Corporate events are programs and activities organized by companies for a variety of audiences. Companies usually launch events for its clientele or to attract potential clients. They can also launch internal events for employees.
All these are subject to corporate event planning. Corporate event planning involves the conceptualization, planning, tracking, and implementation to carry out a successful company event.
These corporate events, whether they cater to employees or to clients and potential clients, have significant impacts to the growth of any company. These activities often communicate to its employees and clients the values of the company thus making company event planning an important element for every company.
What are Examples of Corporate Events?
Companies can launch events for their clients like trade shows, client appreciation events, and product launches. Corporate event planning is especially important for events such as new product launches or celebrating the achievements of marketing teams or sales teams.
Corporations can also organize events for their employees like team-building activities or corporate meetings. These activities are usually internal but are good ways to build employee morale.
What Skill Does an Event Planner Need And What Does an Event Planner Do?
Companies can launch events for their clients like trade shows, client appreciation events, and product launches. Corporate event planning is especially important for events such as new product launches or celebrating the achievements of marketing teams or sales teams.
Corporations can also organize events for their employees like team-building activities or corporate meetings. These activities are usually internal but are good ways to build employee morale.
How do I Create a Corporate Event?
Given the high stakes of corporate event planning, let's tackle the steps of how to plan a corporate event. If you want to know how to get into corporate event planning, let's cover the basics here.
1. Identify your Goals and Objectives
Corporate events communicate the company's brand and values to their audience. For every event, it's important to set your goals and objectives. This will help you guide your event planning and align details of your activity towards achieving your overarching goal.
Define what your corporate event is all about. Is it an internal activity directed at making employees feel appreciated and building stronger team ties? Or is it a team meeting that aims to set a space for focused and productive discussion? Or maybe it's an external activity directed at attracting new clients?
Setting your goals will help you decide more easily on details of the event. Just keep in mind who your target participants are and focus on delivering an experience catered to their interests.
2. Set a Budget
After determining your corporate event's objectives, you can then set your budget. Don't break the bank and make sure to get a return on investment on your company event in the form of new clientele, a broader network, or even an employee morale boost.
When setting a budget, it's good to consider the size of your event. How many people are you expecting? How large of a venue will you be needing? How much will you be budgeting for meals and refreshments? How much are you willing to shell out for lighting, materials for participants, and decoration?
Try considering each possible expense for the size of the event you're planning. It's also good to set aside a margin for unexpected expenses that may come up.
3. Select a Venue
Once you've allocated a budget and set a rough estimate for each element of your event, make sure to book the best venue for your product launch or your company outing.
When choosing a location, consider the goals of your corporate event, the number of guests, and of course, if it's within your budget.
If you're looking to make a good impression on potential clients or senior leaders, you may want to book an upscale venue way ahead of time to negotiate for a more affordable price. Another good tip is to find venues that offer seasonal prices. If you keep an eye out, you can scout places that offer discounted prices during low demand seasons.
4. Decorate your Venue
Maximize your venue and achieve the look you want to achieve your corporate event's goals with your event decoration.
Selecting the right decor and putting all these elements together create the backdrop to your activity and can set the mood of the whole event.
If you're setting a formal dinner with top executives, go with simple but high-quality event decor in classic colors or neutrals. You might want to set up a formal dinner table. Decorate it with a classic table runners and some matching linen napkins. Make your venue look grand with drapes for events that'll make your location seem larger.
If you're looking to market your fun new product, go with a pop of color, some flashy decor, lights and LED displays. Add some color to your table setup with some chair sashes.
If you're gunning for a warm get-together for employees, bring out the cozy event linens paired with some warm fairy lights. You can also go crazy with the colors using warm earth tones to set a more friendly mood for an annual employee team building activity.
There are infinitely many ways to mix and match your decoration for your corporate event depending on your goals and objectives.
CV Linens can provide you with affordable and high quality event decor for any corporate event you may want to throw. We offer wholesale prices perfect for large corporate events or even for mid-sized events that you may be holding regularly.
5. Finalize your Guestlist
After securing the venue and decorations according to your budget, it's time to finalize your list of guests. Make sure to send out your invitations early for the top clients for your external corporate events. If you're looking to expand your market, make sure to cast a wide net for invitations of new potential clients.
If you're planning for an internal event for company employees, consider making a creative invitation to draw people's attention.
Make sure to disseminate your invitations at least 2 weeks in advance for more chances of inviting your target guestlist.
6. Encourage Participation and Give Way for Networking
Plan activities in your corporate event that'll get your guests interested and engaged. You can ensure this by having a program that'll get them to interact with the content, the product, or with each other.
You may also want to give way for your participants to network with each other and build connections. You can do this by making your venue conducive to interaction. Consider setting up a bar or a food station where people can get some food and chat for a bit.
7. Keep Track and Evaluate
Make sure the details of your event are met by keeping track of all the elements: from budgeting, venue selection, decoration, food and guestlist. You can keep a planner where regular check-ups are scheduled to make sure they're delivered on time, with the right specifications, and according to plan.
After your event, it would be best to evaluate how your plans were executed. This is especially important if you're planning for a corporate event that is thrown regularly, may it be quarterly or annually.
This will give you a good picture of what works for your company and what doesn't. You can be sure that the next event goes smoothly.
The Benefits for Planning a Corporate Event
Planning a corporate event offers a host of benefits for companies. It allows corporations to communicate to their clients, showcase their products, make employees feel appreciated to boost morale and productivity.
Setting a budget will help you avoid overspending. If you’re looking to grow your business, you definitely want to make sure you aren’t spending too much on events without getting results. Make sure every dime is spent wisely through proper corporate event planning.
To foolproof your event planning you may find it helpful to keep a corporate event planning checklist. We've gone through the steps of how to plan a corporate event. Make sure to throw a memorable company event with a touch of style with a host of decor options here at CV Linens.
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