Corporate events and meetings are on the rise for 2019, up 2.9% since 2014. Both startups and established businesses recognize the need to amplify company achievements. Rewarding team members for crushing goals, successful product launches, and landing big contracts is key.
Sponsored corporate event planning requires more than a budget and a dream. Every step before, during, and after the event presents opportunities for sales, networking, and, of course, epic celebrations.
Follow this short event planning brief to start things off with a bang.
Corporate Event Planning Stage
Your priority for this corporate event should be to satisfy stakeholders' visions. If you go into it as a fan or with personal ambitions, you'll ruffle too many feathers. The vision of this event has to have clear goals and intentions.
These goals should come from group meetings with stakeholders and managers. Oftentimes, these meetings wind up deferring a lot of decision-making to the lead planner. It's smarter to get this verbal and written approval before moving onto investing in the event.
Nail the Budget
Most of your stress will come from trying to fit everything into the budget. If your budget is very strict, you'll need to start thinking about impactful elements. How will you create the biggest impression without breaking the bank?
Start brainstorming and creating your shopping lists early. The more advanced your bookings, the greater the savings. You'll need to get comfortable with negotiating or find someone who else who is.
Consider piggy backing onto music festivals for the best value for higher budgets. There are over 800 music festivals each year, attracting 32 million attendees. That's how you can grab the most attention and throw a great party.
Promoting and Executing
Once you have your event foundation laid out, it's time to start marketing it. Ideally, you should start promoting months before the event happens. You can trickle in hints and generate a lot of excitement on social media.
There are a number of tools and techniques on how to use social media for promotion. Create a timeline of when and how you will promote your corporate event to the public and internally. This keeps everything in order and allows you to plan specific campaigns when you need to.
If you're running ahead of schedule, you can make big moves, such as developing an app to increase participation numbers.
What Looks Like Success?
Outside of attendance numbers, define your corporate event planning metrics. Did you close any big deals? How many emails did you obtain from high-value clients?
Remember, after the event, you still have work to do to make it a success. This includes a basic thank you to all employees, staff, attendees, and sponsors. Follow-up with email funnels and surveys to get the best insights from the event.
Use this data to start looking for the next venue opportunity. If you're ready to start planning, you're in the right place. Browse our selection of venue openings to find the perfect stage for a memorable corporate celebration.
