What is a corporate event planner?
A corporate event planner can be essential in planning, preparing for, coordinating and managing a corporate event. Some events are large-scale and can cost a business a lot of money. Large-scale events may require a team of planners. Other corporate events are smaller in nature and may only need a single person to plan the event.
There are many different types of events organized by
corporations. Some have unique cultural needs for your event and others
have a specific vision. It is up to the corporate event planner to
determine what type of event the corporate boss wants to organize. For
example, they may want a casual family picnic, a black tie gala, a unique
carnival experience, or a celebrity fundraiser.
All
important decisions will be made by the corporate host; however, the
planner will give the host a few options. For example, the planner may
inform the host that a charitable fundraising event may be held at a hotel, a
city landmark, or a convention center. The host will choose a venue option
from the options. If the host chooses to have the event in a hotel, the
planner will select a number of hotel options, again giving the host the
opportunity to make an informed decision.
Once the
type of event is decided, the corporate event planner must move forward and
negotiate all aspects of the event. In addition to reserving the venue, a
corporate event planner will be in charge of all the details. Selecting a
caterer, booking entertainment, organizing local tours, managing event
accounting, and setting up audiovisual equipment may be the responsibility of
the planner. Also, if there are out-of-town guests for the event, the
planner may need to arrange travel arrangements, such as airfare and ground
transportation, and help the guests obtain passports or visas.
Are you sure you are doing the right thing?
This is a
colossal mistake. By delegating the responsibilities of organizing the
event to these other professionals, you are taking away your time, focus and
energy from completing your own set of important tasks.
Additionally,
you are creating a level of expectation and responsibility that, in all
fairness, is not within the scope of your job description.
The result can
be stressful, and employees may feel resentful and will be struggling to meet
their regular obligations, as well as trying to make their boss proud of
pulling off a flawless and successful business event. It really isn't
fair. Be very careful
Do
you want all your events to be successful?
If you think planning a meeting or any
major corporate event is stressful, you are right. Meeting planning
requires experience in communications, preparation, management, logistics,
marketing, and crisis management. Because, with events, last minute
problems and emergencies happen all the time.
With a focus on the event planner -
aka meeting planner - the main reason
for their stress levels is the amount of responsibility they have to create,
organize and run a smooth and successful event.
The brand, marketing, reputation and future
success of a company can rest on the shoulders of an event planner where he
will know how to take care of everything and handle setbacks.
Fortunately, even though they carry stress,
event planners are professionals organized like a military. They are masters
of premises management. They are experts in booking entertainment.
They know how the brand and the market of
your event behave. They are professionals in the organization of your
event and will guarantee the decoration of your event in a spectacular reflection
of your theme and mission.
In short, professional event planners
thrive in the stressful storm of event details and corporate event logistics.
3
“Facts” About Corporate Event Planning (And What To Do Instead)
Corporate event planning requires a lot of
work. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Whether you're organizing
a product launch, conference, or customer hospitality event, getting all the
details right (on time and on budget) will take a lot of effort.
That's why it's totally useless to be told
dubious truths about event planning. These are not only wrong, but they
can also hamper your progress and ultimately the success of your event.
Here are 3 such
"facts" and how to avoid them.
1. It takes a person to organize an event.
It is highly
unlikely that a single person will be able to handle all the elements that go
into planning a corporate event. In fact, the larger, longer and more
complex the event, the more help you will need to seamlessly tie everything you
need into the day.
Sure, an event
planner can coordinate everyone's efforts and make all the big
decisions. But you will need specialized assistants, either internal or
external, to deal with individual aspects such as:
Find the
appropriate place.
Organize
catering.
Reserve
entertainment.
Plan the event
program.
Market the
brand.
Logistics.
…and much
more.
2. Corporate events are formal affairs.
Offices have a reputation for being
congested places to work. So it's no wonder that the same courtesy extends
to corporate events outside of them.
In decades past, large formal conference
meetings may have been the norm. That is no longer the case in
the century 21.
While your event is to be expected to be
professional, there is no reason why the format should not be
casual. Maybe even a little quirky and - shock, horror - nice. How
about a sumptuously decorated party tent instead of a standard hotel meeting
room?
3. It is not necessary to schedule the event
with military precision.
A clear
calendar planned with the utmost precision is exactly what is
required. Many event organizers try to run the day without worrying too
much about session times or breaks. The inevitable result is chaos, as
delegates don't know where they are supposed to be at any given time, while speakers
aren't sure how much time they have available.
A much more
professional approach is to map out a strict itinerary with a calendar of
events, including lunchtime, recesses, and evening events when necessary.
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