Getting started in corporate event planning may seem simple at first glance, but there are a number of pitfalls that you may encounter in your journey as an event organizer. We have therefore called upon experts who specialize in the organization of corporate events for their recommendations in the creation of events.
1 – TO IDENTIFY THE OBJECTIVES OF ORGANIZING A CORPORATE EVENT
An event is a communication action that should be part of your overall communication strategy. And like any communication action, you need to know what you expect from it. What are your objectives? This will enable you to make sure that organizing an event is also the best way to meet these objectives.
2 – ALWAYS KNOW FOR WHOM YOU ARE ORGANIZING CORPORATE EVENTS
The event is a tailor-made response to a specific communication problem. And the typology of your participants (employees, customers, VIPs, influencers, media, suppliers…) will define what experience you can offer them. A CSP+ client in his fifties will obviously not have the same expectations as an influential person. And yet, your company may need to address these 2 targets by organizing events such as congresses, conventions or public relations evenings. Your choice of atypical animations or unforgettable team-building events will be facilitated if you know your guests.
3 – ESTIMATING A REALISTIC BUDGET TO GREATLY FACILITATE
We all want to please our participants … but an event has a significant price that we must anticipate. Depending on the budget, you will then be able to know which types of venues and services you can turn to. Will you rather be a luxury hotel with a gastronomic cocktail or a convivial reception room with a gourmet buffet? Of course, the budget dedicated to the organization of your event must be aligned with its objectives.
4 – CHOOSE A LOCATION ADAPTED TO YOUR EVENT PROJECT
Hotels, castles, manor houses, reception halls, restaurants, apartments… The places hosting all types of business events are numerous and varied. Before starting your search, think about writing a specification that will define the number of meeting rooms needed, the needs in terms of catering, accommodation and of course the budget!
Depending on the reception area chosen, you will be able to take advantage of turnkey services, an integrated catering service, technical services included, operational support.
5 – SELECT TRUSTWORTHY PROVIDERS
The experience that will be delivered to your guests will depend 100% on the service providers who will accompany you in the organization of your event. They are present at every stage of your conventions, seminars or corporate events. Reception, caterers, animations, decoration, technique, security.
We invite you to first make a specification describing your event, the type of guests, the schedule and your expectations in terms of services. This will prevent you from falling on anyone via google. In addition, their services are free and without commission on estimates so you would be wrong to deprive yourself!
6 – COMMUNICATING WELL IN ADVANCE IS ESSENTIAL
Organizing events is generally to bring together your customers, your prospects, your employees, it is therefore essential that they are present! As soon as the date and the place are blocked, think of making a “save the date”, an informal invitation that invites you to block the date in your agenda.
This way, you can make sure that they are available well in advance, before sending them the invitations in due form. Ideally, you should send the save the date at least one month before the event.
7 – CARRY OUT A RETROPLANNING OF THE KEY ACTIONS OF THE EVENT ORGANIZATION
Planning is paramount because every element of your convention, conference or trade show requires lead times for design, validation, manufacturing and delivery. Where the setting up of an animation can take only a few hours, the manufacturing of personalized goodies will require you to place an order 3 to 5 weeks in advance depending on the products. Retro-planning thus allows you to prioritize your actions taking into account the deadlines of each action: production, technique, logistics.
8 – ASSEMBLE A TEAM WELL PROPORTIONED TO THE SIZE OF THE EVENT
Don’t fall into the classic trap of wanting to do everything alone. A project manager who organizes events must have an organizing team around him or her. Support to be sought internally within your company or by calling on external resources.
Depending on the type of event, the latter may require skills in creative content design (website creation, presentations…), event production, technique, logistics. Event agencies will be able to assist you in designing and managing your event projects alongside you and integrate all these skills.
9 – ORGANIZE REGULAR MONITORING OF YOUR EVENT PROJECT
Throughout the management of an event project, it is important to regularly exchange with the event sponsors (management, manager …) and with the various departments involved (communication and marketing, sales …).
The ideal is to organize regular steering committees with all the event organizers to monitor the progress of the project. These meetings can be intensified as the D-day approaches. These “copil” ensure good coordination and thus federate all stakeholders around this event project.
10 – LIVE YOUR EVENT AS IF YOU WERE THERE
Organizing an event means offering your guests a new experience around your company. If you want to be truly aware of what they will experience, you have to put yourself in their shoes. You are a guest at your event: what do you see? what do you hear? what do you feel? what are your expectations? This preview exercise may seem silly, but it is incredibly effective. And it is also an invaluable aid to ensure that you don’t forget anything in the organization of any kind of event.
11 – DELEGATE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ON THE DAY TO CONCENTRATE ON THE UNEXPECTED.
Even in the best event organization, there will always be the unexpected! The word of a professional! It is therefore important to anticipate in order to increase your resistance to stress and allow you to manage the event as well as possible. This involves entrusting essential tasks to certain collaborators to ensure that you have the necessary time to manage these unforeseen events with reactivity.
You can’t manage the hosts and hostesses at the reception desk, answer questions from your president who is rehearsing his speech and check that the welcome coffee is being served… especially if you are told at the same time that there is an urgent change to be made to the presentation!
12 – CONDUCT A DEBRIEFING AND A SATISFACTION QUESTIONNAIRE
Your event is over and all went well! Most of the time, you will see that this is the case. Nevertheless, it is important to take the time to reflect on the positive and negative points of your organization. Similarly, you can share a satisfaction questionnaire with your participants. All of this will allow you to draw beneficial lessons for your next events.
We hope that these tips will help you in your work as an event organizer. The time of a company party or more if you are an event planner or an event project manager. These tips apply to both corporate and private events.