When it comes to event planning, things can (and often do) go wrong, even for the most seasoned of planners—it’s just the nature of the business. There are a few steps, however, that you can take to minimize the possibility of those nasty day-of surprises.
Whether you are a professional event planner or you got stuck with the task of planning an event for your business, knowing how to plan a successful corporate event can be a tricky endeavor. To ensure that you cover all of the crucial details including food, location, atmosphere and more, here are a few tips on how to ensure that your next important corporate event goes off without a hitch.
1. Conceptualize the Big Event
Any corporate event starts with a focus, and from there you can begin to conceptualize and plan out exactly what you want your event to look like, feel like, and even sound like.
This can involve picking a theme, and it’s important to consider the time, location, demographic of your attendees, and the goal of the event to ensure your theme is appropriate. This will give you a good starting point from which you can begin to plan other important details like food, music, decor and more.
2. Create a Manageable Budget and Check Back Often
Every event has a budget and every event planner is familiar with working within these confines. Before you start making too many plans, it’s important to confirm and set out your event budget. Break your budget down into categories such as catering, rentals, venue, staffing, entertainment, and miscellaneous so you know what can be spent for each area.
As you continue the planning process, check back to your budget often to ensure you’re on track and can make adjustments if necessary. It’s also good to create a list of “needs” and “wants” for your event to ensure that your budget is being allocated to things that will really make your event stand out. The “needs” items are things that your event absolutely can’t go without–like food, signage, and a venue. Your “wants” list can be filled with items that would be nice to have at the event, but are not really necessary. This way, you can make sure that your budget covers all your needs before you move onto spending money on your wants.
Keep a small fund aside for emergency purchases. You may think that you have every aspect of the event planned and budgeted for, but you never know what kind of unavoidable expense might creep up at the last minute.
3. Contact Vendors Well Ahead of Time
Many corporate events require a lot of planning, sometimes a year or more ahead of the actual event. For this reason, it’s important to reach out and contact your vendors well ahead of time so to ensure you’re able to secure everything you need for your chosen date.
Contacting vendors early also gives you a better chance to negotiate more favourable rates since last minute requests will always come at a premium.
4. Maintain Constant Communication
Once you’ve made connections and signed contracts with all your vendors, it’s a good idea to keep communication flowing between you and them. If you drop off for a few months and then get back in touch only a short time before your event, you may find that things aren’t exactly as you agreed upon which could cause unnecessary last minute stress or the possibility of you having to look for a new vendor at the last-minute.
Keeping the communication flowing ensures that everyone is on the same page and no one is going to be surprised come the day of your event.
5. Make Many Lists
Any successful event planner will tell you how important it is to make lists. These will be your reference guides throughout the event planning process and will ensure that nothing gets forgotten. Revise and check your lists twice (or multiple times) throughout the planning process and a few days before your event, and you’ll be confident that nothing important has been overlooked.
6. Stick to Your Timelines
Another essential tip for your corporate event is to plan timelines and stick to them. It’s a good idea to plan a pre-event timeline including when everything must be completed by and paid for, when contracts need to be signed, when invites must be sent out, and any other timely details.
In addition, it’s also wise to create a day-of timeline for your event, often called a ‘run-down.’ This document is your bible come event day, and will have all of the important happenings mapped out with times so that you can easily check whether you’re on schedule. Any on-site vendors should have copies of these at least a couple of weeks in advance so they know where their role comes in. It’s also good to have a contingency plan.
