Hosting a corporate event is a challenge, whether it’s an employee engagement event or the annual Christmas party, but it can be rewarding if pulled off successfully. If your company has asked you to plan their next big event, here are 6 tips for planning a corporate event to help you get started.
Make a Plan
Before you book a venue and a caterer, plan out your event. Know what your goals are and what the theme of the event is. Write a list of your objectives and who you want to invite. You should also make a list of each thing you’ll need for this event to make it easier for you to organise.
Decide on Your Budget
Once you know what you’ll need, break down the costs of each individual element. Planning an event can be expensive, especially when you need to book a venue, venders, a caterer, event staff, speakers, entertainment, and hire decorators. Make estimations of what each thing will cost, and if your budget is tight, you may have to prioritise and compromise.
Choose a Date and Time
One of the main things you’ll need to consider when you choose a date and time are the people who will be attending. You’ll need to figure out when they’ll be available. If employees are invited, then it won’t be appropriate to have the event on a weekday afternoon unless they get the day off.
The time and date that is convenient for you may not be for everyone else, so you may need to contact them and ask what they have planned. It isn’t a good idea to host your event during a major holiday season or on bank holidays. Try to choose a date at least six months to a year into the future.
Choose a Venue
When choosing your venue, you should keep the location in mind. You need to make sure people can get there easily. Ask about parking availability and the nearest public transport links. Take a tour of different venues to scope them out. Are the venues you like accessibility friendly?
The venue you choose should be large enough to host all your guests. Ask the venue managers about how flexible the space is. For example, if your event will have dinner and dancing, can the tables and chairs be moved to make more room on the dancefloor? Ask about what amenities the venue can provide so you know if you need to make further arrangements.
Book Venders and Entertainment
When you made your event plan, you should have made a separate list of venders and entertainment services you’ll need. Before deciding on one vendor, you should contact several others to ask for quotes and inquire about their availability. You should be vetting each company you contact and looking at their reviews and their success with similar events.
When hiring a catering company, you should ask if they can cater to specific dietary needs and can supply their own waitstaff. The venue you choose should be familiar with hosting corporate events, and they may be able to recommend a DJ and entertainment. If the event is for a moving company like MyBekins.com, you can ask the CEO of your company to give a speech.
If you intend to hire a decorator, ask them if they can recommend an event equipment supplier. You’ll need to hire an audio-visual equipment supplier if you’re venue doesn’t already have in-house equipment, and you’ll want to hire a photographer and videographer to document the event. That way, you’ll have plenty of photographs and videos to use when you promote the success of your event later. You should even consider looking up “seo toronto” online to find someone who can promote the event on the company website.
Send Invitations
Once everything is set in stone, you should be ready to send the invitations to your guests. You should have informally notified them of the event beforehand, but it’s important to send out formal invites to provide your guests with more information. On your invitations, you should include the date, time, and location of your corporate event. You should clearly state what kind of event it is and what the dress code is. Give your guests the itinerary and let them know what the food options are. Send your invitations well in advance and provide your contact information so people can RSVP. If you’re sending an email invite, add a CTA button for them to RSPV at the bottom of your email.
These 6 tips should help you get started with planning a successful corporate event. For further tips, click here.
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