A Simplified Guide To Corporate Event Planning

Are you thinking about planning an event for your company? Do you know where to start? What are the essentials when planning a corporate event? I will answer these questions and guide you through the corporate event planning process in this article.

What is a corporate event?

A new product launch, an event celebrating the achievements of your marketing or sales team, or a team picnic out in the countryside are all examples of corporate events.

When organized by a company, a corporate event can focus on its employees (team building activities, corporate meetings) or its clients (trade shows, client appreciation events, product launches). The former is a great way to appreciate your employees and let them know that they are valued in the organization. After all, employees are the most valuable resource for any company.

Corporate events are significant for companies as they provide opportunities for the inception of new ideas within the workplace. Also, they can be fun while being informative simultaneously, helping to build employee morale and facilitate team building.

When planning a corporate event, be prepared to face specific challenges such as budget constraints, low attendance, etc.

Planning A Successful Corporate Event

Before planning a corporate event, it is essential to map out everything that needs to be done. Here are the things to understand and take care of before organizing a corporate event -

Pre-Event Planning

1. Set Goals and Objectives

The first and foremost thing you need to take care of is setting a type and objective for your event.

Figure out what your corporate event will be about and what its objective will be. Whether it is a team picnic, a team meeting, or anything else, having a proper goal will help you run everything smoothly.

The main focus should be the people who attend it, so you should keep their wants and expectations in mind. Make a list of the things your guests would expect and ensure to include them in your event.

2. Set the Event's Budget

After you have set an objective for your event, it's time to determine your budget.

When deciding your budget, you have to consider each possible expense that the event will incur. Put limitations on your budget to restrict yourself from overspending.

Minimize your costs and negotiate prices wherever possible. This will help you save a lot when you are allocating resources.

3. Make a List of Guests

After planning the budget and setting the objective, it's time to make a list of guests you want to invite (if it's a client-specific event) or create an attractive invitation card for your employees (if it's an internal event).

Determining your audience pre-event will help you choose the required equipment and services appropriately.

Create unique and innovative cards which look incredible and send them out to your attendees. If your objective is to attain or entertain clients, send the invitations one or two weeks before the event.

4. Choose a Location

Now that you are done with the guest list choosing a location is the next task. The key is to choose a place that makes the event a memorable one.

While doing this, keep your budget in mind. Choose a venue that will appeal to your target audience, one which your employees will appreciate. Moreover, your venue should have a theme that reflects the objective of the event.

Choose a valid date by avoiding significant holidays and book the venue days beforehand to avoid any last-minute complications.

5. Spend Time on Marketing

If your event is an external one, you need to spend time and money on marketing and advertising it. But that doesn't mean that you don't need to market it if your event is an internal one. It is essential to incite excitement in all your attendees building up to the day it is held to create a hit event.

Use social media to promote your event and use channels like content creation and email marketing to build excitement among attendees until the day of the event. There are numerous free email marketing services available, as well as a variety of social media automation tools for managing your social media accounts.

You can also hire corporate event planners to help you promote your event and help you in the event management process.

Events with consistent marketing campaigns will always be unique and more attractive.

6. Make all the Arrangements

After getting all of the above done, it is now time to make all the arrangements you need for the upcoming event.

Choose a name and theme for your event and arrange all the equipment and things you will need. If you plan an award ceremony, items like gifts, prizes, souvenirs, and certificates should be made ready beforehand. Also, don't forget to make a proper arrangement of necessary things like speakers, microphones, cameras, chairs, tables, projectors, etc.

Decide what activities you will include in your event and inform your staff and management about them. It is essential to have activities which involve all your employees.

Taking care of all these will ensure that your event runs smoothly without any hassles.

On the Day of the Event

7. Keep Track and Evaluate

Keep track of your event's budget, goals, venue, and other factors related to it, and ensure that everything is taken care of. You also need to keep track of all the expenses which have been incurred during the event. This is one of the most important aspects of organizing a corporate event.

Also, evaluate your event's success by determining if your attendees are enjoying it or not. If not, take feedback and make necessary arrangements to uplift the mood of the attendees.

8. Collect and Share Ideas

A corporate event is a perfect platform to collect and share great ideas.

During the event, find ways to collect ideas from your attendees, improving your company or your products.

Some of your employees can conduct a survey or interview attendees during the event to find out what they think about it. Create digital business cards with survey form links to facilitate easy sharing with attendees. However, you can also use the best digital business card software to generate your cards. This will help you to include innovative ideas in future blog posts or other content.

9. Encourage Participation

Promote participation among your attendees and encourage them to have fun and relax. When your attendees are happy, your event is bound to be a success.

If it is a product launch, then make sure every attendee takes part in the demo. If it is a team event such as a picnic, make sure every employee participates in the activities conducted.

To make sure everyone is engaged, you have to conduct an event that is innovative and exciting. Also, if it is an internal corporate event, you should take out time to appreciate your employees.

10. Network and Make Connections

Have a dedicated person to greet every guest at the door. A corporate event is a perfect place to meet potential clients and make connections with people.

Introduce your employees to your guests and make everyone acquainted. Doing so will bring up opportunities for new relationships and connections.

Also, make sure that your attendees have a good time, and remember to have a good time yourself.

Post-Event Touch Up

11. Follow-Up After the Event

The best way to close out a successful corporate event is to conduct a follow-up after it is over.

Thank all the people for attending your event by sending emails. If you are very busy, use pre-made content and send emails using email automation software. Also, post-event emails are a good way to market new products and services.

Make connections on social media to build company reputation and attract clients. Conduct surveys among your attendees to gather their input about the event. This will help you to throw a better event next time around.

Conclusion

Though it may seem to be a tall order, planning a corporate event can be a fun and easy task if you understand what needs to be done and take care of them accordingly. If everything is mapped out beforehand, the planning process becomes more straightforward, and everything will pan out smoothly.

You have to be creative, organized, and innovative while planning a corporate event. Keep track of all finances and resources and make sure there are no shortcomings in your event. Your event has to create excitement among attendees so that they all attend it.

Following all the steps given in this article, including the follow-up process, will help you create a rocking corporate event. So, use this corporate event planning guide and organize a corporate event that is bound to succeed.

Besides working as a content marketer at Vantage Circle, Shah Alif Ahmed is also an internationally certified nutrition specialist, competitive bodybuilder and a musician. For any queries reach out to editor@vantagecircle.com