The Significance of 'PR-Led' Internal Events for 200-Person Organizations: The Positioning of 'Blue-Collar' PR in the AI Era
Does your company hold internal events?
Anniversary parties, company-wide kick-off meetings, general employee meetings, or year-end parties... The term 'internal event' covers a wide range of scales, purposes, and content.
Many organizers struggle with the question of 'how much should we do ourselves, and how much should we leave to the professionals?' With huge budgets required just for venue and catering costs, it is certainly 'easier' to outsource everything. However, if you want to infuse that event with 'soul' and 'passion,' the story changes.
At Geeks, we have held an internal event called the 'Geeks Award' (formerly a general meeting) twice a year since our founding. With nearly 200 participants now, I would like to use this event as an example to propose a stance for PR professionals in the AI era regarding how much of an internal event should be planned, prepared, and operated under PR leadership.
This theme may resonate not only with PR professionals but also with those in General Affairs and HR. Also, since this article uses a 200-person event as a reference, the requirements will naturally change as the scale grows larger. I hope this serves as a helpful reference for those planning events of a similar size.
Click here for previous articles in this series
Geeks Award: A Point of Convergence for Gratitude, Praise, and Culture
The 'Geeks Award' event featured here is a place where all employees gather twice a year to look back on the initiatives and achievements of that period. The biggest highlight is the presentation of the 'Buddy Award,' the MVP for the half-year selected based on employee votes. There is an intensity there that transcends the framework of a mere 'internal event.'
Strategically 'evolving' culture
Originally, this event had a strong flavor of a 'drinking party' or 'social gathering' to deepen friendships among members. As the business expanded and the organization grew, its role was strategically evolved, and elements of an 'award' were added.
As an organization grows, it becomes difficult to align perceptions on 'what should be evaluated and what should be praised.' Is it enough to just generate sales figures and achieve goals? How should contribution to the organization be measured? Are there specific behaviors expected of each individual?
Therefore, to permeate and strengthen Geeks' culture and make it a place where winners are genuinely celebrated by their peers, it was refined into its current format. This coincided with the timing when the '10 Principles,' Geeks' code of conduct, were clearly defined. The 'Buddy Award' is based on the embodiment of the '10 Principles' and is selected through employee voting; it is precisely because there is a 'yardstick' called the code of conduct that there is a sense of conviction regarding the awards.
Staging that creates an overwhelming 'sense of specialness'
Because the 'Geeks Award' is held against this backdrop, the venue is a large hotel hall, with members walking down a red-carpeted aisle in formal attire. The cuisine includes full-course French, Japanese, or Chinese meals depending on the occasion, and the scene is described as being like the 'Academy Awards.'
For the announcement of the 'Buddy Award,' the highlight of the Geeks Award, we plan and stage it by focusing on how to move the hearts of not only the winners but all attendees. We build a 'sense of specialness' through surprise announcements where no one knows the winner until the day of, the preparation of congratulatory comments, and for some awards, the introduction of messages from family, friends, and mentors.
We even consider how members who missed out on the award can harbor a positive sense of frustration—thinking, 'I will definitely stand on that stage next time'—and channel that energy into organizational growth.
Why does PR take the lead?
This event used to be planned under a project system by volunteer members. The turning point was the shift to online hosting due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to proceed with rapid preparation and response under restrictions, the Corporate Planning Department's PR team at the time (the current PR & Sustainability Promotion Department) took the lead in planning.
This served as the catalyst, and now, as part of our internal communications, the PR team handles everything from planning and preparation to execution. It is not just about 'event management,' but about how to deliver the company's message to members and how to protect and nurture our culture.
By applying the 'editing' and 'dissemination' skills inherent to PR within the organization, the Geeks Award has evolved into a more strategic initiative.
Leave the specialized work to the experts, but never relinquish the 'context'.
The explanation of the Geeks Award has become a bit long, but without conveying this background, it would be difficult to explain the extent to which the PR team leads the planning, preparation, and execution of internal events.
