Before hosting a corporate event, you’ll need careful planning. There’s quite a bit of pressure on its success as an event focused on your business offers opportunities for you to grow, enhance your network, and increase brand awareness.
Here are 5 steps to running a successful business event:
Determine Your Purpose
Ask yourself why you’re hosting an event in the first place. Are you introducing a new product or launching a new service. Are you hoping to attract new talent or volunteers? Understanding the purpose of your event is vital as it decides your next steps.
Craft an Event Plan
The more detailed your event plan is, the better. Cover all angles and all potential surprises, so you are ready to handle them should they occur. It’s better to have a backup plan that you don’t need to use rather than not have it when something wrong happens.
Your event plan should cover everything from catering to entertainment to the guest list. Know who is in charge of what so you don’t all end up panicked when the event is days away, and no one has even booked the venue.
Delegate
Whether you’ve developed the event plan yourself or with a team, each person involved in the execution of the plan needs to acknowledge their roles. You couldn’t possibly handle everything as a lot goes on during these events.
Delegate tasks to the right people. You may have a member of your team is particularly charming, and you’ll want to place them at the entrance of the venue to welcome the guests. Another team member may have technical background and can ensure that the entertainment and presentation equipment are all being set up properly.
Communicate
Constant communication is crucial when responsibilities are spread out across members of a team. Agree what form of communication you’ll all be using. Skip the emails if you know that something needs to be read urgently and opt for a call. Create a group on Whatsapp or another instant messenger to keep everyone in the loop. When everyone is across all the details, there’s less of a chance that you all collectively drop the ball.
Market Your Event Before, During, and After
To create as much buzz as you can, don’t miss out the opportunity to market your event from the beginning. Tweet about your upcoming event and create a special hashtag for it. Get people attending your event excited about it and for others to wish they were invited.
Leverage social media to promote your event and build hype. During the event, designate someone to use Facebook Live and Instagram Stories to blast the even in real-time to all your followers. After the event, take all the photos taken from that night to create albums on Facebook or Instagram posts to show your audience how successful your event was. Don’t forget to tag all the major players, speakers, and VIP guests.
With a program in place, backup plans on standby, and team members all doing their part, your event should go by with minimal hiccups. Of course, the only thing left is to ensure all your guests are having a great time and you’re showcasing your brand in the best possible light.
