Attending a corporate function should be viewed as beneficial; it’s a place to network and exchange ideas with others in your industry. For those planning and organizing such events, it’s vital to ensure people want to attend and that it will communicate the brand’s message effectively. As such, there are various things to consider when at the planning stage to ensure the result is successful.
Purpose
Deciding on the purpose of an event is essential as it sets the tone for everything. Once the goal is established, proper planning and budgeting can begin, and the planners can identify a location, date, and time. A schedule of events relevant to the function can start to be established, with speakers, entertainment, and catering sourced. A training seminar has different needs to a product launch, for example.
Venue
One of the first things that ought to be undertaken is booking the venue, which confirms the date and time for invites, and notifies the space available for planned activities. Should you be planning a full-day or mid-evening event, a corporate event venue with catering may be a priority, as attendees will require meals. Alternatively, somewhere that takes attendees out of the usual formal setting may better suit the function’s theme. Have a list of what you need from the venue, and choose the option that ticks the most boxes.
Marketing
Bringing people to an event is as much a part of its success as the planning phase because, without attendees, there’s no event. Whether it’s a compulsory internal event or a ticketed external event getting the word out is vital. Therefore, ensure a strong marketing strategy is in place to reach the maximum number of invitees. Internally going direct to staff should suffice, whereas externally, it’s recommended to utilize social media, direct invites via mailing lists, and other advertising channels.
IT
In the days leading up to the event, all IT systems must be put in place at the venue and thoroughly checked. Speakers and other presenters need to go through their presentations to learn the content and ensure any incorporated technology works, such as PowerPoint slides, in the correct order. Audience engagement is vital, and weak spots in an IT setup can create embarrassing disengagement. Technology isn’t only for presentations; event management apps make planning easier and connect the organizer with the audience ahead of time.
Swag
Giving attendees a swag bag creates a talking point that encourages audience engagement and, for virtual events, whets attendees’ appetite for what’s to come. Include items with the event’s branding and consider sponsorship from other companies for exciting items. People appreciate good quality items they can use, and receiving such things reinforces a good relationship.
It’ll hit its mark successfully by considering things like location, purpose, and audience engagement when beginning to plan a corporate event. Even though the term corporate function covers a wide variety of event types, they all benefit from good planning and consideration.