Corporate Event Planning 101: 5 Tips For Success

Corporate events can take many forms, including product launches, promotions, team building, networking, and professional training and development. Whatever the reason, planning could be overwhelming – especially when it’s a new concept.

Furthermore, you need to get a head start for it to be successful. With so many details to consider, giving yourself more time will help prevent mistakes such as leaving out essential information like inviting shareholders or planning the budget.

You may want to consider working with event planners in your area to relieve some of the pressure. For instance, if you plan to organise events in London, contact experienced event planners to get ideas on planning the best corporate event.

If you’re wondering how to organise a successful company event, this guide provides new insights, tips, and tricks to help you with the planning:

1. Evaluate Your Main Objectives

Identifying the purpose and objectives of the event is a great way to start planning. It will give you a clear picture of what segments to include in the program, the people to invite, and which tasks to delegate to the team.

Generally, it guides all your decisions and allows you to measure the event’s success. Moreover, it will give you insight into each step as it progresses.

To streamline the planning, remember to include some of these primary goals:

• Generate an income for the company
• Boost your brand’s awareness
• Lure potential investors and new clients
• Create a community through social interaction
• Introduce new or challenging concepts
• Celebrating recent achievements or breakthroughs
• Recognising employees for their dedication
• Encourage teamwork and collaboration

Determining your objectives is the stepping stone towards planning, hosting, and completing a successful corporate event.

2. Determine The Type And Size Of The Event

Once you know the purpose, it’s easier to determine the type of event to plan. Depending on the tone you would like to set, each event could also differ from the next. For this reason, companies should carefully consider the size of their events.

On average, most corporate events fall under one of the following categories:

• Micro: These are for organisations to hold simple events with up to 100 guests. Planning such events is relatively easy but could depend on the invited delegates. For instance, if you have more senior managers, you may have to take more time organising logistics and accommodation depending on the timeframe.
• Small: These events usually accommodate 100-250 delegates. The amount of work you do will also depend on the ranks of the attendees. However, like for micro-events, you must create a program allowing breaks and planning transportation for senior managers’ guests.
• Midsize: These are larger events for up to 2000 guests, primarily for networking and trade shows when the top management wants to meet with their top clients. It involves more planning as you may also have to include after-meeting entertainment alongside accommodation and logistics.
• Large-Scale: These are the most prominent corporate events, with about 10,000 delegates. Navigating these arrangements can be challenging, and you’ll need the help of professionals to get through. You can also use enterprise technology for flight and accommodation booking, registration, and budget allocation for efficiency.

Your corporate event will be more successful when you estimate the guests to plan for. It allows you to plan accordingly and avoid surprises that may dismantle the whole program. Imagine what will happen if you have 500+ delegates when you only planned for 200!

3. Create Your Budget

The objectives and size of the event will influence the budget. Unlike other financial investments, where you create a budget and focus your decisions, planning corporate events involves establishing your budget depending on the size, goals, and type of guests you invite.

For instance, when the micro seminars are only for the top managers, you’ll likely need more resources than when planning for a small staff training with about 200 team members.

It may be because the company may have to cater for transportation, accommodations, and entertainment for the VIPs, which can be more costly budget typically includes the following:

• Venue with equipment and materials
• Refreshments and meals
• Premium gifts
• Promotional costs
• Emergencies include unforeseen power outages where backup solutions are needed.

Considering other potential and emergency costs will ensure you allocate adequate resources for the event no matter what happens. There’ll be no room for surprises, and you have better chances of a successful corporate event.

4. Select A Convenient Venue And Date

Your chosen venue will depend on the position and number of delegates coming to the events. However, ensure you book the venue at least a few months ahead to ensure it’s available. The earlier you can secure the venue, the earlier you can send out invitations too.

When selecting your venue, ensure you consider your budget. You may want something fancy and elaborate to create a buzz, but you also don’t want to overstretch company resources. If the budget doesn’t allow for a luxurious venue, pick a good location and decorate it to your company’s standards.

You must also consider the location of the venue. It has to be accessible to the guests, with essential amenities like restrooms. It must be large enough to accommodate all attendees and allow a decent layout without looking too cramped. The place should also be safe and secure, with appropriate emergency protocol and evacuation plan.

5. Build Your Team

You’ll need a team of experts to help with the event planning, from booking venues and accommodation on time, scheduling, hiring chauffeur services if necessary, and sending out invitations to creating materials. Involving your team in such preparations fosters engagement and helps ensure that tasks are delegated and completed in detail.

Furthermore, it’s an opportunity to showcase the skills and knowledge of current staff when it comes to event planning. For instance, the marketing team can help with promotional items and pamphlets, if needed, while the graphic department takes over designing invitation cards and online banners.

They may also give valuable insights and ideas to make the event successful, how to plan the program better, and other considerations. Therefore, while you may have professional event planners on the pay, ensure you also set aside some responsibilities for your co-workers.

Conclusion 

Corporate event planning, whether virtual or physical, can be demanding and daunting. Just remember that the most important considerations are the size of the event and objectives. With the right team comprising the best from the current staff and outsourced professional event planners, your first corporate event could be so successful that you’ll be trusted to handle them again next time.