Planning a Corporate Function: A First-Time Guide
Corporate events are one of the best ways in which a business can connect with their target audience, potential investors or like minded individuals. To build lasting relationships with people in your industry, you have to create a personal connection - one that transcends emails, newsletters or social media. This is why corporate events are paramount to a successful business.
If you are a first timer when it comes to planning a corporate event, you may find yourself slightly overwhelmed with the task, and perhaps even a little afraid. Fret not, for with some careful planning and organising, you’ll be able to host a stellar corporate event that everyone will be buzzing about for months to come. Read on to find out more about how you can plan a corporate function for the first time.
Keep Guests Entertained
One of the worst things that can happen at a corporate function, or any function in general, is that your guests are left unentertained, unengaged and bored out of their minds. This is why it is imperative that you keep your guests entertained at all times. Now, we don’t mean you have to go out and hire a marching band (though you could if you want to), but instead, we recommend setting up little activities for guests to participate in throughout the night.
Whether this is a lucky draw, an amazing photo booth from Snappy Photobooths or someone crooning jazz tunes all night long, we encourage you to think out of the box. Arrange a diverse set of entertainment for your guests, and you’ll be sure to cover everyone’s tastes and needs. Guests that are engaged throughout the night are guests who will head home happy and with the best impression possible of your business.
2. Choose An Appropriate Venue
When it comes to choosing a venue, accessibility and location is of great importance. You want to ensure that your location is easily accessible to guests who drive, take public transport or walk. This means planning for adequate parking, considering walking distance from train stations and so forth. Book a venue that is in a convenient area, and one that accomodate the number of guests you are expecting.
Other factors to consider are facilities available, your budget and any restrictions that certain venues may have. For example, if you’re looking to host a night full of live music, you will want to look for a venue that has a stage, a good sound system and enough space to accommodate musical instruments. A good venue is pivotal in any successful corporate event, so choose wisely.
3.Promotion is Key
If you’re going to spend serious amounts of time and effort planning an event, you want to make sure that everyone knows about it, and most importantly, that as many people attend as possible. With the rise of social media, promoting events has become a piece of cake. Simply create an event on Facebook, and invite all your business partners, friends and anyone else whom you would like as an attendee.
You can encourage employees to share this event on their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages - all marketing tools that don’t cost you a dime. Don’t forget to send email invitations out, as well as mention the event in monthly newsletters should you utilise electronic marketing.
4. Budget Wisely
Budgets are subjective - what is extravagant to one may seem frugal to another. Regardless of your budget, high or low, one thing stands firm - you want to allocate your budget wisely. Splashing out on fancy decorations instead of quality entertainment for guests will leave your event lacking, whilst spending your entire budget on entertainment, food and drinks whilst neglecting decorations will leave guests unimpressed.
It is important to find the right balance when it comes to what you spend your money on, and we suggest spending a fair chunk of it on quality food/drink, entertainment, and a good AV team. As for decorations, you don’t need to go over the top - something simple, elegant and minimal will do the job!
5. Lastly, Enjoy Yourself!
Last but not least, remember to enjoy yourself. Getting caught up in the stresses of planning an event can truly put a damper on your own enjoyment, so take it easy and don’t overthink the entire situation. With adequate and careful planning, everything will go smoothly. Sit back, relax and enjoy the fruit of your labour!
We hope that this guide to planning your first corporate function has come in handy and has taken some of the stress off your shoulders!