Even when we say it is 'PR-led,' we do not complete all the work by ourselves. We clearly distinguish between areas where we should borrow professional skills and areas where we must infuse our own intent. It might be more accurate to say that for the parts we handle, 'we do not compromise and we maintain control'.
Borrow the power of specialists, but do not hand over the 'concept'
We outsource areas that require high professional skills, such as the production of opening movies and award recipient introduction videos, as well as sound and lighting direction on the day of the event. For an event of 200 people, we believe in 'leaving it to the experts' to ensure quality.
You might think, 'If it is PR-led, aren't you outsourcing quite a bit?' However, we never outsource the core of the event: 'concept formulation' and 'message context construction'.
It is difficult for external specialists to fully understand the company's current situation and the thoughts the management team wants to convey to members, and even if they try to incorporate them without full understanding, it will result in a misalignment. It is like starting with a direction that is off by just one degree; the final destination will gradually become further away. Since outsourcing to a third party becomes a 'game of telephone' from PR to the outside, it would be difficult for them to grasp it better than the PR team.
Turning the 'stories' of 200 people into production
One of the roles we value as Geeks PR is 'synchronizing with the field'.
For example, knowing what the award recipients were evaluated for, what walls they have hit in the past, and how they embody our '10 Principles.' Because we deeply understand that background, we can create a production that the entire organization can empathize with. This is also possible because we have a foundation where the management team is cooperative with the awards and trusts the PR team to handle it, and I am endlessly grateful for this environment.
Also, our gaze is not only on the award recipients. We look at whether members who unfortunately were not selected can feel a positive sense of frustration, thinking, 'I will be the one standing there next time.' That energy tightens the atmosphere of the entire event and turns into organizational momentum for the next half-year. This is also a role unique to us, as we communicate with members daily and can grasp the condition of the organization.
It is something I can say because we are in charge of 'internal communications' as a department role, but even without that title, isn't the ability to 'synchronize with the field' and select the 'words most needed by the company' an essential skill for PR at any phase?
5 things we value in conducting internal events
Our answer to the question, 'To what extent should the PR team lead the planning, preparation, and execution of internal events?'
It is that if you have honed the ability to 'synchronize with the field' and select the 'words most needed by the company,' then you should not outsource the core of the event, which is 'concept formulation' and 'message context construction'.
We create the cue sheets and scripts ourselves, and we can even produce rough drafts of movies in-house (though we may leave it to specialists depending on the situation), but if PR in the AI era is to take on internal events, a sense of balance is required: 'having the foundation to create it yourself, while appropriately requesting help from AI and external specialists.' It might be the turn of 'blue-collar PR' who works hard on the ground and surveys the company with higher resolution than anyone else.
Here are five stances we value in shaping a 200-person event.
1. Preparation starts a year in advance. Two awards running in parallel
There is no 'off-season' for Geeks Award preparations. Although it is held twice a year, while we are busy preparing for the next one, the venue booking for the 'one after next' and travel arrangements for members gathering from all over the country are already moving in parallel.
With WBS for two events running and hundreds of tasks for each, migrating from management tools and spreadsheets to Asana has made task listing and preventing omissions much more robust. The mindset that 'it is better to start too early than too late' is an important stance that supports this massive progress management.
2. An 'inverted' organizational chart to accelerate decision-making
Regarding the Geeks Award, there is a major feature in our team management. The members handle the project progress management, and the department manager handles the main execution of tasks.
In a standard workflow, members handle the practical tasks while the manager takes responsibility for management, but for this project, we have intentionally 'reversed' these roles. The reason for this is to maximize the speed of decision-making.
As this is an event closely watched by management, it requires high-level 'coordination' and 'decisions' with internal and external stakeholders to be made quickly. By having the manager, who holds a certain level of decision-making authority, stand at the forefront of operations, we eliminate the internal costs of 'explanation, consultation, and rework from members to the manager.' This shortest-distance communication is the best use of talent we have identified within our current operational structure.
