Corporate events can make a major difference for businesses. Whether a company hosts major events to celebrate milestones, promote new products and services, or reward employees for their hard work, careful planning is the key to success. Many people find the planning process to be complicated and intimidating. Some aren’t even sure where to start. With that being the case, use the following nine tips to help make it simpler and more successful.

1) Pick the Right Venue

For one, picking the right corporate event venue in Utah is crucial. Your venue will set the stage for the entire event. If it’s a lackluster place with little to offer, it may lead to less than satisfactory results for your employees, clients, and other attendees. On the other hand, a stellar venue can be the key to a successful event that’s memorable for all the right reasons. Consider factors like size, location, accessibility, amenities, parking, and cost to help you find the perfect event venue.

2) Get an Early Start

Another tip for simplifying your event planning is to start as early as possible. The longer you put it off, the more chaotic and stressful the process will be. Starting early gives you a chance to choose a great venue, arrange for entertainment, decide on a menu, and cover all the other important details.

3) Set Your Budget

Be sure to set a budget beforehand as well. Determine how much you can spend, and break those funds down into different aspects of the event. Those include venue rental, entertainment, catering, and decor to name a few.

4) Create an Impressive Program

A well-planned program for the event is also important. Decide which entertainers, speakers, music, food, and other elements you’ll include. Plan out when each one will come into play. Remember that even though all your guests may be at the event for the same reason, not all of them have the same interests and tastes.

5) Find Reputable Vendors

Finding reputable vendors to work with for the event will set you up for success as well. Decorators, speakers, DJs, lighting technicians, caterers, event rental companies, and many others fall into this category. Choose vendors with positive reputations and the ability to live up to your expectations as well as those of your guests.

6) Choose a Date and Time

After speaking with the vendors that’ll be part of the event, you’ll have a better idea of when they’re available. That, in turn, will allow you to set the date and time for the affair. If you do all this early enough, it’ll give you plenty of wiggle room to find an alternate venue and backups for your vendors if not all of them are available at the same time.

7) Develop Your Guest List

With a venue, vendors, a date and time, a schedule, and other details covered, you can create your guest list. Be sure not to leave out anyone important. Whether you’re hosting the event for clients, prospects, or employees, leaving someone out is bound to create resentment, which can lead to quite a few problems down the road. Again, the earlier you get started, the more time you’ll have to iron out the details here.  

8) Promote the Event

Once you have all the details and your guest list in check, it’s time to start promoting the event. This could mean different things depending on the type of corporate event you’re holding and who’s on the guest list. In most cases, it entails sending out invitations. Though you could do this via email and other virtual outlets, people still enjoy getting conventional invites as well. Be sure to include all the important points in the invitations, such as venue, date, and time. Give recipients clear instructions on how to RSVP as well. Of course, if you want to create outside publicity about the event, promote it through social media and other public channels.

9) Have a Backup Plan

No matter how early you start, how well you plan, and how reputable your vendors are, there’s always a chance that something could go wrong. With that being the case, be sure to create a backup plan for the event. If possible, try to find an alternate venue, caterer, and source of entertainment, just in case.

Making Your Event an Incredible Success

By following the nine tips listed here, you can simplify the corporate event planning process and greatly improve your chances of success. Keep in mind that it’s possible to combine many of these points in a single, far simpler step. For example, some event venues include entertainment, catering, lighting, event rentals, and additional details as part of their services for a set price. That could certainly take a great deal of stress out of the process.