Top Tips for Corporate Event Planning

If you’re a working professional, chances are you’ve attended at least one corporate event in your lifetime. Corporate events are a fun and innovative way to bring like-minded individuals together to learn or experience something new. These events are great networking experiences and have the potential to help people further their careers. 

However, there’s more to corporate event planning than meets the eye. If you skip over an essential step in the event planning process, it could affect the attendee experience and negatively impact your ROI.

No need to sweat it, though: We’re here to walk you through every step of the process until you know how to plan a corporate event from start to finish. 

Let's dive in. 

Why is event planning important?

Event planning is crucial to the success of your event. Careful planning will ensure every detail is accounted for, from ordering food to scheduling a workable date to inviting your attendees. Missing even one of those steps could spell disaster—and those are just the basics. Countless other details go into planning a successful corporate event, and all of them build on each other.

We recommend creating an event checklist you can keep by your desk during the planning process. This will help ensure that not even the smallest details slip through the cracks.

Corporate event planning: The basics 

Consider your audience 

Every corporate event is different. During the early planning stages, you’ll want to consider who your audience is and the type of people you hope will attend. Is this an invite-only event for your customers? Are you inviting speakers to share insights into a niche industry? Is the goal to entice new clients and grow your business? Are you planning an internal team building event for your employees? Carefully considering the needs and wants of your invitees will help guide you as you plan the event.

Know your objective 

Every corporate event needs a purpose. This purpose will help you sell your event to your target audience. Why should people attend? What are they going to get from the event? Will they learn something new?

If you're struggling to define your event’s purpose, take a step back and think about the target audience and your goals for the experience. The objective should always relate to the audience and add value to their everyday life. 

Event marketing

Businesses grow through networking. Whether you’re hosting a luncheon, conference, or industry mixer, event marketing is an invaluable tool to get your brand recognized by your target audience. With a well-thought-out marketing campaign, you can make timely announcements, send out day-of instructions, and keep your audience engaged. 

Here's a list of what you'll need to get started:

• Email marketing 

• Branded posters and flyers

• Attendee badges

• Social media posts for each platform

• An event-specific landing page

• A mobile event app 

And that’s only to name a few of the must-haves. You can get as creative as you please with your corporate event planning ideas. 

Plan the when and where

The when and where are arguably the most integral aspects of a corporate event. As you start your planning process, there are a few things you’ll want to consider: 

• Where do you want to have your event? Virtually or in-person?

• Is this a corporate team building event for your team, or are you inviting people from outside your company?

• Are you inviting speakers or other noteworthy attendees?

• What is the best time of year to have your event?

If you're planning an in-person event, there's a lot more you'll need to consider, including flights and accommodation. However, with virtual events, you'll need to consider different video conferencing platforms that can accommodate large groups.

Elevent corporate event planning tips 

Keep your audience engaged 

An engaged audience is a happy audience, so your goal as a host is to keep your audience engaged from start to finish. Here are a few tips for keeping your audience engaged:

• Plan icebreakers 

• Schedule networking breaks 

• Leave time for Q&A sessions 

• Gamify the experience

• Social media contests

• Special guests or surprise speakers 

Have fun and be creative—your audience will thank you later!

Have a budget

A budget will give you a general guideline of how much money you have to work with. For example, if you’re putting on an in-person event, your budget will dictate the venue, food, staffing, and other promotional expenses. However, if you plan a virtual event, you have more flexibility and can work with a smaller budget.

Think outside of the box

Don’t be afraid to break the mold and challenge expectations. Corporate events bring like-minded individuals together to engage and connect on a deeper level. They don’t have to be dull or mundane; a fun and innovative experience will make a great impression and have a far more significantimpact.

Corporate event planning ideas from Elevent

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone. We’ll be the first to admit planning corporate events can be challenging. From venues to video platforms, from meals to marketing, there’s a lot to take into consideration. 

At Elevent, we have a wide selection of preplanned in-person and virtual experiences you can utilize to build connections with other working professionals in your field. Whether you want to invite your clients to a whiskey tasting or build connections with Lego bricks with other like-minded individuals, we have you covered. 

Start exploring our selection of events and experiences today to get started.

Originally published at Dec 15 2022, 4:33:00 PM. Updated on May 4 2024.