Over the past two decades, I’ve learned a thing or two about party planning and how to make a corporate event successful. The first and most important part of the event is always: the entertainment. Once you get it right, the rest will just snap into place.
1 – Have a corporate events plan or strategy and stay focused
When planning a corporate event, there is always room for “something else” until there is no more. So what do you cut? Check reality from the beginning, have an end goal, create a plan, develop a strategy, and stay focused. Don’t let all the extra ‘things’ that could be part of the concept take over and ruin your time and space continuum, because if you lose your focus, your event may not be successful.
2 – Get to know your team and plan for their needs and wants
Entertainment that qualifies as “spectacular” for a group of twentysomethings is not going to impress its 45-year-old executive staff. Plan for the differences, understand their wishes, and schedule entertainment that works for both groups of people and anyone else who may be on your guest list.
3 – Consider the end goal
When the end goal is to train sales reps, generate higher sales, and motivate troops, you’ll want to combine these concepts with your entertainment. Let the animators know who their best achievements are and encourage them to give a “recognition” to encourage and motivate them. Make a difference and your goal for this party is motivation. Do what you have to do to make that happen.
4 – Understand pricing and stay under budget
Even when you need great entertainment, if your event planner has good control over the budget, you can bring in great food, find the perfect venue, and provide entertainment, if you have a plan to work with. Always remind them to stay UNDER budget for those last minute extras.
5 – Connect all the pieces to your theme
From the speakers at morning breakfast to the food on the lunch menu to the entertainment at dinner time, your pieces need to connect. You will need to give everyone involved a list of specific focused needs before the event, and then check in with them frequently to make sure everyone is on the same wavelength and has coordinated your message.
6 – There can only be one event planner
You can have a team of forty people to help plan the event, but in reality there can only be one event planner. Make sure you have one person who is responsible for ALL the details of your event, and that one person should keep track of everything from the appetizers to the music. They’ll want a list of everything from everyone in attendance to everyone performing to everyone in between.
7 – Time and schedules matter
A real professional event planner will have this up to the minute. If you don’t have the ability to manage time and scheduling, use your best skill set to hire the right person who can manage time and schedules to the microsecond, and focus on other important details. Let your event planner do the work.