Plan for every eventuality
There is a huge amount of planning that goes into a corporate event. As well as planning everything you have envisaged for the event also consider what could happen in the event of X, Y or Z. You have to consider the weather for example. Even at in indoor event, extreme weather can affect people’s travel to your destination, location and venue. If you are organising an event in central London for example, public transport can be an issue for those travelling to the event with Tube strikes.
We mentioned in our last article when you do your venue site visits to check for the WIFI. You could find on the day that there is an issue with the WIFI signal. Be prepared with a back-up solution should your expected plan fail. As a corporate event planner/co-ordinator/manager you need to think out the plan from start to finish and consider all the variables, so you can be prepared and one step ahead.
Attention to detail is critical
Your client will be relying on you to think for them. You are the expert and you must be sure that you keep focused on the details. There is an incredible amount of information that is gathered during the planning of a corporate event. EVERY detail counts. Even the smallest thing that gets missed can have a huge impact on the day and cause a lot of stress and look very bad to your client and their customers or internal team.
It is the most rewarding job
You get to work with so many different people, join their teams and invest yourself in these projects. You form wonderful bonds during the planning process that can last well beyond the lifetime of an event, and the sense of achievement once you have successfully delivered the project is fantastic.
You have the pleasure of seeing projects from start to finish on a regular basis and have the opportunity to work on a vast array of different events. Who knows what the next event will be!
You need to be able to think on your feet
If you are good at creative problem solving, that’s great. You’ve got a head start and this might be the role for you! Add a stop watch to that problem solving and you are in training for working in corporate events. Especially when you are onsite! You will need to able to think fast and resolve any manner of issues that come up calmly, quickly and effectively. A swan gliding across the water in the eyes of the client with your legs madly peddling under the surface. You begin to trust your instincts and make quick decisions to ensure successful delivery.
Delegate journey – don’t presume anyone knows anything or everything
Always assume that the delegates know nothing, so be sure to provide full and clear information. Some delegates won’t read everything (or anything) properly, so plan how to manage that. You need to consider all the questions they may have and all the mistakes they may make. Then move on to the ones who don’t want to do it quite the same as everyone else and ‘could you just make an exception for me’.
Have clear processes and rules about registration and payment. Make it as simple as possible to understand. When onsite, make sure signage is clear, so they know what to do and where to go. Provide all the information you can to assist them along the way. Remember you know the event inside out they know only what you tell them.
Expect the unexpected!
The thing you least expected to happen will inevitably crop up, big or small. If you are ready to think on your feet as we mentioned above, then you have an advantage. However sometimes you just have to accept you can’t control everything. Good humour and flexibility with get you a long way in the industry.
Travelling… Event Style
You may have some opportunities to travel to amazing locations and you may even get a chance to look around those places but be mindful that you will be entirely focused on the event and the client, so you may find that it isn’t as glamorous as you’d imagined. Be as time efficient as you can be – on a flight or a train journey use the time wisely and work or take the opportunity to rest while you can!
You will have some incredible experiences but travelling can also be tiring and living out of a suitcase can be hard after a time. Make sure you have realistic expectations and always enjoy the ride!
