4 Tips for Hosting Corporate Events

Projects are piling up and now you've been tasked with throwing together the office party of the year. How do you create an evening, promoting the business in which everyone has a good experience? While these first stages may seem a bit daunting, don't sweat it. 

You'll have coworkers and clients chatting it up and bragging about an evening of fun. It just takes some patience, dedication, and organization. Here are four tips to make the planning stages a bit easier.

1. Set Your Agenda

Get out the calendar, looking for the best date. That may seem tricky and overwhelming to begin with; after all, work-life remains a steady flow. However, you could consider a few details. For example, search for times when workers aren't overly swamped, the weather may be nice and traveling is easier. If one month is usually crazier than another, move to the next, and, avoid holidays, since employees often take off or get busy. You, then, want to pace out your to-do-list, leaving yourself plenty of opportunities to accomplish goals within a reasonable time frame. 

2. Locate the Venue

Seek out a spot that is large enough for everyone, offering space to move around, and visit with each other. Without a doubt, no one wants to be crammed into a tight space. They'll want to socialize, perhaps drifting from room to room. Additionally, ideally, you'll have a nice view or an impressive ambiance.  If your destination isn't manned by office cleaning services in Toronto, look into individually hiring a crew. You'll want the place spic and span for guests to enjoy. Finally, is it close enough for others to travel easily? Don't let friends or your boss truck through traffic or crazy roads. They'll simply arrive in frustration.

3. Catering Matters

Food is for the soul, so craft a menu that satisfies. Does the company bring in lunch occasionally? What do staff get excited about? Are they partial to comfort dishes or do they like to expand their palate? This is an opportunity to impress, so choose a range of delectable bites. Does the boss have a preference for sweets? Set up a dessert bar.

4. Remember Entertainment

Don't neglect music or a performance. Liven the atmosphere with a light show and dancing. If you desire something more low key, look for a motivational speaker or a comedian. Explore options that suit your event's itinerary.

Your job is to unite the staff for one day, allowing them to mingle and enjoy themselves at the bash of the year. Don't get intimidated. You know how to embrace life. Plan, schedule and celebrate.

Filling The Seats: Running A Great Business Event

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One of the biggest things you can do to increase brand awareness is a business event. Whether it's a conference, a corporate event or you are looking to negotiate a time slot in a trade show where you can showcase your products, a business event is an incredibly impactful thing, but only if you do it right! It can be a great way to drum up support from customers and clients alike. But what can you do to ensure that you are running a business event like clockwork, and getting the results you need?

Determine The Purpose 

What do you want to achieve with this event?

This means you have boil it down everything to a finite goal. Once you do this, you can push forward with the best methods to structure the event. Once you look at what you want to achieve, the budget can be determined, but also, you may realize how much extra help you will require.

And this means that you may want to bring in extra helping hands, crew scheduling software to organize the event or work with a staffing agency to ensure everything runs smoothly. But it all boils down to that simple purpose. And the purpose should only be a couple of sentences, but it really needs to get to the core of developing the company.

Detail An Event Plan 

After you've determined your goal, you have to have an understanding of the cost of the event, but as well as this, you need to figure out if you need any entertainment, who you are inviting, but also, the venue. The venue is crucial because this is how you will set the mood of the event. If you rent an oversized space, and not many people turn up, this doesn't help sell your company in the right way, but if the space is too small, everybody gets uncomfortable. These components will help provide the structure for the event. But also, planning the event timetable, as well as factoring in for last-minute problems can ensure a smooth day, with a backup plan in place. Remember to account for catering too, as this is easily overlooked.

Marketing The Event 

It's never too early to promote the event because you need to fill the slot as soon as you can. Once you have the numbers in place, this gives you a better chance of focusing on the event, but also, think about the audience.

If you're communicating with the public, there will be a different feel to the event. But if you are running a corporate event, it could very well be a bit more “stiff upper lip.” So when you are promoting the event, it's not just about the usual marketing methods, but you need to make the most of the speakers who are attending. You may find that the people that attend are followers of those speakers, and not necessarily your business. This gives you a perfect opportunity to bring other people on board. 

Running a business event is a great way to harness awareness of a brand, but like any day-long event, there are so many different moving parts. Ensure you get it right.