4 Things To Consider Before Hosting A Corporate Event
1) Purpose
Much like investors, event professionals need to focus on their return on investment before they spend any time or money on an event. While events may not have an immediate monetary return, they should profit your company in some way. Imagine the objective of the event is to improve relationships and check in with current clients. While you may not see an immediate return on investment, client nurturing events can be beneficial in retaining long-term business.
2) Scheduling
An event is only successful if you have attendees. Prior to scheduling your event, consider your guests’ preferences. Do most of the invitees have children at home? Are the majority over the age of 65 – or are they all in their 20’s? Planning the event around your guests’ convenience is key. If they have children, make sure you send the invitation weeks, if not months, in advance so they can secure a babysitter.
You have the goal and you’ve set the schedule. Now comes the hard part: marketing your event. Marketing needs to be tailored to your audience. Creating buzz around your event can be done in various ways. Optimize the buzz by leveraging the platform that majority of attendees use on a daily basis. For example, if most of your guests are on Twitter then create a hashtag, give away free tickets to followers, design games around the event, etc. If your audience isn’t on social media, send invites, giveaways, and reminders via email.
4) Plan B
Your goal is set, the schedule is confirmed and you’ve created buzz around the event — now all you need to determine is the backup plan. The best event professionals plan for every day-of disaster scenario. Rain? Have a tent on reserve. Shuttles break down? Have backup transportation ready to go. The best events are ones where guests never notice the problems because the backup plan is seamless.
