Your Next Corporate Event: Is There An Ideal Planning Timeline?
Making
a timing mistake can be devastating for your event. When planning a
corporate event, it’s important to get everything along the right
timeline.
Here are a few timeline tips that can keep you from making a costly mistake that could keep your event from being the memorable event it should be:
Get your budget in place before each member of your team is assigned a duty. Without knowing exactly what to spend, one team member may use what eventually becomes the entire budget on just one facet of the event. An event with no food, or one with entertainment but no venue, would be a huge mistake. Many vendors have non-refundable deposits, so make sure each person has a firm budget for their part of the planning before any booking begins.
Here are a few timeline tips that can keep you from making a costly mistake that could keep your event from being the memorable event it should be:
Get your budget in place before each member of your team is assigned a duty. Without knowing exactly what to spend, one team member may use what eventually becomes the entire budget on just one facet of the event. An event with no food, or one with entertainment but no venue, would be a huge mistake. Many vendors have non-refundable deposits, so make sure each person has a firm budget for their part of the planning before any booking begins.
Know
what your venue will be before you book your entertainment. Anyone
involved in corporate event planning knows how important the
entertainment is, but resist booking it before you’ve established a
venue. The venue may have specific rules about what type of
entertainment may be allowed. Or, your choice of entertainment may be
too large for the venue that you have booked. Many entertainment acts
need to know the dimensions of the performance area.
Decide on a budget for the caterers and an approximate number of attendees early on. The difference between catering a small, intimate event and a massive one full of employees and their families may determine which caterers can take on your event. Smaller caterers may simply not be equipped for an enormous function. If you know how many people you plan to invite, you can also get a firm price quote from the caterers you interview.
Always place registration last in your corporate event plans. If you ask people to register before you know what the entertainment will be, you won’t get the same response as if people knew what to expect from the event. Your date, caterer, venue and entertainment should already be in place when registration opens. This will ensure that you won’t be short a vendor when the time comes. It also builds up excitement for the event.
Decide on a budget for the caterers and an approximate number of attendees early on. The difference between catering a small, intimate event and a massive one full of employees and their families may determine which caterers can take on your event. Smaller caterers may simply not be equipped for an enormous function. If you know how many people you plan to invite, you can also get a firm price quote from the caterers you interview.
Always place registration last in your corporate event plans. If you ask people to register before you know what the entertainment will be, you won’t get the same response as if people knew what to expect from the event. Your date, caterer, venue and entertainment should already be in place when registration opens. This will ensure that you won’t be short a vendor when the time comes. It also builds up excitement for the event.
