How to plan a successful corporate event

Corporate events a great because it is one day that everyone in the workplace comes together not work a work purpose but for something recreational. Company D&D’s, retreats or even the office Christmas party are all fun occasions and makes getting out of bed to go to work much easier. However, they can be one of the hardest things to plan as well because you have to keep within a strict budget, expectations are high and your bosses are watching how you plan this event. Company events are usually held annually. If you screw up one event, you are going to have that bad rep for the rest of the year.

So let’s see if we can help you out

Budget

The first thing you have to take note is the budget. Typically, a budget is issued by the lords of the money, the finance department. If your company’s finance department is flexible and is able to adjust your budget easily then great, no issues. But, we all know that’s never going to happen. You need to ensure that before you spend any money, you understand what it is that you have to spend on. It helps if you make a list of items that you need to have in the event. This typically looks like this

• Venue
• Food & Drinks
• Decorations
• Printing for posters
• Contest Prizes
• Photo booth 😉
• Other incidentals

It is always a good idea to set aside the portion for other incidentals because you just never know what could go wrong. A vendor might have given you the wrong quote or you may have underestimated the amount of food you need to cater. That portion of the budget that you set aside allows you to cover these potential problems.

Venue

The venue is typically the most expensive portion of the entire event. If your company has a big office that you can use in order to host a decent party, then that’s great. But, in our experience, it is more fun for people to go outside the office for an office party. Being out of the office makes the mood lighter and generally lifts the feel of hierarchy. Try not to break the bank by choosing a hotel. A hotel ballroom is great but, these days, there are event venue providers such as cloud9 who ca provide you with a loft for your event. Be creative with the venue space. We have seen parties held at swimming pools and even at theme parks. These are great alternatives to the traditional ballroom ideas.

Entertainment

This is probably going to be the most important part of the entire event. Finding activities that the entire company will take part in is difficult, especially if you have a hundred people to consider for. One good way to do this is to look at past years events and figure out what people liked and what people did not. Talk to people around the office who have been there long enough or look at pictures of past events and take note of facial expressions of people doing different activities. Come up with interactive games and activities that will involve more people.

It is probably a good idea for you to try to get people who don’t often communicate to come together. This enables your colleagues to get to know one another better and fosters better relationships in the company.

Photo booths are also great at corporate events as you allow your guests to take home something fun and the pictures can even be placed in the office space to make it a much lighter environment. Do contact us now to book your corporate event today!