Planning a corporate event can be a challenging and stressful task, even for the most organised amongst us. From collating availability to find the perfect date, working with a budget, sorting dietary requirements and of course… finding the perfect venue. Alongside this you have the question you will be asking yourself ‘how can I make this fun?’ or ‘will people enjoy this?’ Below are our 8 tips in how to make sure you have a successful and stress free event.
First of all you will need to figure out the four ‘Ws’…
WHO?
You will need to figure out who is attending so you know the numbers you are working with. You can then allocate a budget per head for your event as well as start to collate guest list and send out invitations.
WHAT?
What type of event are you organising, is it a celebration, launch event, teambuilding day- this will then narrow down your venue location.
WHY?
Why are you holding this event? Is it to reward staff? Is it for training purposes? Is it to help teams bond? Once you have figured these out you can determine key features of the event including activities and timeline for the day/night.
WHERE?
Choosing a venue can then be determined- can this area fulfil your needs? Does it accommodate the type of event you are holding and the number pf guests you have attending? Is it accessible? Once you have established these factors your can then choose the perfect location.
Once you have determined the above, time to move on to the next stages of planning your event…
Find a Date
Check your calendar and find a date, check that there are no major events going on nearby that your colleagues or clients will be attending, try to avoid school holidays and bank holidays as these can have a huge impact on availability of guests. Once you have your date add it to your diary and try to stick to it! Ideally you should plan your event at the very least eight weeks before, this will give people a substantial amount of notice and you plenty of time to plan, plus large event spaces tend to get booked up in advance so you don’t want to miss out on your dream venue!
The Venue
Location!! This is so important. Firstly you will need to think about your audience, what type of venue would they like, and the purpose for the business event. Is the venue you are interested in flexible will it adjust to your needs? Take into consideration if it is accessible for people driving or using public transport. If you are holding a larger event- is there accommodation on site or close by? These are all small factors which make a huge impact on the day of your event.
Invites
Once you have got your venue sorted out it is time to send out your invitations. Make sure you have developed your guest list and have more than the amount of people you would like to attend as there always tends to be 30% drop off rate. Invitations should be sent 4 weeks if not more before the date of event. Make sure you provide for any dietary requirements, and to add to the invite if they are allowed to bring a partner or business associate.
How will the event flow?
Make sure that all the guests know that you are the contact for the event and if it isn’t you who it will be. Pull together a brief of timings, when your event needs to start, food and drink requirements, activities or entertainments times which are scheduled throughout. You will need to ensure you have a point of contact at the venue to ensure this all runs smoothly so that you too can enjoy your event!
Enjoy Yourself
Finally Enjoy! All your hard work has paid off and it’s now your turn to have fun!
At Salomons Estate our amazing Events Team are incredibly experienced and will assist in all aspects of your event you stress free and able to enjoy yourself. We will go the extra mile to make your event special and memorable.
If you are interested in holding you event at Salomons Estate please contact 01892 628687 or email reception@www.salomons-estate.com.