Corporate events are a perfect opportunity for marketing, networking and promotions. The entire endeavour takes time, money and great willpower from start to finish. Given that the results are numerous and each company has plenty to gain, it’s understandable why everyone would want to host one. Various items can go incredibly wrong, as caveats and pitfalls are present. To avoid them, we offer our assistance with some useful tips&tricks.
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1. Time is your friend
Time crunch, endless grinds and pressure are the usual synonyms for corporate events. You can view your event timeframe in an opportunistic way, rather than an oppressive one. You have all the freedom in the world to book a starting date for an event, and any time from this point till then is your chance to shine. Once you have a timeframe available, you can use online booking to plan events and spread them out on dates, inform your visitors, manage logistics and other essential activities. Changing the perspective of one-time management is how you can get better results and better utilise the resources at your disposal.
2. Logistics and transportation
You may think we are offering advice for a freight company, but transportation and logistics play a vital role in even organisation. All those people, machines, parts, supplies, and everything need to find their way to your venue. Pre-booking apartments is a great way to show you care about your customers and that you are willing to go the extra mile. Looking up flight schedules, taxis, and bus routes is how you fine-tune.
Freight and logistic companies can be booked so that you can transport all the essentials you need. Juggling between the transportation of physical goods and people is part of essential marketing skills, which can be overwhelming, at first glance. Since you have ample time to plan and juggle multiple aspects, so take your time to pick the right one.
3. All hands on deck!
Organising such an important event can require uncountable work hours. At one point, it won’t matter how many people you throw at the issue, as it becomes a matter of time and willpower. The more people you have to work with and who can assist you, the better for you, which is obvious. But sometimes, it is ok to accept that you cannot juggle all those plates at once. It’s better to reach out to trusted and professional event management companies than to let some plates fall and shatter.
Event companies do events for a living, as the name implies, and they have procedures, resources, contact and labour to back them up. As with any professional specialising in their respective field, event planning companies can unclog your biggest hurdles and set you on the right path. It’s great to have a helping hand, and once your event is a success, you can celebrate together!
4. Rehearsals
Events are heavily planned occasions. As each visitor will have its schedule, so too will you have to adhere to it. After all, you are the one who made it. Doing two or more rehearsals of the event while it’s still in the development phase is a great way to test out the waters and see where you currently are. You can start by going thru the front door and seeing what your customers will see. That way, you can position the promotional materials better. Each presenter can go over their lines and start memorising them, or you can improve upon them. Writing and presenting are two entirely different events, and some improvisation is also good for the mix.
Testing all the facilities utilities is also good, from lightning, special effects, seats and internet. Try stress testing the venue and everything related, so that you can get a feel if they can handle a hypothetical maximum or even more. Let’s say you will have a hundred visitors. You should stress test, plan, prepare and rehearse for a hundred and fifty. That way, you are set from all ends and can handle any unforeseen circumstances. Practice makes perfect!
5. Check, double-check and lock in!
As your event is closing in, you will move from planning and organising to finalising and confirming. RSVPing your guests to finalise their visits will let you know what the definitive number is. Or mostly definitive, as you should plan for around 90% of total guests after they RSVP because unforeseen circumstances can happen. Confirm your logistics and transportation choice and make sure that your contract with them is finalised. Professional services track and follow their contracts and timeframes, but it’s always a good idea to remind them.
They have hundreds of events to look out for and you have only yours. As you are getting near the exact date of your event, your to-do list should turn into a definitive list on which you can fully rely. Social media is a perfect way to inform a large number of people about any last-minute changes (if appsolutely necessary) and keep them posted in general. Trends and strategies around events happen and change daily, so you can keep on top of them and implement those you like the most by keeping one ear on the ground.
6. Post-even management
Your event came and went, and everything went smoothly (well, smoot-ish as these things are always unpredictable). The most important thing is that everyone had a great time and from their point of view, everything went perfectly. But you are going to host more events in the future, and after this one, you will have ample data to process. This data can be used to improve your future events, and sending a post-event survey to them is custom. You should value your customer’s feedback as these events are made for them and should be tailored and customed tuned towards their preferences.
Your events are one more tool at your disposal, which you can utilise to maximise your profits. No other method comes close to promotion, getting a live human interaction and building brand awareness, which is all that matters in the end!
