Laura Takasaki: Co-owner, Imagine That Events
Avoid the stress of organizing annual conferences, holiday parties, galas and milestones by focusing on a vision and keeping organized. Whether you choose to "do it yourself" or hire an event planner, you must decide what your event will look like and what steps are required to get there.
Consider these details: purpose and theme of your event, itinerary requirements, venue capacity, guests, accommodation and transportation needs, budget, corporate sponsorship and the use of an in-house coordinator or social committee.
You should also know what you are trying to showcase and how you will assess your event's success.
Determining a theme and identifying the purpose of your event will help fill in more details in your plan. Corporate events should be innovative, educational and fun. Think outside the box to make the event memorable.
Revisit your purpose and original vision when:
- Selecting your venue: consider the location, capacity and accessibility. Visiting the venue and reviewing quotes before making your decision is important.
- Planning ahead: with high demand of resources during peak season in Vancouver, booking one to three years ahead is key to getting your desired venue, location, accommodations and food and beverage within your budget.
- Planning an event over multiple days: be sure to dedicate a specific time for entertainment and networking opportunities. Create a highly reliable team to assist you in the event planning process and delegate specific tasks with deadlines to your team members.
Ultimately, an efficient plan with an excellent team will deliver a successful event.
Sarah Shore: Founding partner and principal planner, DreamGroup Productions
When planning a corporate event or conference there are seemingly endless details involved, but there are a few key elements that you want to have in place in order to ensure a successful outcome.
No. 1 is communication, and that goes with the planning of any event. Whether it be with your client, the vendor team, guests or attendees, when people are "in the know" there is a lot less room for error. Communication is also key when defining event objectives and expectations. They should be well defined so that they are achievable and communicated to everyone who has a stake in the event's success so that they are all striving to attain these goals. That is the reason you're planning this event, right?
The second most important thing and perhaps on par with communication is having a realistic budget from the beginning of the planning where you can track revenue and expenses. Otherwise, you're leaving yourself open to overspending, especially if your revenue doesn't end up being in line with what you initially anticipated. If you are monitoring your budget throughout the planning, you can make adjustments as needed and ensure that the bottom line is aligned with your objectives.
To ensure that all of the tasks (large and small) are accomplished, have a project outline or well-defined plan to follow. It should outline who is responsible for what assignments and the deadlines for each. This will allow you to monitor your progress and ensure that tasks are completed in a timely manner. If a deadline is approaching and the task has not been completed, you can assess the roadblock and focus your efforts there.
And finally, keep in mind that there will always be unexpected details that come up during the planning process and especially on the day of the event. However, if you've managed to maintain the above key elements, you will be able to deal with unforeseen circumstances because you will have a well-oiled event underway.
Sharon Bonner: CEO and president, Bright Ideas Event Coordinators
Successful events start with clearly defined objectives and end by measuring the results. Event budgets are tighter than ever, so you need to be able to justify your decision to host a corporate event or conference, with measurable outcomes showing a positive return on your event budget.
Define three objectives for your event. Usually these are centred on outcomes such as increasing sales or customers, but you can also define non-monetary targets such as product knowledge, company morale or public outreach. Try to find ways to measure those goals and debrief afterwards to assess the results.
Five tips to produce your own event:
- Choose a venue that is transit-friendly and has ample parking.
- Plan an event time that works for your guests. Hosting an event for clients at 8 p.m. downtown is not a good idea when their workday finishes at 5 p.m.
- Create an agenda that ensures your message gets heard. Having speakers at the start of the event is not a good idea, because guests typically arrive late. Define the major highlights of the event and group them midway through the event. This ensures most of your guests will be there and you interrupt socializing only once.
- Incorporate food selections based on the venue and the event agenda. Food stations are becoming more and more popular as guests have the opportunity to enjoy food on their own schedule. It also encourages movement and circulation around the venue.
- Include appropriate entertainment. Consider the event objectives and if one of them is networking, don't have a loud band playing all night. If chosen correctly (and this is difficult) entertainment can complement the event and improve your guests' experience.
Good luck and most importantly, have fun! If you are not having fun planning your event, best to hire a professional.
