Hosting a corporate event sounds intimidating, but it doesn’t need to be. There are some simple steps you can take to ensure that your event is meaningful and highly regarded.
Identify the Goal of the Event | Sit down with your event organizers and determine the goals of the event. This will help you establish what the objectives are and how to achieve them. Your goals and objectives will then help you decide how many people to invite, the location of the event and the potential dates to host it.
Set A Budget | It’s unlikely your resources will be infinite. Once you know what your goals and your budget are, you can identify where your money is best spent and where you will have to make concessions. For example, if you are hosting a speaker centric conference, you may need to focus your resources on paying speakers to attend and spend less money on event souvenirs.
Pick a Venue | The venue will set the tone for your event. Will the event be held in just one room, or will you need break out rooms so that multiple speakers can present at once? How long does it take people to travel from one space to another? Will the venue accommodate enough parking for your participants? Will you need a separate space for meals?
Decide On Food | Unless your event is very short, you will likely need to offer some refreshments or meals to participants. If you need to feed a lot of people, it can be helpful to host your event in a venue that provides food as part of their services. A banquet hall, can answer your questions on food and provide staff to serve and clean up after.
Create a Strong Program | You want your participants to be engaged in your event. Make sure that you invite or solicit speakers that are going to meet the expectations of attendees. If you have a strong community built up around an event, you can also send a request for submittals. When you do this, it is often a good idea to provide themes so that you can put together a logical program.
Market Your Event | Get the word out about your event. Use a wide array of communication channels to get the word out. Is your event going to be big enough that it makes sense to create a social media account to help market for it? Are there groups you can share information with that will pass it on to their members? But don’t just market for the sake of marketing. Be sure to balance your time spent marketing with getting meaningful engagement.