A corporate event runs on phones. Guests check the agenda, scan badges, swap contacts and book the ride home on the same battery they woke up with. A mobile phone charging station keeps those phones going without tying anyone to an outlet, and it can carry your brand while it does.

Why corporate event guests need a charge

Every corporate event asks a lot of a phone battery, and the biggest ask comes last: the ride home, booked when the battery is lowest. Pew Research Center reports that about nine in 10 U.S. adults (91%) own a smartphone, so plan as if every guest walks in with one.

Battery worry is common enough that LG gave it a name. The company polled more than 2,000 adult U.S. smartphone users, and FOX 13 reported its finding that nearly nine out of 10 people suffer from the fear of losing power on their phone. At a work event, that fear sends guests to the one outlet behind the coffee station, or out of a session to find another.

That is why charging belongs on any list of practical corporate event ideas. It solves a problem nearly every guest brings through the door. For more ways to put technology to work at your next corporate event, see our guide to tech that improves business events.

chargeFUZE's mobile charging kiosks can increase dwell time as much as 2x, encouraging attendees to stay longer and participate more. For a company host, more time in the room means more time with speakers and sponsors.

• Phones run the day Agendas, maps, badges and the ride home all draw on one battery.
• Nearly everyone carries one Pew puts smartphone ownership at 91% of U.S. adults.
• Low battery pulls people away In LG's survey, nearly nine in 10 users feared losing power.

91% of U.S. adults own a smartphone (Pew Research Center, Mobile Fact Sheet)

5 steps to a charged corporate event

Step 1: Pick the right station for your corporate event

Start with the kind of mobile phone charging station you want. A charging locker holds the phone, so its owner waits beside it. A rental station works differently. chargeFUZE stations eject a portable charger, which lets attendees "charge on the go without staying plugged in," as its events page puts it. At a conference or company meeting, that keeps guests in the session instead of the hallway.

Size comes next. chargeFUZE's event stations hold from 15 to 200 portable chargers, and its team makes a bespoke recommendation from your event details. Its events page says it has powered events of all sizes, including intimate 100-person corporate events.

Then check the room. Corporate event venues differ more than a floor plan shows: a hotel ballroom may have outlets only along the walls, a rooftop none at all. Each chargeFUZE station needs 15 amps of power. Stations work on 4G, but for larger events chargeFUZE recommends WiFi or Ethernet, so ask the venue what it can supply at the spot you have in mind.

Guests don't need their own cord, either. Built-in Lightning, USB-C and Micro-USB connections cover iPhones and Android devices, plus tablets, select laptops and headphones.

Match the setup to your venue

Venue | What to check | What to ask chargeFUZE

Hotel ballroom or conference center | Outlet locations and in-house WiFi | How many stations fit your headcount

Company office or headquarters | Power near the lobby or event space | Where guests will gather between sessions

Rooftop or outdoor space | Whether power has to be brought in | Whether 4G will do or you need WiFi or Ethernet

Multi-day conference | Which rooms are in use each day | Whether to add or move stations between days

Quick wins

• Count guests and session breaks first
• Confirm 15 amps at the spot you want
• Ask the venue about WiFi or Ethernet

Step 2: Add charging to your corporate event checklist

Event management is project management applied to a gathering, and a project plan only works when each line item has an owner and a date. For a refresher, read this overview of event management basics. Charging belongs on your corporate event checklist the same way catering and AV do.

Book early. chargeFUZE recommends giving 4 to 6 weeks' notice before any event, especially if you want custom physical wraps and branding. If your date is closer than that, ask anyway. The same page says the team tries to help support all events where it can.

Write the line item so it covers what the station depends on: the booking date, power and network at the planned spot, the floor-plan location, branding deadlines, an announcement in the run of show and an owner for the post-event data.

Guest support is an easy item to tick off. chargeFUZE offers 24/7 support via text, and the support number is listed on every station's digital screen, so a guest with a question reaches a representative without tracking down your staff.

