Corporate events – when executed well – are amazing opportunities to increase brand awareness, showcase new and innovative products, and expand your social network by meeting and getting to know other passionate and like-minded people. But there is no way around the fact that organising a corporate event is stressful!

Planning and executing corporate events start with knowing the messages that will appeal to your target audience, with attractive visual appeal through signage, banners, advertisements and more. At Studio 10, we help businesses create events & promotional signs that capture people’s attention and convey their brand image in the best way possible. 

We know every corporate event will be different, but here’s our checklist of some of the key essentials to run through:

1.  Event purpose

The first step is to outline the ‘why’ behind your corporate event. The clearer your event’s purpose is, the easier it will be to plan the event in its entirety. Some things to consider are:   

• What’s the end goal for your event? E.g. Product Launch, Team-building, Appreciation etc.
• What do you want your attendees to do before, during, and after the event?
• Do you want your event to earn a profit?
• Who are the types of people you want to attend?
• Will there be a theme? 

2.Event Budget

With so many things to prepare and organise, it’s dangerously easy to let your costs go out of hand. If you have a clear budget laid out that is strictly adhered to, worrying about going over your budget shouldn’t be on your mind.  

When sorting out your budget, factor in costs for things such as:

• Will your corporate event have sponsors?
• How much budget is allocated to hiring the venue, caterers, cleaners, and any other services?
• Will your guest speakers be remunerated?
• Cost of security
• Cost of marketing materials and promotion

 

3. Event Structure

Now it’s time to plan the activities that will make your event shine! It’s important to strike that balance between executing your event’s purpose whilst keeping your attendees engaged and interested all throughout the event. Consider how much time you have available for the event and the possibilities for delays, ensuring that despite all that, all your scheduled corporate event activities still have room to run.

Typically, what you can expect in most corporate event includes:

• An introduction
• Guest speakers
• Demonstrations, product launch presentations, workshops
• Breaks with food and/or drinks served
• A wrap up
• Optional: After-event  

4. Location and Venue

By now you’ll have a clearer picture of how your event will look like, so it’s just a matter of finding a suitable location and venue that will fit the part! Your venue is where you can really showcase your event or company’s branding messages with lots of visual appeal. 

Consider the following when scouting the best location for your next corporate event:

• Where are the best places to set up event signage and other promotional material?
• Will banners, advertisements, etc. be in clear view of the attendees? 
• Is the venue available on your desired dates?
• Can the venue fit the estimated number of attendees?
• Are there appropriate rooms or stages for presentations and speeches?
• Is there a slide or projector available?
• What are the best transport options to get to and from the venue? It’s also good to provide a map that directs attendees to the venue.
• Will there be parking areas available?
• Can cleaners be allowed during the event to clean and maintain the venue?

 

5. Finalize and publish event information details

For all your attendees to be sure about your corporate event details, it’s best to go digital and create an official website or post that contains all the details your guests will be searching for. Setting up your event details online is convenient and ensures everyone can see it in their own time.  

If you’re setting up a website, you should ensure the system is capable of handling high levels of traffic and can safely store valuable information given by attendees who register.

Should your corporate event requires attendees to pay for tickets, you should implement a ticketing or registration technology on your website that is secure and reliable.

6. Reach out and Promote

To make sure your corporate event is heard amongst the sea of other online posts, promotions, and advertisement noise, you’ll want to craft an authentic and attention-grabbing marketing strategy to spark interest and reach your desired audience.

Some of the promotional strategies to consider include:

• Promoting your event on various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
• Set up paid advertisements online and offline
• Reach out to relevant influencers to promote your event
• Feature in other event websites or blog articles
• Send reminders: via email through registrations, social media, etc.

 

7. Right Before and During the Event:

As everything gets set in place, now is the time to dot your I’s and cross your t’s, making sure your event goes accordingly and any potential hiccups can be promptly taken care of.

This could mean that right before and during the event, you’ll do a final rehearsal and discuss closely with technicians and other vendors of how to handle any possible problems that could arise.

 

During your event, you’ll undoubtedly be busy keeping track of time and scheduled activities, but this is also a great opportunity to record feedback and thoughts from guests as they experience the event.

8. Event Follow Up

Your work isn’t done just yet! Even after your corporate event has finished, there are not only many ways to follow up with your attendees about their experiences, but this is also an opportunity for you to reflect on what to implement and improve on with future events that are organised.

 

• Write a blog post on event success on the website and social media
• Conduct email surveys for feedback
• Make a video of the event
• Write down what went well and what didn’t to avoid the same mistakes
• Save budget and financial records for future reference

And that’s a wrap!

It’s safe to say that planning a corporate event is something that takes months of preparation and can get quite stressful when things don’t go according to plan. But having a checklist of the essentials in planning your corporate event is something that will make the whole journey so much easier and ensure you won’t have left any crucial aspects out of the picture. At Studio 10 Design, we create vibrant and eye-catching signage to showcase your business. Get in touch with us to see how we can customise signage including digital prints, neon signage, banners, shopfront signage and more.