If your company is serious about putting on a successful event, you’ll need to take the time to fully understand the complexities involved in corporate event planning. The process you follow should be serious, but that’s not to say you can’t have fun while discovering how to plan a corporate event. After all, you want everyone attending your event to have a pleasant and memorable experience.

To help you turn your ideas into a success story, we’ve highlighted 4 essential corporate event tips to make the planning stage far easier to handle. Alternatively, if you think you’d like some professional assistance, simply contact our team to discuss how we’d tailor a plan that would realise the ambitions you have for your upcoming corporate event.

1) Create a realistic budget that matches your aims

If you’re thinking of hosting a corporate event, you’ve probably already got a strategic objective in mind. Perhaps, your upcoming event is for your employees, business partners, clients, or even prospective clients? No matter the reason for your event, you’ll start by establishing your aims and creating a realistic budget.

You should already have a number in mind for a maximum budget, so determine who you’re putting this event on for, attendee numbers, ideas for venues and locations, names of guest speakers, catering options, decorations and entertainment themes, and anything else that crops up.

Once all the finer details have been worked out, you’ll be in a better position to further breakdown the overall budget into more specific areas. But, even after coming up with a finalised budget, you may want to keep a little extra money held back in case of an emergency.

2) Don’t underestimate the importance of your venue

You need to make sure your location is an appropriate choice for the attendees you’ll be hosting at your event. Many of your considerations will probably be aimed towards the venue itself, such as style, cost, size, policies, cancellation fees, and so on.

While all this is important, remember not to overlook things from your guests’ perspective. Take into account where your venue is physically located, whether public or private transportation options are easily available, if there are any catering facilities, and if the venue has adequate disability-friendly adaptations. These are the kinds of additional questions you’ll need to ask if you really want to find the perfect venue.

3) Anticipate the needs of your attendees

Anticipating any special requirements in advance of your event will save you and your attendees a lot of bother if done correctly. Think about all the different requirements you may need to attend to, including: special and medical diets, disability access, and religious needs.

So, make sure your invitations and diary holds are sent out well in advance. However, in some cases, the date will be set and you’ll need to select a venue based on availability. Ask attendees to notify you of any special requirements they or their accompanying guests may have. Additionally, take this opportunity to include any extra information that they may benefit your guests, such as transport links and journey to the venue.

4) Track your expenses and be prepared to make cutbacks

If you’re still learning how to plan a corporate event, keeping track of your expenses is a valuable skill to learn. This is especially important if you’re managing a team of individuals who are handling different areas of the planning process. Create a strict set of budget guidelines and routinely monitor if anyone is exceeding your budget in any way. By doing this, you should spot any overspending before it becomes too much of a problem to deal with.

Have you read through our corporate event tips but think your upcoming plans would be better handled by our experienced in-house team? Contact us now and let’s draw up a plan that will bring out the best in the corporate event you’ve got on the horizon.