Corporate Event Planning 101
Plan like a pro: Whether you’re a seasoned corporate event planner in need of a refresher, or have only just begun planning your first event, we’re offering some basic corporate event planning tips that will help you define your objective and give you event type and planning ideas.
A corporate event is simply any sort of organized gathering or activity that is put on by a business organization. If only the planning were as simple as the definition. Whether you’ve put on many events for your company and are in need of a refresher, or have just begun planning your first event, we’re offering some basic corporate event planning tips that will help you to hit the ground, err – event floor – running!
Establishing the Why
There are tons of reasons why a company might hold such an event, and for the employee who’s responsible for its planning, the reason why is a perfect place to start the corporate event planning process. In other words, clearly defining the main objective for the event before you do anything else, will set you on the path for event success.
Here are some examples of the most common corporate event objectives:
· Communicating a company message or strategy
· Motivate or reward employees’ achievements
· Introduce a new product or service to the marketplace
· Promote an existing product or service
· Strengthen relationships among employees or with clients
· Generate leads and/or establish partnerships
· Collect donations in support of a cause
· Share ideas and educate
· Come to an agreement on a certain topic or issue
· Strengthen company culture
· Celebrate the holidays, or the of the year
A successful event is one that achieves its objective, whatever that looks like for your organization. Because of this, clearly defining that objective will come in handy throughout the corporate event planning process. When it comes to making tough decisions, you can ask yourself “how is this helping us achieve our events main objective”? If you aren’t able to answer that question, it might be something to take another look at.
Not only will establishing your why help you to make important decisions as you plan, it will also dictate your event type, as each type of event will satisfy a different set of objectives. There are many types of corporate events.
Types of Corporate Events
· Trade shows/expos
· Conventions
· Conference
· Charity event
· Team building event
· Appreciation event / Awards Gala
· Product launches
· Shareholder / board meeting
· Corporate Dinners
· Holiday Party
The Planning Process
Naturally, the process for planning each type of event differs from company to company. Budget, goals, size, audience, experience, and many other factors will dictate your own unique planning checklist.
These are some of the planning milestones that many corporate event planners have as a part of their process.:
· Establish and understand the event objective(s) and your audience
· Understand your budget
· Bring together your planning team and assign responsibilities
· Create or modify existing event planning schedule
· Establish a schedule within a larger master planning document to keep all event details organized and in one location (ideally a cloud based platform so everyone can access and see updates made in real-time)
· Set the event date and venue
· Plan your event layout with the help of your venue
· Create an event marketing plan if needed
· Reserve attendee accommodations and transportation if needed
· Plan Catering Menu appropriate for your event type and audience (consider dietary restrictions including vegetarian and vegan options)
· Plan A/V
· Print any necessary event collateral
· When your event is done, seek feedback from event attendees, guest speakers and run budget actuals so you can better plan your next event.
Are you ready to talk with one of our event planning pros? We can share corporate event ideas and guide you through planning a great event at the South San Francisco Conference Center.