Any event paid for by an organization for the benefit of its employees
or customers can be considered a corporate event. Many such events are held to
thank employees, show appreciation for the customers’ constant business, and
showcase new products. Corporate events may cost organizations some serious
money, but if they can get results, they should be worth considering.
If you want a great event, you shouldn’t risk planning one while attending to the other aspects of your business. In the months leading up to the event, you’d have to throw everything into making sure every detail is perfect to ensure a smooth-flowing event later. That’s why it pays to hire an expert corporate event planner.
With more emphasis on engaging employees as the number one asset of an
organization and carefully shaping one’s brand, considering the noise all the
other competing brands may also be making
in both traditional media and social media, corporate event planners are in
demand more than ever.
Reasons to
Hire Corporate Event Planners
Here are great benefits to retaining the services of an event planner:
·
Following the
set budget. Professional event planners have the expertise and tried and tested methods
to keep everything under your budget. They also have well-established connections with venues and party suppliers who
can give them preferred rates or even discounts.
·
Stress-free
event hosting. It is up to the planner to make sure everything runs smoothly and
develop backup plans in case something
goes wrong. It saves you from panicking over several ‘what if’ scenarios.
·
Great
attention to detail. You can confidently leave everything to the
capable hands of your planner, who will take care not only of the major details
but also the smallest ones, from using the right table cloth to making sure attendees who have allergies won’t be
served food they’re not allowed to eat.
·
Creativity. Whatever
issue may crop up during the planning of the event, from the registration and
venue selection to the entertainment and furnishing, your planner will have all
the necessary creative solutions.
·
More
connections. Instead of sweating out the details over which catering service or
what kinds of decoration should be used, your planner will take over everything
after asking you about what you had in mind for the event.
How to
Distinguish a Good Corporate Event Planner
You know you’ve found the best corporate event planner for you if they
have the following qualities:
·
Excellent
people skills. Effective planners need people skills to comfortably deal with all
kinds of people – from business executives and government officials to
customers and suppliers.
·
Organized.
Multi-tasking prowess is a must-have for event planners and this will be best
unleashed if a planner is organized and good at delegating simpler but
time-consuming tasks to other people.
·
Resourcefulness. No matter
how much planning you do, something may go wrong during the planning process or
the event itself. But if your planner is resourceful, they would have
anticipated the possibilities and prepared for the issues in case.
High attention
to detail. Even something as minor as the font of the invitation cards used to
the color of the table cloth may affect
the whole feel of the event. That’s why good planners have to have great
attention to detail.
·
Passion. Corporate
event planning is mostly hard work, sleepless nights, and stressful days until
the day of the event. It also requires dealing with different personalities,
which can be quite draining. But passionate planners will still push through
despite the challenges they would face because seeing the outcome of the event
can give them pleasure and satisfaction.
·
Good
communication skills. These skills are necessary if you want your
planner to understand what you want and relay those preferences to the
suppliers of your event and the rest of the team.
Typical Events
Handled
Some of the most common types of corporate events that your organization
might want to host include the following:
·
Trade shows. These are
important in establishing partnerships, generating leads, raising awareness
about your products, and expanding your networks.
·
Product
launches. These are all about showcasing your new products and acquiring clients
through extensive media exposure.
·
Conferences. These aim to
establish an avenue for exchanging ideas, finding solutions, and improving
collective expertise with your peers in your industry.
·
Appreciation
events. These are often hosted to recognize your employees’ achievements or
establish a stronger connection with your loyal customers. Examples are
cruises, sports events, dinner, holiday parties, tickets to your town’s most
popular events, and other private parties.
· Incentive
trips. These are perfect for rewarding or entertaining employees and polishing
your organization’s good reputation.
·
Teambuilding
events. Their goal is to improve social ties among your employees.
Company
milestones. Their purpose is to celebrate anniversaries, grand openings, and other
major achievements. Aside from employees, vendors, clients, and even members of
the local community may be invited.
· Board meetings. These are
held for board members to review business performance and meet up with other
executives to make major decisions.
·
Charity events. These are
important as part of your organization’s corporate social responsibility.
Business dinners. These are also another way to celebrate organization milestones, welcome a new member to the team, and more.
Now, you know it is totally worth it to hire a corporate event planner’s
help if you don’t want to be saddled with extra responsibilities and end up
butchering an otherwise beneficial event.
“Most of our clients come to us for 3 things: they want to do away with
the extra stress, they want to work with people who are smarter than them in
terms of doing events, and they want our network. We definitely aren’t cheap,
but with the caliber of work we put in, you — and over a hundred corporate
clients will agree—that it’s worth it,” Karla Singson, Owner and Events and PR
Lead of PREP (PR,
Events and Promotions), shares.
Just make sure to find a topnotch
planner like PREP and you can let them take the reins while you focus on
running your business.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
