WHAT IS A CORPORATE EVENT?
A corporate event is an experience sponsored by a company with a focus on either their employees, their clients, or potential customers. These might include conventions, staff meetings, executive retreats, team building events, charity fundraising, product launches, expositions, and more.
When you plan an experiential corporate event with OVATION, whether virtual, hybrid, or in-person, we have the production and creative expertise to elevate your amazing event into an unforgettable experience. Whether you are looking to advertise a product launch, build relationships with customers, or educate and motivate your workforce, we offer the perfect event solution for you.
WHY SHOULD YOU CONSIDER A CORPORATE EVENT PLANNER?
As you read the key components to planning the best corporate event of 2022, consider the ways that an event partner like OVATION can reduce cost, anxiety, and stress while making your corporate event a smashing success. With an event planner at your disposal, you are guaranteed these benefits:
- Vetted partnerships guarantee the best vendors at your disposal for the best price
- Expert knowledge of trends, concepts, and best practices to make your event unique
- Professional planning and execution saves you valuable time and reduces stress
- Years of experience ensure they have planned every detail, including the unexpected
- Proven know-how to motivate your audience to act on the goal of your event
WHAT MAKES A CORPORATE EVENT UNFORGETTABLE
1. KNOWING THE OBJECTIVE OF YOUR CORPORATE EVENT
When planning a corporate event, knowing what you want to get out of it is key to making it a success. Make sure your objective is specific, achievable, and relevant. Ask yourself what you want the audience to act on when they leave.
If you want to wow your audience and convey your objective authentically, make sure you truly understand your audience. Giving attendees an experience that relates to them will ensure the return on investment you want from your event, whether it’s delivered in-person, in a hybrid format or virtually. If this feels like an overwhelming task for your large event, OVATION can take the vision you want to share with your audience and help shape it, then plan and produce every detail of your event to ensure that your objective is achieved.
2. PLANNING THE COMPONENTS OF YOUR CORPORATE EVENT
Now that you’ve decided on the purpose which gives your event the potential to be the hit of 2022, it’s time to hammer out the details. You’ll need to consider a host of factors like location, venue, keynote speakers, creatives, food and beverage, swag, attendees, entertainment, equipment and staffing.
Smaller corporate events that require fewer logistics like staff meetings, retreats, and corporate parties still need contingency plans and attention to detail to ensure success. Larger events like industry trade shows, conventions, expos, and product launches require careful logistics and industry knowledge. Hybrid events also require special consideration, to ensure both live and virtual audiences stay entertained and engaged.
We know that even for those with experience in corporate event planning for their company, trying to plan and manage so many details can be overwhelming. Bringing in an expert allows you to hand over your vision to professionals who have a go-to event solution for every item on your list.
3. SETTING A BUDGET FOR YOUR CORPORATE EVENT
To create your corporate event budget, you need to start with pricing out the components we mentioned above, especially key items like the venue, staffing, food and beverages, marketing, production and equipment. As you classify what you can’t go without, it will allow you to add or subtract other ideas you or your team may suggest. With the option of hosting a hybrid or virtual event, cost savings opportunities are plentiful when it comes to venue options.
When creating a budget for your corporate event, you’ll want to consider the cost basis. A cost basis is the original value of a product or asset. At the basic level, the cost basis of the investment is the amount that you originally put into the event and any fees that are involved with it.
It’s often helpful to look at previous events to gauge what is worth spending money on. Learn from your mistakes to see where money was not utilized well and pay attention to the highlights of each event to see what made your attendees most engaged. Because of their extensive knowledge regarding hidden costs or savings that your event might incur, having a professional corporate event planner is a great way to save money and stay within budget.
4. CHOOSING MANAGEMENT AND STAFFING YOUR CORPORATE EVENT
It is valuable to have your event staff specialize in the type of event you are planning. You want to pick an event company that has ample experience producing the type of event you are hosting. Be sure to look carefully at their website and social media pages to get a complete picture of what each company offers. Look at past events they have worked on and review client testimonials to ensure the company has a pattern of trust and success. A corporate event requires complex planning and execution strategies which can be difficult, and that’s why you want an organization you feel secure with.
OVATION specifically takes pride in focusing on the smallest details to thrive in all events. We can help you manage the people, technology, space, and marketing to ensure the highest quality event while successfully planning for contingencies and working within the realm of what’s possible on your budget.
5. MARKETING YOUR CORPORATE EVENT
When hosting a large corporate event, especially client-facing, it’s critical to ensure that you draw an appropriate audience. Marketing your event successfully beforehand ensures that people will attend and look forward to it. Your marketing strategy will help increase audience engagement and participation, which is a key part to a successful corporate event.
Any number of marketing strategies may boost awareness and attendance of your corporate event, from social media posts, industry email blasts, digital ads, and more. You want to highlight your event and make the audience excited about coming. Provide your target audience with enticing teasers that give them a preview of what the event will entail to draw interest. Partnering with a corporate event planner can take away the guesswork of how to market to your desired audience, negotiate better rates for your content, and optimize the marketing budget for your event.
6. PARTNERING WITH THE BEST CORPORATE EVENT PLANNER
When you partner with OVATION, our highly advanced technology, and our dedicated team guarantee that your event will be a tremendous success that attendees will never forget. We have state-of-the-art proprietary technology which helps deliver organized events to in-person or online audiences. Our MARQUEE system is customizable and can always be updated for your event. This system is valuable because of its real-time monitoring, which allows content delivery in real-time to in-person and live audiences. The OVATION team has a masterful attention to detail, which means successful production of every aspect of your corporate event, with no emergencies or surprises.
CORPORATE EVENT PLANNING FAQ’S
Q: WHAT ARE THE MAIN TYPES OF CORPORATE EVENTS?
A: There are many different types of corporate events, from small office functions to nationally produced or even globally attended events. These can include seminars, conferences, retreats, company milestones, production launches, sales training, and team-building events. The main purpose of having these events is to keep the audience engaged in what you are trying to promote and push them to action, but also to leave a positive lasting impression.
Q: WHAT IS A HYBRID EVENT?
A: Hybrid events are a mix of in-person and virtual events. You can take an in-person audience and add a virtual component to the event. This helps to engage the audience in whatever your event is trying to promote while reaching attendees both in-person or miles away. It also enables a broader audience base and can reduce travel and event costs.
Q: WHAT IS THE KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL CORPORATE EVENT?
A: A successful corporate event has many different parts to it. After all of the careful planning leading up to the event, you want to ensure that you are always staying on track with the objective of the event once it’s live. Staying focused on the topic will keep attendees engaged and interested. Having a knowledgeable team behind you to keep your event on track can turn a good event into an unforgettable event. You want your audience to enjoy themselves and willingly participate, and to keep talking about your corporate event once it’s over.