What to Know About Planning an Event at Your Business
A successful business event can promote your company, strengthen your brand, or provide employees with needed training or team building. Whatever the purpose, business events need to be well planned and orchestrated to make the most of your company’s time and investment. The planning process can be complex, but focusing on a few major areas such as the following will make it simpler!
Understand Your Purpose
Before scheduling an event, you will already have a general idea of its purpose, but you may not have thought through the details. Set a list of goals and objectives, and put them in writing. Keep the list small and practical and make sure each objective is achievable in the time allotted. With your objectives defined, you will better be able to decide on themes, speakers, focus group topics, activities, and entertainment. Then, envision what a successful outcome for your event will look like. Plan how each objective will be measured and evaluated. Finally, think about what you will do with the information gathered and how it might assist in reaching your business goals or planning future events.
Secure a Venue
Next, you will need to decide where the event will be held. Consider the size of your business or office space and how many people might be attending. If you have space, you can save money by holding the event onsite. However, larger events and certain special events may require a more spacious, offsite venue. Huge events such as conferences are often held at hotels or convention centers, where you can utilize several rooms and a variety of room sizes. You may need a large banquet room as well as smaller rooms for breakout sessions. Factors to consider include the estimated attendance, the geographical location, available amenities, and equipment and technology. Also keep in mind transportation and parking needs.
Decide Who’s Invited
The purpose of the event will largely determine who will be invited. If it’s a business promotion, you’ll want to invite current and prospective clients, whereas for a company team-building event you’ll invite mainly employees. For conferences, leave plenty of time to contact outside consultants, keynote speakers, session leaders, and vendors. Business-to-business networking events require the most attention to the guest list. To make it easier, narrow your focus based on your purpose objectives and your theme. Invite a mix of people you know well and people you’d like to know better. A few high-profile influencers or a guest speaker may entice people to attend.
Reduce Waste
Reducing waste not only helps businesses achieve their sustainability goals but also saves them money. In ordering supplies for the event, keep environmental issues in mind. When possible, choose recyclable materials or items made from post-consumer recycled products. Specifically, try to eliminate or reduce the use of plastic, such as straws. Straws are the most common single-use plastic and can cause a lot of environmental harm. If you are working with a venue, discuss matters of waste and recycling. Also make your wishes known to caterers and vendors. During the event, provide bins for recycling and label them to encourage attendees to use them properly.
Stick to Your Budget
Once the spending begins, it can be easy to get carried away and go over budget even before you’re finished. There are a few things you can do to prevent this from happening. First, before securing a venue, hiring a caterer, or purchasing supplies, get quotes from several different vendors. You may be able to negotiate with your venue manager for lower prices on vendors they have relationships with. Depending on the event, you may be able to get sponsors. For example, it’s customary at golf outings to ask businesses to sponsor a hole. For other events, sponsors will often provide gifts or pay for a promotional presence. Finally, leave some room in your budget for unforeseen complications.
Create a Theme
A well-chosen theme for your event can generate excitement and inspire people. It can also make it easier to plan the event, as you can choose decorations, food, and speakers based on that theme. Develop a catchphrase that you can repeat throughout the event, from the invitations to the parting gift. The event purpose and attendees will help guide you in creating a theme. You may also be inspired by the season or a holiday, such as the New Year, or by the venue itself. For example, an event held in a historic building or hotel may be based on a memorable time period.
Plan the Food
The food for a business event can include casual snacks, formal hors d’oeuvres, grazing tables, and full meals. Coordinating the food with the theme can make planning the menu fun. You may also choose to source foods locally or play up local cuisines. Whatever you plan, make sure to give attendees choices, especially if full meals are involved. You’ll want to accommodate dietary differences, such as vegetarian and vegan, gluten-free, or religious needs (such as avoiding pork). Also it’s a good idea to ask attendees, perhaps on the RSVP, whether they have any serious allergies.
Know Your Technology Needs
Nothing spoils a business event more quickly than malfunctioning technology. A bad microphone, a faulty projector, missing cords—so much can go wrong when planning a big event. Yet, the right technology—and enough of it—is essential for accomplishing your event’s purpose. An event venue will likely have the technology infrastructure you will need, and there may be a dedicated technician available for assistance. Discuss your needs with the booking manager and understand what they will provide and what you or your attendees may need to supply. Also inform any speakers, guests, sponsors, or vendors.
A successful business event begins with good planning and anticipating the needs of the people attending. Events should be productive and beneficial to all, but they should also be enjoyable. With effective planning, you can create an event that achieves your goals and leaves people feeling renewed and inspired.
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