Ultimate Guide to Corporate Event Planning 2022 Edition
So you’ve got the perfect event idea and is raring to go. Now it’s time to hit the ground running with your corporate event planning ideas! Here are our top 13 event planning tips for your ultimate corporate event planning guide:
1) Corporate Event Planning Business Meeting
Corporate events can be a great way to get everyone together, but make sure this isn’t going too far off topic if it’s not actually part of the agenda. Even worse, make sure no-one gets left out because of their lack of interest in what is being discussed (big do-not here). Saying that though, you should always cater for any business meeting within your theming or decor – but only if it’s appropriate.
If you want to stay on topic then your event management team might be better off running a separate business meeting for those interested, and including it as part of the agenda (for those who are). Having said this, many companies like to invite their whole staff rather than having two events; it all depends how integral the business meeting is to your day.
2) Corporate Event Planning Security
Security should always be considered when planning an event. What if someone wants to bring in a poster or banner? Who can enter and leave the premises at what times? Will everyone need access passes etc.? How will any problems be handled? All questions that your Event Planner Templates should deal with. Whilst security is an important topic, don’t let it over-dominate your event planning checklist – the point of an event is to allow people to relax and enjoy themselves! Make sure that you have some clear rules though so that there are no problems during the day.
4) Location
Having picked a location, you should now plan how long it will take for everyone involved to get there including your catering team etc. This way everything can be set up in plenty of time with no unwanted stress for anyone! It’s also important to decide on where guests will park their cars so that they can be kept safe too (remembering any local parking restrictions).
5) Transport
If possible try and ensure all members of staff arrive at the same time by providing transport to and from the event. This will not only make setting up quicker, but it will also ensure that everyone gets there in plenty of time before any public transport runs out!
Getting guests home at the end is just as important – consider organising minibuses or maybe even taxis to run throughout the night, just in case anyone is stuck waiting for a lift home. Don’t forget that you might need to provide overnight accommodation if they are coming from far away (remembering their location).
7) Corporate Event Planning Publicity
It’s all well and good picking your dream theme but if no-one knows about it then how can people enjoy themselves? You should look into advertising within your own organisation so that employees feel involved – do you want to invite the top level executives or perhaps give junior staff a say too? Publicity is also important for guests (outside of your organisation) so make sure you publicise your event well before it takes place. This way people can book time off work and make other arrangements if needed; advertising your event well in advance will really help boost turnout!
8) Corporate Event Planning Attractions
Are there any attractions that you wish to include, such as live music or comedy acts? Make sure that these are booked early on to ensure that all employees’ hard work isn’t wasted. There’s nothing worse than having an event planned with no-one to present anything interesting – just remember though, entertainment doesn’t have be limited to this! You might want to consider a raffle or prize draw too – this will encourage guests to keep buying tickets and ensure that you raise more money for your charity of choice.
9) Corporate Event Planning Catering
What catering requirements are there? Will people eat beforehand/on the day itself/afterwards? Will hot drinks be needed? Your Event Planner Templates should definitely cover these questions as they are very important! Try and cater to everyone’s needs without spending too much money; perhaps you can ask around your organisation first to see what anyone might need, e.g. vegetarians etc. This will also help spread the load so that there is less work for your event management team (as well as making sure no-one starves!). Remember though that there is no need to spend vast amounts of money, catering doesn’t have to be limited to food! You could think about having some drinks available like fizzy juice, water etc.
Another thing you may want to consider while you are doing your corporate event planning is arranging for guests with special dietary needs to sit together so that they can enjoy themselves more. This might seem unimportant but remember that your Event Planner Templates are all about making people feel happy and included – this will definitely help towards achieving this goal!
10) Corporate Event Planning Decoration
The whole point of an event isn’t just for it to take place; it should look fantastic too! Think about what decorations you want at the actual venue itself (e.g. balloons or bunting) as well as what you want at the entrance to the venue (e.g. signs or cordoning). You could even consider having some decorations just inside the place too, so that guests feel more welcome when they arrive! when you are doing your corporate event planning avoid spending vast amounts of money on these though; having a few paper chains across the room is far better than nothing – remember it’s all about making your event management team proud!
11) Corporate Event Planning Entertainment
Even if you haven’t got any attractions available there are still ways of adding entertainment to your event; try and think about what would make everyone enjoy themselves if nothing else is on offer. This might be something like providing video games for people playing (if there is space) or maybe arranging some kind of quiz with prizes if you think that will work for your corporate event planning. If you’re having a meal then get people involved in songs, perhaps with the help of your DJ – this will definitely add some fun to proceedings!
12) Who’s Doing What?
As well as thinking about all the little things like who is in charge of booking catering and whatnot it’s also important to know exactly who is going to be in charge of each part of the corporate event planning; make sure everyone knows their role and finds out how best to achieve tasks. Is someone in charge of decorating, for example? If so then they should very much stick to this idea throughout (if that’s what you want). It’s really up to you when it comes to making decisions like these; just remember though that your team will have a lot of responsibility so think carefully before giving tasks out!
13) The Aftermath
You should also think about how people are going to get back to their cars, buses. Hopefully this isn’t something you’ll need to think about for an informal dinner but if it is then make sure everyone knows how they’re getting home beforehand so that there’s no confusion later on! That being said, don’t forget that your Event Management Plan also needs planning; if you want guests out of the building by a certain time then be sure to remind them well ahead of everything coming to a close. This might not seem important but imagine having some people miss the last bus because they were too busy enjoying themselves instead of paying attention – not good at all!
So now you have all the advice and information needed in order to plan and prepare effectively; now it’s time to start thinking about the detail. Remember that whenever you’re organising an event, there are two main components involved; communication and management. If either of these is poor then your event will suffer no matter how well you’ve planned everything out – so keep this in mind as you create your Event Management Plan for whichever event you have coming up!