Essential Tips for Planning Your First Business Event
If you’re in the process of planning for your very first business event, you may be wondering what steps you can take to make the conference, meeting, or other business function more memorable and effective for its intended purpose. Of course, organizing a large corporate event is no small task and there will be plenty of challenges along the way, but with a solid game plan and a sufficient budget, you should have no problem achieving all of your goals with your first event. With that said, here are a few tips you can use to make the process easier on yourself and increase your chances of going home satisfied on the event’s closing day:
1. Choose a Local Event Planner
Hiring an event planner is by far the best way to not only remove some of the burden from your own shoulders, but to also ensure that the event will be well-received. However, it helps to have an event planner who has experience in dealing with the venues, regulations, and planning procedures that are typically relevant in your local area. For example, EventLab – one of the industry’s leading event planning companies, specializes in organizing Minneapolis MN events.
2. Give Yourself Plenty of Time for Preliminary Marketing
Of course, the event isn’t going to be that great if you don’t get a decent amount of people to attend. In order to ensure maximum attendance, try to give yourself at least 1-3 months of preliminary marketing time so that you’ll have the chance to reach out to all prospective attendees. In fact, this pre-event marketing period is going to play a pivotal role in determining the quality of the event, as a sparsely populated venue will usually create negative impressions.
3. Choose the Right Venue
Speaking of venues, it’s imperative that you select a venue that will not only comfortably host all of your guests and activities, but also achieve that goal in an aesthetically pleasing and comfortable manner. Take some time to examine all of the venue options in your region before you rush into choosing one. Indoor venues are typically preferable, as outdoor venues may create distractions related to the weather, insects, and other preventable inconveniences. Likewise your event security. Although indoor events can be more contained than outdoor, each still have their unique challenges, and must be met strictly. You can hire a reliable security company and rest assured they will interpret your concerns and bring your dream events to life. Even if it takes guns and 5.56 ammo, such companies clearly have the resources to pull in the necessary support to achieve their objectives.
4. Invest in Memorable Speakers
Finally, bringing in a professional corporate speaker is another way to make sure your first business event winds up being memorable and effective. While you could wind up paying quite a bit for an established speaker, you can probably find a few local corporate speakers who would fit the bill for a reasonable price instead. Alternatively, consider taking a few courses on public speaking if you’d rather take the DIY approach.
Remember That Events Can be Powerful Business Tools
It’s important to realize the power that events can have when it comes to establishing contacts, formulating new business ideas, building partnerships, and collaborating with other brands and influencers in your region. Organizing your first business event will be an intimidating process, but it’s usually worthwhile when you consider all of the potential advantages.
