Before you can hit the buffet line and mingle with your colleagues while a live jazz band plays smooth songs in the background, you have to carefully plan every detail and follow the business event planning do’s and don’ts to ensure you throw a successful event.
Follow our before, during and after business meetings tips below, and we guarantee you’ll throw an event that every guest will enjoy.
Before the Event
Before the day of your event, you’ve got plenty to keep you busy. From planning and researching to finding the right location and activities to booking a meeting venue and sending invitations, use these before tips so you don’t miss a beat.
Tip 1: Make a checklist of to-do’s.
Every detail counts when planning an event. Parking, refreshments, a theme and even lighting—it all counts. And everything good and bad that happens will be remembered. Make a list of everything you need to do and everything you need to have to make sure you don’t overlook any detail.
Tip 2: Delegate responsibilities.
You may be the best party planner there is, but even you shouldn’t try to plan a corporate event by yourself. You have several coworkers who’d loved to help you, so let them. Choose an event planning committee and delegate some of those items on your to-do checklist so everything gets done on time and so some of the planning stress is lifted off your shoulders.
Tip 3: Market to the masses.
The more, the merrier; but company employees and clients won’t show up unless they know about the event. Announce it in your company newsletter, send out save the date cards, send an online calendar invite, and promote it on social media. You can even get your marketing team involved and have them create a promotional video you can share online. When you clearly express what you’re doing at an event and why people should attend, they will.
Tip 4: Stick to your budget.
Venue, entertainment, food, gifts, hotel rooms, photographer—the list of things you have to buy is long and can get expensive if you’re not careful. Before you start searching for and booking a venue and vendors, create a budget. And after you create it, stick to it. Also, allow room in your budget for unexpected expenses because they will pop up.
During the Event
The major planning is over, but you still have a handful of things to do the day of the event. You put this event together so you can and should enjoy this day, and these tips will help you.
Tip 1: Have a pre-event committee meeting.
Ask your planning committee to arrive early and have a quick meeting beforehand to be sure everyone is on the same page. Go over the event agenda and make sure everyone knows their responsibilities. Get your plan of action nailed down—for what’s supposed to happen and what could potentially happen—and together you’ll make your event a smooth success.
Tip 2: Ensure everything is good to go.
Everything needs to be perfect, well as perfect as you can get it. So do a quick walk-through of the venue, call and confirm the pickup and drop off times of rental equipment and notify your vendors of any last minute changes they should be aware of.
Tip 3: Let attendees be your barometer.
If you want to know how your event is going, go to the source. Ask attendees how they’re doing. If they say great, then ask them what’s making their experience great so you can continue doing it and do it at the next event. And if a guest says they’re doing OK or they take awhile to respond, ask them what you can do to make their experience better.
Tip 4: Lead by example.
Attitude is a very contagious thing. Guests will feed off your attitude and energy, so lead by example. Smile, laugh and have a great time. Even if on the inside you’re a little nervous because the M.C. got sick last night and you had to ask someone last minute to take over, don’t let your nerves show. Have a good time so those around you can likewise have a good time.
After the Event
The food and the guests are gone, but you’re still not done with the event just yet. Follow these last few tips, and then you can take a deep breath and relish the wonderful event you just threw.
Tip 1: Send thank you notes.
Your planning committee, the venue, the vendors, the entertainment—they all helped make your event a smashing success, and you should tell them. Take 30 minutes out of your day to write and send quick thank you notes to everyone who deserves one.
Tip 2: Evaluate the good and the bad.
After talking up the guests and just watching the event unfold, you know what went right and what went wrong. Make note of everything, and then use that knowledge to help you better plan and host your next corporate event.
Tip 3: Share event pictures and videos.
The event was fun and should be remembered. Help your boss, coworkers and clients relive the laughs they had during the team building lip sync activity and the other good times you shared by posting event pictures and videos on your social media profiles and sharing pictures and a quick write up in your next company newsletter.
For even more tips and tricks to hosting a flawless business event, download our business event planning guide.
The post Before, During & After: Tips to Hosting a Flawless Business Event appeared first on Temple Square.