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Planning a Corporate Event helps your business develop relationships in your industry that are going to be beneficial in the long run. The following key elements are essential to create a successful event:

Define Your Audience

Create a clear definition of the people you want at your event. Who do you want there? Company executives? Upper management? Business partners? Community members? Longtime clients? Potential clients? Maybe it’s a combination of all of the above. Let’s figure out who your target audience is and how you can reach them. Once you have done this, you will be able to cater the program to their needs and interests. A good bonus tip to remember; It’s better to have more people show up than to not have invited enough people and have your event be empty.

Regardless of how small or large the guest list is, what people will remember most is how they were treated. Every person invited is potential brand ambassador or word-of-mouth spokesperson for your business. Therefore, create a significant impact on the guest experience by not overlooking the little details that each attendee will appreciate. 

Budget Realistically

Recognize how much money you have to work with in order to determine the kind of event you can produce. Decide early on how much you’re willing to spend, then plan to spend at least 10% more of what you originally set. Once you have created a budget goal, learn where to allocate most of your resources. For example if you spend most of your budget on fancy decorations than on a skilled tech crew, your event may lack substance. Also, do not skimp on food/beverages, and take dietary restrictions into account. Some may not see this as important however, audiences are more forgiving of missteps when they aren’t hungry/thirsty.

Theme and Format

Once you have your objectives and audience defined, it is time to choose a theme/topic for the event and determine the best format for presenting it to your guests. Offer opportunities for attendees to do something fun, memorable and entertaining that they wouldn’t typically do anywhere or any other time. Such as hearing from a famous speaker, comedian/band, playing on a golf course, or trying something new for the first time. Allow your corporate event to be both immersive and educational. Make this event out of the box and spend time trying to figure out what will differentiate your event from others that are in your industry.

Project Timeline

Designing an event requires you to keep track and organization of a broad range of tasks. Creating a detailed checklist will allow you to streamline all of the tiny details and help you stay organized with everything being planned. You can do this through an online management software or by simply creating a spreadsheet and using individual tabs for each category, such as venue, speakers, schedule, agenda, and travel. Creating a list of each activity/task, people responsible for each part of the process, and any relevant deadlines.

Find the Right Location

Find a venue that allows you to bring your vision, objectives, and theme to life. We know it can be tempting to jump ahead and book a venue you’ve had your eye on. Location is key to attendance so make sure your venue is comfortable for your audience and that it provides a vibrant atmosphere. Ensure that you have clear indications on where the venue is located. Don’t be afraid to book your venue on an off day where it might be cheaper. Saving money on your venue means you have more in the budget for other things. Booking a venue that is less popular or asking about holding the event on days where it is more affordable can help keep your expenses down.

Logistics

Identify, vet, and contract all the necessary event specialists needed to have a successful event. This includes caterers, audiovisual technicians, printers, decorators, photographers, florists, and security personnel. There is much more to include in this list which is why it is important to communicate ideas that you’d like to circulate throughout each gathering. In order to be assured that everything goes according to plan on the day of, strategize a plan to to make sure everyone on your team knows what aspects of the day they are responsible for managing. Work with intention to create a balanced event; between keeping attendees engaged and giving them some freedom in their schedule. Keep people interested without jam-packing their schedule either. Allow them to also have some time for themselves to process what they are taking in from your event.

Make Use of Technology

The use of event apps can help you significantly streamline planning and increase engagement among attendees. With the innovative inventions we have today with social media, make sure to take advantage of interactive features, such as live polling and Q&A sessions which can then be displayed on large screen in the venue.

Promote Your Event

If people don’t about your event then no one will show up, shocker, we know. It is imperative to find creative ways to get the word out. Send out invitations, use an email database, place ads in industry newsletters, encourage sales teams to promote. Treat your event and it’s timeline as you would treat the promotion of your business marketing plan. This can be beneficial to it’s success. Promote on social media and have your team spread the words. Create an event website or new landing page on your current site. Social media marketing can include promo videos, guest blog posts, and Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter updates. Also explore possible sponsorship opportunities for your event. Sponsors can help fund a portion of the event which helps you defray the costs. More importantly, sponsors have a vested interest in promoting your affair. Brainstorm a list of ideal sponsors whose brand, mission, or services complement your event in some way.

Celebrate and Evaluate. 

Celebrate and evaluate your event planning success. If your event turned out successful, congratulations! However, you are not quite done yet. There are still some loose ends to wrap up, such as final payments, reconciling your finances and conducting a post-event debrief with your team. Most importantly, gather feedback from guests. If you used an event-planning app then use it to obtain feedback and obtain any questions asked by attendees. With this information, you will know whether or not you met your original goals and what impact, if any, your event had on the attendees. The lessons you learn you learn from this event will help you plan an even better event next time.

As we know, building a lasting relationships is a necessity for any business, big or small. Therefore, producing a professional event is imperative for growth. Hosting a corporate affair will allow you to do this for current clients and partners, while also developing genuine connections and attracting future relationships.

If you’re hosting a product launch for 1,000 people or 10 people, it is crucial to approach each gathering with an understanding of the basic elements of event management: research, design, planning, coordination and evaluation. With these stages, we will have all the key steps to plan and create an event your attendees will never forget! We are here ready with ten tips to get you started.