Corporate event planning can be stressful. Whether you have a team, are managing it yourself, possibly working with event planners, there’s a lot to look out for, from the big details to the smaller ones. Use this guide to make sure your corporate event goes off without a hitch.
Do Your Research
Corporate event planning requires some legwork prior to planning. You need to think about when and where you’re hosting this event; along with any companies and vendors you’ll need to work with for food, supplies, music, and decorations. When choosing a caterer, you’ll want to look at previous events they’ve catered, their experience in diversifying menus, and how well they handle last minute crisis. Experienced caterers will also offer support with planning, venue selection, and menu planning. And don’t forget about the logistics of the event!
The venue you choose needs to hold the required capacity in a location accessible and somewhat close for your employees. Take a peek at customer reviews and testimonials to get a feel for the vendors you’re investigating to ensure they’re the best. Nailing down big party issues in advance will save you time and a headache later.
Set a Budget
Tracking your spending helps ensure you stay on track. If you don’t know how much you can spend from the start, it’ll be hard to manage the event moving forward. Determine what you must spend money on versus what’s not so important, to give you an idea of how much you have to play with while planning the event.
Setting realistic goals will make it easy to deal with the major necessities involved before moving on to the variable aspects. It’s best to create a spreadsheet recording expenses, estimates, and actual costs. Corporate events are expensive, with costs adding up quicker than you think. Stay in line and properly divide the spending to make the best decisions and get the most bang for your buck.
Make a Timeline
Corporate event planning needs a schedule. There’s no sense in mentally storing and attempting to remember each task you need to do. Creating and following a timeline makes it’s easy to stay organized and meet deadlines, as the big day gets closer.
Delegate tasks to team members with set dates for when the caterer should be picked, the deposit paid on the venue, etc. Select on person to run the timeline and to ensure the delegates perform the duties assigned by their scheduled dates.
Time flies and things happen quickly. Knowing ahead of time what needs to be done is a great way to ensure everything is confirmed. From lighting and AV to paying caterers, ensure everything is covered in a well-detailed timeline.
It’s All in the Details
There’s more to consider in addition to the obvious factors, such as dj, location, and menu. Once you tell people when and where to show up for the celebration, you’ve still got a lot of work to do. Make sure you keep track of al the small details, otherwise they will fall through the cracks—you have to think about transportation, dress code, and decorations... and that’s just the beginning.
Consider a theme to make the event memorable for guests. Establishing a dress code ahead of time, whether it’s semi-formal or business casual, lets guests know what to wear so they can all look their best for the occasion. You can also determine whether taxi chits will be available as alternative ways to get everyone home safely.
The linens, lighting, and overall ambience are other key considerations for setting the mood and making your event pop. These tiny details add up quickly. Settling this information ahead of time will keep it from falling apart later.
Get Expert Help
Corporate event planning is a lot to manage on your own. Scheduling the basic parts of the event and factoring in complicated features, especially without some insider knowledge, can get confusing.
Many catering services offer more than food and can assist in corporate event planning, making it easy to plan and pull off an event that attendees will love. Event planners will help with the menu, pick a venue, and provide connections to trusted vendors they work with all the time. With full event planning services to help you stay on track, you’ll put together the best event yet.
