Do you plan events for the corporate world like product launches, conferences, seminars, etc.? With a variation of types of events and so many “what ifs,” event managers must stay focused on not only meeting the project objectives, but also to make the most of every opportunity at all levels for your organization. Establishing a Best Practices for Corporate Event Planning List helps event managers maximize the deliverables for each type of event. So what best practices can be implemented for the numerous events you must handle? My top 6 best practice for corporate event planning are:
1. Ensure that information flows freely across your team
You rarely do event planning alone. Their will almost always be a team of people with various delegated responsibilities. It’s very easy to make assumptions that everyone knows what the event is all about and how what they’re doing ties in with what everyone else is doing. Both assumptions can be totally incorrect. At the very beginning of the event planning effort, take the time to share your event’s objective and your overall plan for executing it with every single one of your team members. It’s best to get them all together to do this explaining so you only have to do it once. On an ongoing basis, have regular meetings to assess the progress so that everyone remains on the same page.
2. Double-check on speakers and performers
Sometimes, you come across events where the main speaker delivers his message wonderfully well, except that what he said had nothing to do with the purpose of the event. Do your research; find out who would be a good speaker for the event you’re planning. Someone might be an excellent speaker for one event, but not necessarily for another. Ask the speaker for references. Find out as much as you can from those references. Ask them how many times they’ve heard him speak. What did they like about his performance? What did they not like? This information is very valuable and your audience will appreciate a meaningful speaker.
#3: Do detailed planning with a timeline
To attempt to organize a big event in a disorganized manner is to flirt with disaster. You must have a written schedule of all pre-event tasks, with specific dates for completion and specific persons responsible for completing them. That may sound very basic, but this is one of the things that cause events to fail.
#4: Read the fine print and know all the details
You may be exposing yourself to serious financial and other risk if you are not entirely familiar with all aspects of the event. That includes all contracts you sign, all written instructions, orders, and more. Read everything twice and don’t be afraid to ask questions before signing anything.
#5: Have a crystal clear purpose for the event
Have you attended a seminar where the topic was too broad and the speakers seemed to talk all around the topic in a disconnected fashion? That’s what happens when you lack clarity of purpose about the event. Is the event meant to be a strategic planning retreat for top management? Is it a seminar to bring medical professionals up-to-date on developments in a specialized field? If it is a product launch, exactly what outcome is the event expected to achieve? Only when you and your team know the core objectives can you organize a focused event that meets those goals.
#6: Triple-check everything, twice
This is one of the most useful planning mottos you can think of. Someone may have promised you three months ago that they’ll serve exotic Japanese snacks. Closer to event date but sufficiently in advance, check again to make sure they remember the commitment. They have many other things to do and may have completely forgotten what they said months ago! That’s why you need to triple-check everything as you go along. Try to confirm everything you have booked with enough time to find a back up if needed.
These straightforward guidelines can save you endless trouble if you’re planning and organizing events. Have some other tips you’d like to add? Let me know in the comments section.
Would also recommend:
Follow up with a short, well-designed post event survey within the 1st week of the event to capture feedback and optimize idea generation.
Invest in the survey data reporting for cost justification and planner/leadership review. Use data to identify successes and improvements for the next event.
Post Event Surveys are crucial and implementing for the next event is key to listening to your customers/clients if it applies and makes sense of course.
Thank you for sharing these tips. This will help to make sure that the event will run smoothly and without problem. People should read this to avoid problems on their event.