10 Steps to a Successful Corporate Event

A successful corporate event takes time to plan and prepare. Your event, after all, is key to developing a business’ key relationships, whether it's with staff or stakeholders. Events are one of the best ways to build your brand and strengthen your network. Since most of our interactions are digital, face-to-face professional gatherings help businesses create lasting and authentic connections.  If you need a push in the right direction, check out this handy guide for tried and tested steps to help you pull off your next company affair.  

Plan in advance

Give your organizing team room to ideate and tap the best resources with less stress. The bigger your event, the more time you need. Conference and events places and suppliers are usually booked months in advance, so if you want to get the best ones, make sure to give your team time to plan.

Build your team

Event planning isn’t a one-man show. You need a project manager, suppliers, resource speakers, finance, and logistics, just to name a few. Decide on the different committees to help plan your event and assign appropriate members. If you’re low on human resources, you can also hire a professional event planner.

Decide on your objectives

Ask yourself, what are we trying to achieve? Having clear, measurable, and specific objectives is one of the crucial steps to ensuring a successful event. It’s best to brainstorm your event objectives with your core leadership, so everyone will be on board.

Set a budget

Usually, corporate events already have an allotted budget, which was decided during the company’s strategic planning. Make sure to stay on budget, allocate wisely, and keep all receipts. If your budget is limited, invest more in the essentials. For instance, you can forego the fancy decorations and allocate more funds to food and technical equipment.

Determine your audience

Your target audience depends on the event’s objectives. If your goal is to build brand loyalty, then you will want to invite your current customers. Knowing who you’re catering to will also help you decide on other important details, such as the branding, food, program, and giveaways. 

Think of the branding

Branding means the distinctive design, style, voice, and feel that contribute to the overall experience of your event. It includes but goes beyond your corporate event’s logo. You need to think of colors, theme, voice, and the audience’s takeaway. Think of it as a way to identify your event and set it apart from other projects. When ideating on your event’s specific branding, don’t stray from your company’s branding guidelines. If your company’s voice is professional yet approachable, you will want to consider this in all your other events.
Choose a date and venue

In choosing a date and location for your event, remember your target audience’s possible schedule and preferences. For instance, if you’re holding a staff training or outing, a weekday schedule will be appreciated by your employees who might want to use their weekends for family and/or rest. 

Pick your suppliers

An unforgettable event requires good food, excellent audio-visual-lighting, and quality mementos. If you don’t have an event planner, do your research and search for caterers, AVL, photographers, and businesses to supply your corporate giveaways. Talk to the service providers to be sure that they can help you accomplish your goals.

Promote your event

Event promotion also comes with a separate plan. Don’t forget to utilize email blasts, digital and print advertising, and physical invitations when appropriate. Also, have a way to track the people who gave their RSVPs, so you can follow up and adjust your plans if needed.

Create a project plan

A project plan puts you and your team on the same page. To minimize the miscommunications that usually happen in planning events, clearly write down everything that you decided and share it with all involved. Gannt Charts provide a graphical illustration of your event planning, so you can easily coordinate and track the timeline and milestones of your project. 

After your event, have a way for attendees and organizers to evaluate and give feedback. This helps you plan your next corporate gathering better. Also, don’t forget to celebrate with your team. After planning and launching a successful corporate event, you deserve to celebrate!