Follow our easy five step plan for a perfectly planned corporate event.
1. Define your objectives.
Starting right at the beginning, it’s so important to clearly define your objectives and communicate them to your event planner. Why are you holding a conference and crucially, what do you want guests to get out of it? Are you wanting delegates to get on board with company strategy, meet their targets, get fired up about a new product launch or would you just like to get to know them better? Get this right and the whole conference will work.
2. Choose a location
When planning corporate events, we know that location is critical. We’ll always try and think beyond hotel chains. We much prefer memorable and quirky venues that get everyone talking. Think renovated warehouses, converted monasteries, iconic structures and boutique country house hotels. Our advice is to pick a venue that gives you a blank canvas and then think big.
3. Establish a theme
Do you have a theme? If not, don’t panic. Your brand should be a good starting point. Think about the values you hold and how they could be conveyed creatively. Many corporate events are focused on a message you want your audience to take away. Let’s say it’s growth. Take that as the kernel of your theme and expand it. You could go in the direction of plants and nature, or you could supersize everything. Maybe your day could revolve around the lifecycle of a customer? Just unlock your creativity and the options are endless.
4. Work out the finer points
The devil is in the detail. For your corporate event to really work, you’ll need to know how many people you’re inviting. Will they require transport or overnight accommodation? How would you like the rooms to be laid out? Would beanbags work better than chairs in breakout rooms and make guests feel more relaxed. Think about imaginative and innovative ways to get your message across. How can you avoid death by PowerPoint? Think virtual reality headsets, live feeds and animation. Conferences do not need to be dull. And what about food? Would trendy food stations for informal grazing work better than a boring buffet. Dare to be different? How about a donut wall or a mashed potato bar?
5. Work with a corporate event agency
This is a huge thing to organise on top of your day job, so do think about outsourcing it to the experts (ahem, like us.) Corporate event agencies will almost always offer agency discounts that you couldn’t access directly, helping to save you money. It’s their job to stay on top of creative trends and the latest venues, so why not take advantage of all that insight?
We hope this plan for a corporate event will help you whether you’re at the start of your career or a seasoned pro. If you have any other useful tips for our readers, please leave them in the comments below.
Make Events are the go-to corporate events agency for the North’s household names. Whether you want to educate, motivate or celebrate, we will create the ultimate experience.