Quick wins

• Book 4 to 6 weeks before the event
• Give one person the charging line item
• Put the station on the floor plan

Put the station in the run of show, not just the vendor list. One line from the emcee at the opening session tells every guest where to grab a charger before low battery becomes their problem, or yours.

Step 3: Use the station for corporate event branding

A charging station is one of the few pieces of event gear that guests seek out on purpose, which makes it a strong tool for corporate event branding. chargeFUZE offers custom-branded stations and batteries, plus customizable and programmable digital displays, so a branded mobile phone charging station can carry your logo and colors from registration to the last toast.

Compare it with event swag. A tote bag or water bottle gets handed over once and packed away. A branded portable charger stays in the guest's hand while they take notes and meet people, and the station gets it back at the end. The brand moment repeats all day, and there is no box of leftovers to ship back.

Treat the screens as a second channel. Station displays can rotate the agenda, a welcome from leadership, sponsor thank-yous or a QR code for the session survey. Our post on amenities that build brand loyalty has more screen ideas, from real-time schedule updates to event previews.

If your event has sponsors, the station is also a package to offer them. Nick Schling, Director of Operations, PGA, said chargeFUZE's product "provides great exposure for sponsors through the interactive video screens." chargeFUZE also runs a free charging partnership, the model Chase used to give its cardholders free charging at the US Open and Lollapalooza. Ask whether a sponsor, or your own company, can cover rentals for guests the same way.

Quick wins

• Confirm artwork deadlines when you book
• Load the agenda and a survey QR code
• Offer the station to a sponsor

Step 4: Place it where team building events & networking happen

Placement decides whether guests use the station, so put it where people already gather and wait: registration, the coffee break, the hallway between session rooms and the reception bar. chargeFUZE's own event-planning advice describes charging spots as natural meeting points, which makes a station by the networking area a good place for introductions.

Because guests take the charger with them, the station does not need to sit beside seating. Guests can return a charger to any chargeFUZE station at your event. For team building events spread across a venue, that means one station at the activity base and another near the exit or the shuttle pickup.

Evening events can be the hardest on batteries. Guests film and take photos all night, and they still need enough battery to book a ride home when the party ends.

Offsites raise the stakes. The appeal of most offsite ideas is getting away from the office, but guests still run the day from their phones: the agenda, directions between buildings and messages from work. A station in the main gathering space keeps the group on schedule.

Quick wins

• Put a station at registration
• Add one near the bar or photo booth
• Place a second station near the exit

Step 5: Plan setup with your corporate event planner

Most corporate event planning runs through one person or agency, so bring the station into their plan early. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says meeting, convention and event planners "arrange all aspects of events and professional gatherings," from inspecting venues to coordinating services such as rooms, transportation and food. A charging station is one more service on that list.

Give your corporate event planner what chargeFUZE will ask for. The event inquiry form asks for the event name, start date and details. From there, chargeFUZE's sales team sets up a 15-minute call to scope fit and timeline, then builds a custom plan and pricing. Have your headcount, venue, hours and branding plans ready for that call.

Then plan the day itself: who meets the delivery, where the 15-amp power sits and which network the station will use. For more on what planners are adding to business events, read our roundup of business event planning trends.

Close the loop afterward. chargeFUZE provides post-event insights and analytics to measure performance; review them with your planner to set the station count and placement for your next event.

Quick wins

• Share headcount, venue and hours with sales
• Confirm power and network with the venue
• Review post-event data with your planner

Sources

1. Pew Research Center, Mobile Fact Sheet (pewresearch.org)
2. FOX 13, "Low battery anxiety: It's a thing," May 2016, reporting LG Electronics' survey of U.S. smartphone users
3. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners (bls.gov)
4. Wikipedia, "Event management"
5. chargeFUZE, Events, Contact Sales and FAQs pages (chargefuze.com)
6. chargeFUZE, "Free Charging With My Card?" chargeFUZE Partners with Chase (chargefuze.com)