Safely tucked away in any event professional’s ring binder file would be that item so essential to the event planning process that, were it ever to be lost or destroyed, the world would surely come crashing down around them. I’m talking about the unsung hero of the event management process – the corporate event planning checklist.
Enter your details below and we will send over some magic for you to use. By entering your details below you
consent to receiving our mailers. *No spam we promise. Only valuable tips and updates.
In the twenty-plus years we’ve been in the event industry, we’ve been given some priceless pieces of advice. We’ve also heard some real humdingers. We’ve rounded up the best, and worst corporate event planning advice we’ve heard so that you don’t fall victim to these well-meaning, yet potentially disastrous, pieces of advice.
This may be a great piece of advice to follow if you’re prone to overthinking everything under the sun until the early hours, but when it comes to corporate events planning, you can’t afford to ignore the details. Paying attention to every single facet of an event – however small – is what event planners get paid to do. As we’ve written before, all it takes is one overlooked detail to derail an entire event.
One of the greatest pieces of advice we’ve ever received was to “Talk to the duck”. We’re not using this phrase literally, instead, we’re referring to the practice of verbalising a problem, instead of trying to muddle it through your own mind. By talking through a problem from beginning to end, you’re forced to re-evaluate it. The best part of this practice is that you don’t need a human audience to benefit from it. Whether you grab a colleague or simply mouth off to a picture of your dog or an inanimate desktop decoration, verbalising the situation is often enough to identify a viable solution without having to resort to escalating the issue.
Much like the first gem of insight in this blog, this is one piece of advice that flies in the face of the essence of corporate event planning. Planning for any and all eventualities is nothing less than crucial. We’ve witnessed the importance of a plan B first-hand, many times over, and if it weren’t for a backup-up plan, some of the events struck by unforeseen circumstances would have ended up as full-blown disasters. As laborious as setting up safeguards can be, this is one aspect of the job that you can’t afford to leave off your list.
You can never be too conscientious about dotting your i’s and crossing your t’s. It’s often only in the final run-through of a set-up that an overlooked issue comes to light. There are countless people involved in the orchestrating of a corporate event, which means that human error can, and does, happen all the time. As such, checking and re-checking that everything is in place is essential.
Corporate event planning is a detail-orientated industry. Clients are finicky (often, for good reason) and guests – no matter how seasoned an attendee they are – always notice the little things. Unfortunately, guests tend to hone in on mistakes right away: the misspelled surname, an ignored dietary request or the fact that they’ve been sat next to the restrooms. If you think that sloppy work will go unnoticed, this isn’t the industry for you.
Many of the issues corporate event planners face stem from the client side. Super-tight deadlines, tighter purse strings and outlandish demands call for a strong resolve. And while we’re loathe to turn a client down, sometimes the only thing to do is to say “No”. While corporate event planning entails a great deal of client service, it shouldn’t entail bending over backwards to such an extent that all other priorities (and your sanity) go out the window.
We’d love to hear the worst – and best – pieces of advice you’ve ever received about planning or running corporate events. Let us know over on Facebook or Twitter!
Enter your details below and we will send over some magic for you to use. By entering your details below you
consent to receiving our mailers. *No spam we promise. Only valuable tips and updates.
Contrary to popular belief, the hard work involved in a corporate event doesn’t end once your venue is packed up and your guests have gone home. If you want to ensure your corporate event achieves its objectives – regardless of what these are – you need to tick off the following five action points once the physical event has culminated.
To make the most of this exercise, you need to strike while the iron is hot, so to speak. Sending out a post-event survey via your event mobile app, SMS or email as soon as the event has finished allows you to tap into the minds of your guests while they’re still ruminating on their experience. Keep your questions short and opt for multiple-choice – the easier it is for guests to complete the survey, the more responses you’ll get. Don’t forget to lead with a ‘Thank you for attending’. Good manners pay off!
This is where the good stuff is. And by good stuff, we mean the crucial insights into your guests that enable you to understand them and the way they interact with your brand. Don’t forget that the difference between a corporate event that succeeds and on that falls flat is an in-depth understanding of the people in attendance, so mining all event collateral is an essential undertaking. Look at attendance reports, pre-and-post sales reports (if applicable), mobile event app data, social media feeds and post-event surveys.
Staying in touch with guests once they’ve attended your corporate event is essential. Depending on the nature of your event, a thank you email may suffice, but if your event forms part of a bigger marketing campaign, such as a product launch, you’ll need to construct an email marketing campaign that continuously provides relevant information to your guests. The key to email campaigns that successfully drive recipients to take further action, whether this is to purchase a product, visit your website or follow you on social media, lies in the content of your mails. Personalise all correspondence, employ a master wordsmith to craft compelling copy that’s relevant, and make sure each email provides the recipient with something of value. (Don’t forget about POPI!)
Keep your brand top of mind by using post-event data to fine-tune your social media strategy. Follow guests who were in attendance or who’ve recently followed or mentioned you, and send them a direct message to thank them for their attendance. Post a recap of the event and tag all relevant parties – the more exposure, the better. Even if your next event is months away, keep new and old followers alike updated with news about your brand to pique their interest in the interim.
