Your boss assigned you to plan for a corporate event that aims to leave a lasting impression on all the guests. While the task might sound easy, if event planning isn’t part of your daily activities, you likely see yourself clueless on how and where to start. Planning a corporate event is already stressful, and making sure the event leaves an impression can bring more pressure.
Corporate events are essential in business as these serve as platforms to network with other players in the industry, meet customers, and create a positive brand. Well-planned corporate events can also set you apart from the competition and increase your chances of success.
Worried how your first corporate event will turn out? Follow the tips below to plan one that’s sure to leave a lasting impression.
1. Determine The Goals Of The Event
Planning a corporate event without any goals set is time-consuming and tedious. How can you proceed if you don’t know what you’re aiming for? Do you think you can assess progress if you don’t have any clear goals?
When planning a corporate event, always begin your efforts by determining goals. Many corporate events are held to educate, drive behavior change, or celebrate milestones. Some companies also organize events to motivate employees and entertain managers and executives.
Once you set goals, it’ll be easier for you to set a budget, choose an appropriate venue, and market the event. Moreover, determining goals first will help you and your team develop a plan of action to measure progress.
2. Set A Realistic Budget
Corporate events are important, but this doesn’t mean that you should compromise other areas of the business just to hold one. Blowing money for a corporate event can hurt your business in different ways.
After determining the purpose of the corporate event, set a realistic budget. One way to do this is to calculate project costs. For example, if you’re planning to rent a clearspan tent as you’re going to hold the event outdoors, inquire from, at least, three suppliers to know how much these tents cost.
It’s also important to set aside 10% of your total budget for emergencies. This will allow you to continue planning for the event even when there are hiccups. When you have an emergency fund, you can easily spend for other supplies when your original choices are unavailable but more expensive ones are.
Proper budgeting ensures the success of your corporate event—and successful events will surely gain the positive feedback of your guests!
3. Incorporate A Fun And Relevant Theme
Most people think that corporate events are too formal and oftentimes, boring. However, yours doesn’t have to be the same as you can always incorporate a fun and relevant theme. This will ensure that your corporate event leaves a lasting, positive impression.
There are many ways to infuse fun into your corporate event. You can start by giving out invitations weeks or months before and asking guests to wear a specific theme. Encouraging them to bring theme-related items and requesting them to watch related videos prior to the event can also amp up their excitement. Likewise, making use of luxury tent structures would surely bring more excitement!
When it comes to incorporating a theme, don’t forget the small details. A half-baked attempt at carrying out a theme for a corporate event can make your guests lose interest in the event. Conversely, a well-executed theme sends a message that your company invested a lot of resources in creating the event—so guests are expected to do the same.
4. Keep Guests Engaged
Regardless of the goal of your corporate event, the latter should remain engaging at all times. Whether you’re introducing a new product or training employees to become a successful project manager, engagement is vital to the success of your corporate event.
One way to keep your guests engaged is to incorporate immersive activities into the event. For example, you can ask guests to work together to take on challenging but fun projects during the event. Aside from staving off boredom, immersive activities will enable guests to get immediate feedback from their output, acquire new skills, and build relationships with other guests.
5. Make Use Of Technology
Technology has significantly changed how entrepreneurs do business. But, do you know that technology can also become your ally in planning the best corporate event?
Planning a corporate event that will make a lasting impression will come off easier when you use event management apps and software. You can get these tools for free and use them throughout the entire planning process—from checking updates from vendors to providing seamless updates on guests who confirmed their attendance.
A well-planned corporate event will ensure guests’ comfort, convenience, enjoyment, and satisfaction—ingredients that will leave a lasting impression.
Start Planning ASAP
Planning corporate events that make a lasting impression requires time, so start early. After receiving the assignment from your boss, learn the strategies mentioned in this article and get to work right away. When time is on your side, planning a successful corporate event will become a piece of cake!
