If you have just started a business event planning process and you do not have experience, you might be feeling a tad overwhelmed.
Because ‘practice makes perfect’ and you cannot buy yourself a handful of practice. You have to go through several experiences and work your way toward refining your process.
Since we want you to succeed and we want to help you earn a solid event planning skillset, here are a few tips and tricks.
Start with a Clear Overview
As soon as you find out about the event you are going to plan, the key is to make sure you have a clear understanding of what that event strives to achieve.
Is it about generating sales? Is it more focused on the brand building? Does it have an educational purpose or a promotional one?
Gather as much information as you can before the planning process begins. Then, make sure every member of your team – if there is a business event committee – gets this information, so they do not lose sight of the end goals.
Make Sure There Are Enough Communication Channels
Coordination is something you will want to achieve throughout your business event planning process.
For that, you need flawless communication.
Before you even start planning out the timeline and the schedule of your event, decide on the way you will communicate with your team or with your superiors.
In some cases, team management tools will not suffice, so you might want to take into consideration an event planning tool which allows you to share files and data within a more optimal workflow (you can learn more about planning tools here).
Once you make sure, everyone has access to the channel you chose, establish clear communication policies. This way, you avoid any miscommunication issues which could make your life difficult.
Determine the Focal Points of Your Plan
Only now have we gotten to talking about the actual event plan.
First and foremost, the ‘big four’ of business event planning should be the starting points:
- venue
- guest list
- entertainment
- food.
Since they need booking and payment in advance, it is imperative you have these sorted out before proceeding further.
Now that you got things into motion, you can move on to a few key strategic areas. According to the type of event you are in charge with, you will need to focus on some aspects more than on others.
For instance, a launch event will require much more effort on your part than a conference. You will need to have a top-notch promotional strategy, so you get a well-targeted audience at your event. So, the guest list has to be crafted with maximum attention – you want to sell the new product, so you need to get the right people excited and impressed by it.
This also means you have to invest more in the entertainment segment or rely on more than one entertainment act.
Business Event Planning Can Go Smooth Even for Rookies
With the number of planning tools and resources out there, all it takes for you to ace that event is attention to detail and realistic expectations.
Plus, you can always ask for help. As it happens, we at The Grable Group have a very active blog section with weekly posts on event planning and ideas. Subscribing to our newsletter can get you going in your event organizer career.