Thanks to the plethora of communication platforms available, it’s easy to opt for electronic means over an in-person phone call. The point of any event is to form a personal relationship with your guests, and what better way to solidify this than by picking up the phone and reaching out to your attendees? Thank them again for their attendance and ask them for additional feedback about their experience. By doing so, you’re further personalising your brand – an act that goes a long way in increasing brand acknowledgement and adoption.
Make sure your events achieve your objectives, and then some, by finding out about our corporate event management software. Easy and intuitive to use, we’ve built our software to help corporate event managers get the most out of their events.
Enter your details below and we will send over some magic for you to use. By entering your details below you
consent to receiving our mailers. *No spam we promise. Only valuable tips and updates.
Have you ever played the game ‘chicken’ before? If not, that’s ok – it’s generally not the wisest of entertainments. It involves two people willingly rushing towards each other, at high speed, in cars or on motorbikes or bicycles, to see who will be the first to lose their nerve and swerve to get out of the other’s way. The one who (sensibly) exits the dare in time is labelled as the ‘chicken’. The game can also be played with unwitting parties: Like oncoming trains. In these scenarios, if you make a dash for safety too soon, you are a chicken.
Enter your details below and we will send over some magic for you to use. By entering your details below you
consent to receiving our mailers. *No spam we promise. Only valuable tips and updates.
Our extensive experience has taught us numerous lessons about the industry. We’ve planned and managed hundreds of world-class events for international brands, and in the process we’ve gleaned valuable insights. Successful corporate event planners are essentially multi-tasking magicians. Events that delight both your clients and guests rely on a comprehensive plan and attention to detail. The saying ‘the devil is in the details’ couldn’t be more apt – every single element of the corporate event planning process requires meticulous attention. Late nights and caffeine reliance aside, here are eight things we’ve learnt from our years in the industry:
Corporate event planning relies on a clear brief – it’s the very foundation of an event. It’s impossible to create an event that fulfils your client’s expectations if they’ve only got a vague idea of what they want. Keep asking your client for information until you’re absolutely certain what is required of you. Details such as budget (this is paramount), the objectives of an event and the demographics of guests should be covered.
Any working relationship that’s beneficial to both parties relies on trust. Your clients are putting the reputation of their brand in your hands – which means that you need to do everything you can to demonstrate your professionalism. Honesty works both ways, which means that your clients need to be upfront about their expectations and resources in order for you to be able to create an event that’s successful.
This mantra has stood us in good stead throughout our event planning career. The more information you’re equipped with, the easier it will be to pull everything together into a well-orchestrated, smoothly run event. Spend time doing thorough research about all aspects of your event – including vendors, suppliers, guests and legal considerations. Once you’ve used this data to formulate a detailed plan, stick to it.
This is without a doubt one of the most important lessons we’ve learnt. Don’t take someone’s word that x has been checked, or y has been completed – failing to check everything can have disastrous consequences for everyone involved in an event.
We were once tasked with a function that required the erection of a bedouin tent on the balcony of a high-rise building. The company who managed the building had given us the go-ahead, saying that the balcony was capable of supporting the structure. Our staff were on their way to erect the tent when the client’s logistics engineer stepped into the elevator – and informed them that there was absolutely no way that the balcony could support that amount of weight. If we hadn’t bumped into him, we could have had a disaster on our hands. Always ensure that you obtain written permission from the building’s architect prior to setting up any sort of structure.
Corporate event planning entails a minefield of considerations, which means that a workable back-up plan is required for every element of your function. Always have a back-up guest list (also known as a B list), a generator in case of a power outage, an emergency procedure in case of fire, etc. and a list of emergency services.
Every venue has different challenges. Firstly, ensure that your venue of choice is suitable for the event and all that it entails. Make sure you’ve assessed elements like ceiling height, access roads, emergency exits, electricity points and parking capacity.
Technically, this piece of advice falls under ‘know your work and work your plan’ – but it’s so crucial that we thought we’d elaborate on it. Far too many event planners land in hot water after under-estimating the time it takes to set up an event and then break it down once it’s over. Safeguard against the embarrassing and incredibly unprofessional instance of making guests wait while your staff finish laying tables or doing a sound check. There will always be something or someone who runs late – so make sure this doesn’t affect your event’s schedule by allocating more than enough time to the task.
Many event planners fail to pay enough attention to this process – to their own detriment. It’s paramount that you have a system of reporting on status meetings as well as quotations and invoices from vendors. Ensure that all staff know what is expected of them and when by including details about responsibilities and time frames. Corporate event planning is an intricate endeavour, which means that keeping track of every single thing is near impossible. Making use of an efficient, systematic approach benefits not only you, but your vendors, staff and clients too.
Enter your details below and we will send over some magic for you to use. By entering your details below you
consent to receiving our mailers. *No spam we promise. Only valuable tips and updates.