Corporate events have been tried and tested by businesses worldwide to be a great way to promote ideas, generate sales, network and advertise your brand. All in all, they are the ultimate marketing experience which is why ensuring that your event runs as smoothly as possible is vital to its success. We’ve put together a few tips on how to plan your event from start to finish.
Prepare a preliminary agenda and guest list
Having an agenda set in place and knowing how many people you will be inviting to the event will help you set further criteria such as budget and venue. Will you have any guest speakers at your event? If so, you will need to factor into your budget the cost of their transport to and their accommodation in France.
Set a budget
Budgeting for an event can be a daunting task, but once you’ve got something set in stone, everything else should fall into place. Whether you’re a first-timer or a seasoned professional, you should always make sure to be aware of costs such as venue, catering, transportation, decor and entertainment. You should also give yourself a contingency fund for as much as 20% of the budget. No matter how well you plan, it’s likely that you’ll forget to factor in certain expenses and this way you won’t go over budget.
Choose the right venue
Once you’ve got your guest list written and know exactly how much you want to spend, choosing the venue should be a little easier. Firstly, you’re going to need to choose somewhere that will safely accommodate the amount of guests you’re due to expect. Depending on how large your event is, and where it is based, you might want to choose a venue that will wow your guests and one way to do this is by choosing a corporate retreat abroad. Château Bouffémont in France, for example, is a nineteenth-century château that you can rent for exclusive use.
Catering
These days, a lot of corporate events have a more casual atmosphere, and there’s often even some entertainment to break up the business as well as an offer of refreshments to keep everyone’s spirits up. Before you start making any major decisions when it comes to catering, you’ll need to know roughly how many people will be in attendance. A sizable corporate event can play host to hundreds of guests that will have different dietary preferences so make sure your caterer offers vegetarian and vegan options, so no one has to go without.
Advertise your event
Advertising your corporate event effectively can attract interest right from the start. Increase exposure by establishing an online presence and advertising through social media. This way, you’ll be able to promote your event no matter where in the world it is taking place.
Planning a corporate event can be a big task, but by making some of the more important decisions early-on in the planning process, you should find it a lot less stressful.
