Five tips to help you run your first successful corporate event
Planning your first corporate event? Read five tips to help it run as smoothly as possible.
So, it’s finally happened – you’re running the first of what could be many corporate events – and first event nerves have well and truly hit.
And while you tell yourself not to panic, it’ll be fine, everything that could go wrong with your venue flashes through your head.
Five tips to help you run your first successful corporate event
To help you make sure that this (and every event afterwards) runs as smoothly as possible, here are five tips to help you run a successful corporate event.
1) Work out your budget
In order for any corporate event to be a success, you need to know exactly how much it will cost. So, get your budget together in the early stages. It doesn’t have to be 100% precise as just a rough idea will give you a good starting point.
When it comes to planning successful corporate events there are many costs to consider, such as the price of the venue, the food, any equipment needed, transport and event speakers. So, get organised and make a list of everything you will need, then start getting quotes to determine how much everything will cost.
2) Choose your date and venue
Once you’ve got a basic budget worked out, you need to think about the venue and the date. If you’re only running a one-day corporate event then you’ll have more flexibility. Remember to check that you have room for everyone and access to any utilities you need.
Choosing a date is important, as it will have a big impact on the type of venues you can book. For example, if you’re planning an event around the end of the year, then you’ll need to consider how hard it is to find New Year’s Eve venues.
The later you leave it to book, the less choice you’ll have and the more expensive your options will be. So make sure you decide on a date, and book a venue as early as possible.
3) Organise your event timetable
Once the venue and budget are covered off, you need to start preparing your plan for the day. In the early stages, just a rough idea will be fine. But having even a basic plan in place will help will help you as you get closer to the day of the event and logistics are honed.
4) Get your team together
Successful corporate events need a professional and conscientious events manager – and a brilliant team. So, get your team together once the preliminary planning is done – they’ll be able to help offer support and guidance, and reassurance that the other smaller (but essential) jobs are completed.
These can include sending out invitations, taking attendance, getting decorations for the venue, checking up on suppliers and more.
5) Build a to-do list
The key to running successful corporate events is making sure everything is accounted for and organised. So make yourself a thorough to-do list. You can give this list out to your team and delegate tasks so you can ensure all the tasks whether big or small are done.
Read more event planning tips
Planning an event? You’ll find more helpful advice in these articles:
- Planning an event? Five questions you need to ask venues
- 10 common mistakes to avoid when planning a corporate event
- Eight tips to ensure your corporate event runs smoothly
Photo by Christian Fregnan
