10 ERG Event Ideas That Employees Actually Want to Attend
Reading time: 2 minutes. Practical, well-attended event ideas for Employee Resource Groups, with real examples of speakers and formats that work.
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) often carry the weight of driving culture and inclusion within a business, but they don't always have unlimited time or budget to plan events that people genuinely want to attend. This guide offers ten ideas that consistently perform well, along with examples of speakers suited to each.
ERG events at a glance
| Event type | Best for |
|---|---|
| Founder conversations | Entrepreneurship and career-development focused ERGs |
| Wellbeing workshops | Health, disability and general wellbeing ERGs |
| Black History Month panels | Race and ethnicity focused ERGs |
| Storytelling sessions | Culture, identity and belonging focused ERGs |
| Leadership talks | Career progression and mentorship focused ERGs |
10 ideas worth trying
Founder conversations. Bring in an entrepreneur to talk candidly about building a business the wins, the failures, and everything in between.
Wellbeing workshops. Interactive sessions on movement, confidence or health tend to outperform passive talks.
Black History Month panels. A panel format, rather than a single speaker, allows for a wider range of perspectives in one session.
Storytelling sessions. Give employees the space to share their own stories, guided by an experienced facilitator.
Leadership talks. Sessions from leaders who've navigated similar career paths to your ERG's membership.
Mentorship matching events. Structured sessions that pair employees with mentors from within or outside the business.
Book clubs with a guest author or expert. A low-cost, high-engagement format for smaller ERGs.
"Ask me anything" sessions. Informal, unscripted conversations tend to generate the most authentic engagement.
Cross-ERG collaboration events. Joint sessions between ERGs (e.g. gender and wellbeing) often reach wider audiences.
Skills workshops. Practical sessions, negotiation, personal branding, public speaking, delivered by someone with direct experience.
Examples that work well in practice
Jenny Okolo for corporate events focused on accessibility, mental health and wellbeing.
Ray Sang for culture and marketing-focused conversations, particularly where an ERG intersects with brand or creative teams.
Nana Crawford for wellbeing-focused sessions that benefit from a more active, participatory format.
The common thread across all ten ideas is the same: employees respond best to events that feel genuine, relevant and interactive, rather than a passive hour of listening. Choosing the right format and the right speaker makes the difference between an event people tolerate and one they actually look forward to.
Planning your next ERG event? Get in touch, and we'll help you find a speaker and format that fits.