3. Mechanisms to turn 'participants' into 'stakeholders'
Since the Geeks Award is also the venue for announcing the semi-annual MVP 'Buddy Award,' it is an event that many members naturally look forward to. However, as the scale grows, there is a risk that differences in enthusiasm may emerge, or that it may appear as an 'inside joke' where only the organizing committee is excited.
Therefore, we have prepared several mechanisms to turn mere 'participants' into 'project stakeholders.' For example, we have members serve as emcees and have presenters announce the winners. By deciding the presenters through a 'public lottery' in advance, we create the possibility for anyone to be involved on stage.
In the past, we have carried out various projects such as countdown posts featuring members and retrospective panels. The current approach of using a 'lottery' for presenters creates a sense of uncertainty—'you never know when you might be involved'—which boosts a sense of ownership and encourages people to treat the event as their own.
4. In the final week, become the 'biggest fan' and 'stakeholder' more than anyone else
One week before the event, after the results of the employee vote are officially approved by the management meeting, the 'Buddy Award' winners are finalized. From this point on, preparations literally reach a 'critical moment,' and the time we leave the office naturally gets later.
What is important here, above all, is the tenacity of 'blue-collar PR.' We push through until the day of the event with the single-minded determination to 'make this an absolutely great event.' Preventing missed tasks is a given, but this 'pushing through' in the final period leads to attention to detail, the prevention of trouble, and above all, the 'atmosphere of hospitality' on the day itself.
'There is no one else who thinks about the company as much as we do and has prepared so diligently.'
Even if our role is behind the scenes, we boost ourselves with such overwhelming 'sense of ownership.' I believe that because the planners proceed with preparations as the 'biggest fans' of the event more than anyone else, that enthusiasm spreads and creates moments that move the hearts of the participants.
5. Everything is complete with the words 'That was a great event'
Finally, the stance we value most is 'letting go of the need for approval.'
While it is true that the current members of the PR team are the type who can 'fairly evaluate and approve themselves,' we are conscious of eliminating personal feelings such as 'wanting to be recognized by someone by making this event a success.'
The stars are, after all, the winners on stage and the members who celebrate their colleagues. As stagehands, we focus solely on fulfilling our assigned roles and delivering results that exceed expectations. Rather, we believe we should evaluate our own progress in being entrusted with this massive project to the fullest extent ourselves.
In the survey conducted after the awards, we receive various feedback, including harsh opinions. However, if we can receive even one comment saying 'It was a great event' or 'I'm looking forward to the next one,' that alone gives us the positive feeling to 'do it again' (though in reality, we are already working on it in parallel).
Final message: The 'resolution of the field' required for PR in the AI era
In this article, I have shared our approach to 'to what extent should PR lead the planning, preparation, and operation of internal events?' using the Geeks Award as an example.
In the AI era, the 'in-house' parts we are currently focused on will also see AI utilization progress, and a time will come when we leave each task to external specialists and AI.
However, AI still cannot perceive the subtle nuances of management at any given time, the condition of the organization, or the gritty stories that the winners have walked through, and convert that into the 'enthusiasm' that envelops the venue.
PR staff working with their own hands and struggling in the field, acting in a 'blue-collar' manner. I believe that this process, which at first glance seems inefficient, is what directly leads to increasing the resolution of the organization and the ability to select the 'words most needed by the company.'
Isn't this one way for PR, which manages communication with all stakeholders—not just for internal events—to survive and thrive?
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Actually, because I was handling 12 interviews with Geeks Award winners simultaneously, there was such a long gap between article publications that it wouldn't have been strange if people thought, 'Has the Geeks PR Lab given up already?' To make up for that regret and channel my enthusiasm, this has become quite a long article (laughs).
I have already started working on the fifth installment, so I hope to deliver it without such a long break next time. Thank you very much for reading this far!