‘’Corporate events’’ can encompass a wide range of activities. The purpose may be to entertain a client, hold a conference or seminar, train new employees or launch a new product or service. Regardless of the purpose, careful planning is required for successful execution. The exact nature of your planning will depend on the specific event, but there are some basics to consider that apply generally. While this post cannot cover every aspect of planning a corporate event, it can give you some important points to consider.
Be Organized
This may seem obvious but we are all prone to poor planning and failing to do even the simplest things may spell disaster for our event. Make sure everyone involved in the planning process has defined roles and knows what they are responsible for doing. Create checklists and a calendar that clearly states deadlines for completing the different tasks of the planning project.
Everyone needs to be clear on the budget and other details integral to the planning process. You need to know how much can be handled by people within the company and when you may need to turn to outside sources, like an event management company for assistance. Make sure you have copies of all agreements, contracts, seating charts and other important documents. You will have to set a budget for your event, but you will also need to make provisions for unexpected expenses; where is this money coming from? Make sure someone is onsite to deal with any technical issues that may arise with speakers, microphones or other equipment.
Give Yourself Enough Time
If you want your corporate event to go off without a hitch or with as few hitches as possible, give yourself enough time to get everything you need. Again, that might be something that is obvious but that we may not do successfully. There are no set rules, but the following guidelines may help. At least six months before the planned event, identify the objectives of the event and the budget. Make a brief outlining the core aspects of the event.
About four to six months before the event, you want to start looking at venues, seek out the availability of important attendees, such as the business keynote speaker, set a firm date and begin communication with the main people involved in planning. At four months, it is a good idea to have a guest list in mind and find suppliers, such as caterers.
This list could go on until the day before the event, but I wanted to provide information on some of the most important aspects of the planning process that need to be worked on ideally several months before the event is scheduled.
Planning a big corporate event is stressful enough as it is and simply committing to the planning process as early as possible will ease this stress a great deal.
Make Sure You Accommodate Your Attendees as Best You Can
If your event is at least two hours, it is a good idea to have at least a snack for the attendees. Any event longer than four hours should have a meal. Regardless of the length of the event, always have beverages available, such as coffee and water. Make sure plans are in place to accommodate guests with disabilities, special dietary needs or any other special requirements. Also, be sure to consider transportation and parking scenarios.
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Kelli Cooper is a freelance writer who enjoys helping her clients grow their businesses and websites. If you are in the market for a professional speaker for your corporate event, check out Leading Authorities, one of the top speakers bureaus.