Planning a corporate event can be very different than planning a birthday party or a wedding. Corporate events have an entirely different tone and goal, and whether it’s a charity gala, a conference, or an awards ceremony, the planner for a corporate event has their work cut out for them.
While there are always great standbys for event planning of any kind, there are a few specific tips for corporate event planning that may help you should you ever find yourself in that spot. Check out our tips below.
Plan For The Unexpected
We’re starting off with a classic. Yes, we’ve all heard this advice many times—but the sad truth is, it’s rarely taken. When planning a corporate event, this can mean a few things. For one thing, plan for extra guests. No matter how many people you’ve invited, order more seating and more food than you need. Plan for food allergies, food preferences, and anything else you can think of. Have a Plan B and a Plan C.
Take Full Advantage Of Your Invites
Make sure your event invite is engaging. An invite is the first impression of an event, and if your invite looks dull, it’s going to turn people off. No one wants to go to an event that seems stale. Make sure your invitation (whether it’s a traditional paper or an e-vite) looks, well, inviting. It should be appealing. This means classy-looking, funny, or important—whatever reflects the tone of the event. Besides the visual invitations, be sure to also vocally invite people to reinforce the request. Remind them during your bi-weekly meetings, or in your company newsletter.
Design The Event Around Your Goal
For a corporate event with a goal, such as a charity or fundraiser, try to incorporate the goal into the event itself. For example, if your goal is to raise money for children in need, use photographs of those children as centerpieces, or decorate with artwork that they’ve done somewhere. You can also reflect the goal of the event with the entertainment you select. Depending on your goal, your catering can be customized to match that as well. (Think fairy tale-themed desserts to raise money for libraries.) People really respond when things are tied together.
Consider The Spouses
Corporate events that include spouses have been proven to be more successful and more memorable than events that exclude them. Companies that honor the family aspect of their employees tend to be stronger and more enjoyable to work for. Depending on your budget, this may be too difficult to accomplish; however, if it’s do-able, it’s a great idea.
Don’t Cut Corners
Great food, great service, and a beautiful venue will stick in peoples’ minds. Unfortunately, so will bad food, bad service, and an uninspiring atmosphere. Treat your employees, partners, and co-workers to a true occasion. The venue, catering, and service should all be top-notch to ensure a spectacular and memorable event.
Encourage Mingling—Creatively
If there are going to be people attending your event who aren’t familiar with each other and it’s a more casual occasion, consider doing fun things to help people start talking. This can include many types of ice-breaking activities, or it can be as simple as adding a hobby or interest onto everyone’s lanyards or name tags. After all, who could ignore a name tag that reads: “Debbie Smith/Accounting. I love Game of Thrones.” Small things to get everyone acquainted is a helpful element.
Don’t Do Everything Yourself
Perhaps you’re great at doing everything yourself. However, it’s easy to get burned out fast when event planning. The stress of a thousand details can just become overwhelming, and then the event itself suffers—not to mention you. This is why organizing committees can help. Assigning people to help select catering, décor, entertainment, or anything else you need can be incredibly useful. Even if you just choose one person to help you stay in communication with the venue, caterer, etc., that may do wonders. Just make sure everyone is on the same page with everything.
Hopefully these tips will help you have a perfect corporate event that is unforgettable for you and your company’s guests. At Hollywood Banquet Hall, we offer not only an outstanding event venue for corporate events, we also provide options for caterers, entertainment, and anything else you may need when planning. Contact us to learn more about our services!