Hosting a corporate event can be a great way to get your name out there, create stronger relationships with your target market and improve your reputation.
There are many good reasons to host a corporate event, but in order for it to be successful, it is vital that it is carefully planned. A poorly organized corporate event can do more harm than good, and you will want to do all that you can to achieve your goals for the event.
This article will outline how to plan a corporate event that will be deemed a success and hopefully help to boost performance and attract new customers to your business.
Determine The Goal Of The Event
First, you need to determine what your goals are from the event. This might be an event to attract new customers to the business, to strengthen existing relationships, or as a way to demonstrate your expertise. Once you have an idea of the goal of the event, you can then focus on the steps required to achieve this outcome.
Establish The Type Of Event
Once you know what your goals are from the event, you can establish what the best kind of event will be. There are all kinds of different corporate events to consider, such as:
- Product launch
- Seminar
- Conference
- Dinner party
- Awards show
- Trade show
Work Out A Budget
At this point, you need to sit down and work out how much money you are happy to spend on the event. Hosting a corporate event can be expensive, so it is important that you have a figure in mind; otherwise, the costs can spiral.
Although it can be expensive, you need to think beyond the price and consider all of the benefits that a successful event could have for your business. Additionally, there are always ways that you can make savings on the event, but there are also areas where you will not want to sacrifice quality (entertainment, food, and the venue).
Work Out A Ballpark Figure
You will then want to estimate how many guests will be attending the event. This is an important step because it will determine many other factors, so you want to work out whether you will be hosting a small and intimate event or a much larger affair.
You also need to establish the demographics of the people that will be coming and keep them in mind when making any kind of decision.
Pick A Suitable Venue
At this point, you can begin to think about venues. Obviously, this will depend on the type of event that you are hosting and the number of people that you are expecting.
When picking a venue, it needs to be somewhere that will be comfortably large enough for the event but also somewhere that is easy to access for your guests and has plenty of parking.
Send Out Your Invites
Next, you will want to send your invites out, and you will want to give your guests as much notice as possible so that as many people can come as possible. Make sure that they RSVP so that you can keep count of how many people will be in attendance and specify whether they can bring additional guests or not.
Plan The Entertainment
Now, you can get to work planning the entertainment for the event that will help you to achieve your goals. This will depend on the type of event that you are hosting, but it might include preparing speeches, creating exhibitions, or simply planning the music if you are hosting a party for your guests.
Choose The Best Food Option
You need to provide food for your guests so that they can relax, enjoy themselves and stay at the event for a long period. If it is the type of event where people will be sitting down for the duration, then you should consider sit-down meals from a catering company.
If it is more of a party with a less formal feel, then a buffet is a good option as this will allow people to pick and choose what and how much they eat, and they can mingle as they enjoy the food.
Hire A Bartender
You will want to serve drinks for the event as well, especially if it is a party. You can hire private party bartending services that will have experience in corporate events and help to make sure that everyone can enjoy a drink and have a good time.
Bartending services can provide enough wine, beer, spirits, cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverages for the entire event and will add a touch of class and sophistication to the event.
Hire A Photographer
What good is hosting a corporate event if you cannot capture it on camera and share it on social media? This is why it is worthwhile hiring a professional photographer for the event so that you can get plenty of shots to create a record of the event that can then be shared on social media and on the company website.
Use Branding
When it comes to decorating the venue for the corporate event, you need to have strong branding to reinforce your brand and for promotional reasons. This is particularly helpful when it comes to photographs from the event and can make a big difference to the atmosphere and feel of the event.
Assign Roles To Team Members
Hosting a large-scale corporate event is an awful lot of work, and it can be daunting, especially if you do not have any experience in it.
Therefore, you will find it helpful to involve your team and to assign different roles to people (you should try to match the task to skill here). This will lighten the load, help others to feel involved, and should make the event more likely to be a success.
Create A Detailed Schedule For The Event
At this point, the event should be shaping up nicely, and you will have a loose idea of how the day will unfold.
You do not want a loose idea heading into the day itself, which is why it is a good idea to create a detailed schedule for the event and to make sure that everyone understands what their roles are and what they should be doing at each moment. Hopefully, this will tighten things up and ensure that everything goes off without a hitch on the big day.
Plan Time For Networking
Following on from this, you do not want the event to be packed with entertainment, and it is important that there is time for your guests to breathe, relax and mingle.
This is why you should schedule in time for drinks and networking, which can also be the perfect time for you and others from the business to mingle and create and strengthen relationships with your guests.
Have A Backup Plan
It is sensible to have a backup plan in place for all of the key aspects of the party. Anyone that is experienced in party planning knows that the unexpected can happen, and you need to have contingency plans in place so that the event is not negatively impacted.
A few common problems that arise with corporate events include a vendor or speaker getting ill (especially during COVID-19), a mix-up with the food, or rain interfering with any activities planned for outdoors.
Make Sure Staff Are Easy To Spot
During the event, it is important they vendors and members of staff are easy to spot for your guests. Having uniforms and name tags means that people will be able to get assistance and ask questions when they need it.
A corporate event needs to have direction, and members of staff being available to help guests will be key for making sure that everyone has a good time and feels comfortable.
Drum Up Excitement On Social Media
In the run-up to the event, you will want to drum up excitement on social media, particularly if this is a ticketed event. A corporate event is always a chance to get your name out there and increase brand awareness, so you will want to post about the event to social media before, during, and after the event.
Relax & Enjoy The Event
Once the big day finally arrives, it is important to try and relax and enjoy the event. This is easier said than done, but you need to avoid being too stressed during the event so that you can mingle, strengthen relationships, and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Follow Up
After the event, you should follow up with guests to see if they had a good time and for feedback. You should also review the event on the company blog and on social media and encourage people to upload their pictures (this will keep the event alive and allow you to continue marketing your business).
Hopefully, the advice in this post will help you to plan the perfect corporate event that achieves the goals of the event and gives your business a boost.