A large corporate event can put a little bit of pressure on you because it can take some time to figure out how to please everyone.
While every person likes very different things when it comes to events, there are some tips you can use to make sure the event will run smoothly, and the majority of the attendees will talk about it after it’s over.
Here are our essential tips for throwing a big and successful corporate event without feeling overwhelmed.
Organizing a large corporate event is a great way to get to know your colleagues and business partners better.
It gives people a chance to relax and spend time together outside the usual business environment. Nevertheless, it involves a lot of work and pressure.
1. Pick The Right Venue
After the range date of the event is set, the first thing you’ll need to do is book the venue. Even though you won’t know exactly how many people will RSVP for an event that’s months from now, it’s essential to make at least an estimation of how many people will attend.
This is going to help you pick the best venue according to the size of the crowd.
If you end up having too much space, it will seem as if people didn’t want to attend and that’s going to look bad. Having an over-crowded venue will not be the best scenario either because the guests won’t feel comfortable.
Another aspect to keep in mind when picking the venue is accessibility. It should be easy to get there by car (personal, taxi, or any other car sharing services) and parking needs to be available as well.
2. Personalize The Space
No matter when you decide to organize it, it’s essential to pick a theme and then choose how you’re going to personalize the venue.
From decorations to food, the colors you’re going to choose, the invitations and even the way you’re going to communicate the event, everything needs to be connected to the event’s theme.
3. Choose Catering Wisely
When organizing a large corporate event, you want to make sure that you work with a caterer that has experience doing events with hundreds of people.
The last thing you want is to run out of food or drinks. That is why you need to hire a catering company that’s reliable and can potentially help you overcome unexpected situations.
4. Have A Wow Moment
This significant event is also most probably the most important you’re throwing during a year, which is why it’s essential to surprise your guests so they can remember it even weeks or months after it’s over.
The best way to do this is by booking either a keynote speaker that’s also a celebrity or by hiring high-quality entertainment, such as a mind-blowing magician or a ventriloquist act seen on America’s Got Talent.
5. Automate What You Can
When planning a large event, you’ll have many things to worry about on your checklist, which is why automating certain aspects can save you much time.
Here are some a couple of things you can automate:
- Social media promotion – you can create a set of social media posts ahead and then use a social media management tool to schedule them. This way, you won’t need to post them every single day on multiple accounts manually.
- Tasks – to make sure you don’t forget anything important, plan everything and write everything down. Then, start adding tasks in your calendar and include reminders for them.
6. Figure out How Much You Can Spend
The first thing to start with is assigning the right budget for different expenses. Take your time to make a list. All kinds of costs will pop up: Invitations, food, transport, accommodation, entertainment, etc.
A large corporate event involves many costs, so don’t expect it to be cheap. Nevertheless, you need to spare as much as you can where you can.
That is why you should discuss this aspect with some of your staff members. They might come up with useful tips to reduce costs.
Another person who should be involved is someone from the finance department. This person knows better how much your company can afford to spend.
After establishing your budget, try to stick to it. Spending more might have an adverse impact on the other usual expenses of your company.
7. Assign Different Tasks to Different Team Members
Don’t be overwhelmed by this large corporate event that you’re planning. It goes without saying that you can’t do it all on your own. You’ll need to have your team members do some of the work for you.
The key to a successful event is assigning the right task to the right person. Think about your staff’s abilities. Divide different duties related to venue, timeline, prices, catering accordingly.
Working together on a huge project is also a great team building activity. Make sure your team communicates efficiently. That will help them understand the overall process.
It will also reduce the chances that they will overlook details.
8. Put Together a Well-Structured Plan
According to the purpose of your event, you have to organize a detailed activities list. Your primary goal might be getting colleagues and business partners together to socialize.
Even so, you still need to have an action plan. That involves many aspects. Who will host your event? Do you need to get a host speaker or will someone in your company do the talking?
No matter who will do it, the speech has to be flawless. At a large corporate event, you need to come up with the right words. You need to engage the crowd.
However, if you don’t think you’re up to it, you can always hire a professional speaker instead.
9. Throw Your Big Corporate Event in Style
A big event doesn’t have to intimidate you – as long as you start organizing it way ahead of time and you follow the tips we mentioned in this post.
10. Make Things More Casual at Your Large Corporate Event
We know people will gather there to talk or do business. This doesn’t mean you can’t afford to lighten the mood. People don’t have to feel stiff and stressed at your event. Try to help them unwind a little bit.
Having a professional entertainer is the best option. Our advice is to hire an artist like Jeff Allen, who will suit any taste. Jeff can find the perfect mix between clean comedy and hilarious humor.
We wish you good luck in planning that terrific large corporate event. Don’t forget to take one step at a time to avoid exhaustion.
Want some help to bring the WOW factor into your event? Then give us a call at (615) 283-0039 so we can discuss how to make that happen. Need an entertainer? Don’t hesitate to contact us today.
