel terrace into old Havana for a financial services client. Complete with vintage cars as photo opportunities and hand-painted ceramic tiles as take-home gifts. Guests reported feeling like they’d genuinely escaped to another place and time, exactly the break high performing teams need mid-year.

Mediterranean escape: coastal elegance

Create an instant holiday feeling with a Mediterranean-inspired gathering. This theme balances sophistication with relaxation through a colour palette of azure blues, crisp whites, and terracotta accents, complemented by olive trees, fragrant herbs, and flickering lanterns.

Food becomes central to the experience, with interactive stations offering fresh seafood, hand-stretched pizzas, and regional specialties. Beverage offerings might include wine tastings highlighting Mediterranean regions or spritz bars featuring herbal variations beyond the classic Aperol.

It’s a theme that naturally encourages people to slow down, relax and connect. It encourages lingering conversations and creates a sense of generosity perfect for relationship-building events.

Sustainable garden party: conscious celebration

A summer celebration can look beautiful, feel special and still make thoughtful choices about its environmental impact. The sustainable garden party concept proves that eco-conscious events can be visually stunning and memorable without excessive waste.

Centrepieces feature living plants later donated to community gardens, locally grown flowers in repurposed containers, and rental décor elements carefully selected for their reusability. Menu development focuses on seasonal British produce, waste-conscious preparation techniques, and partnerships with suppliers committed to ethical practices.

Beyond aesthetics, this theme creates natural talking points around sustainability initiatives within your organisation, connecting your event to broader corporate values. It’s a way to bring your organisation’s values into the experience, rather than simply talking about them.

How Powwow brings summer celebrations to life

Great summer events don’t start with a theme. They start with understanding your people, your objectives and what you want the experience to achieve. From there, we bring together the right ideas, expertise and attention to detail to make it happen.

Finding the right setting. We scout locations across the country (and beyond) to find spaces that align with your vision, budget, and practical requirements, often uncovering hidden gems you might not have considered.

Bringing ideas to life. Our creative team develops concepts that consider every touchpoint of the guest experience, from first invitation to the final moment.

Making everything run smoothly. We manage the moving parts behind the scenes, from suppliers and production to budgets and onsite delivery, so you can enjoy the experience alongside your team.

Making the experience count. We help establish clear objectives for your summer event and capture the feedback and insights that show what worked and what comes next.

Let’s make your next summer event count

Whether you’re planning a relaxed garden party or a fully immersive celebration, we’ll help you create something worth getting together for.

Have a summer event in mind? Let’s talk!