10 Steps to A Successful Corporate Event

  1. Determine the Objectives

Every corporate event has some kind of objective. Is it an internal meeting to build employee morale? Is it a fundraiser or charity event? Whatever the purpose, this is the best starting point.

2. Identify the Audience

Who exactly will you be catering to? It is very necessary to think about the people that will be coming to this event. Consider the age group, demographic profile, lifestyle, and other characteristics that you may have information on.

3. What are the Goals

It is important to think about what you wish to accomplish, specifically. What feeling, sentiment, or message do we want to make sure is conveyed during and by the end of the event. I always like to ask role play. If I were an invitee what would you want me to think, feel, or understand.

4. Determine a Date

Think of the weather, holidays, other important company dates, and the schedule of key attendees.

5. Decide on the team

Event planning is about teamwork. If you are engaging an experienced event planner like myself, than we have the entire team to execute the plan. Otherwise, you must enlist people to help. Think of their strengths and qualifications. Deciding who does what is half the battle. And of course, you need someone to own the project and make sure everyone follows through. As someone who has planned many events both big and small, I can tell you that this is no easy feat.

6. Planning the Event

Not having a plan, is not having an event. You have to get detailed. Here are some of the specifics you will need to plan out:

  • Schedule of the event / Agenda
  • Activities
  • Decor
  • Catering / Food
  • Entertainment
  • Awards, if applicable
  • Supplies
  • Advertising / Marketing

7. Set a Budget

Knowing how much exactly you have to spend is key. If possible, set a budget by category, this will help you make sure that you stay with the acceptable range.

8. Deadlines

To really be able to execute effectively you should create a deadline for all activities. You cannot afford to have someone fall off schedule or else a domino effect can occur. I like to think of it as “By this date”. Example, by this date, I want to have this done. By this date we should have already decided on a caterer. By this date, we should have the guest list, etc….

9. Promote The Event

All events require promotion, regardless of whether or not they are open to the public. For events open to the public, you must consider marketing. How can we make people aware? Digital platform such as Social Media re a must.

10. Assess and Evaluate

After it is all said and done, you should be able to evaluate the success and whether or not you reached your objectives. This will help you for all future events and to validate the investment.

Remember, event planning is not an easy feat. My corporate clients enlist my services because they know their time is valuable and quite frankly experience is important. For more information on our corporate event services, visit our Corporate Events page at: https://boutiqueeventplanners.com/portfolio/corporate/