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Are you planning a trade show to secure clients and build connections with like-minded business owners and investors? Or perhaps, you’re planning to launch your new product in a star-studded evening, attended by industry bigwigs and prominent observers?
All corporate events serve a purpose, mainly cementing the brand identity of a business within its industry sector. A successful corporate event demands diligent attention to details, from budgeting and planning to food and entertainment. It takes a flexible budget, action-packed entertainment, and a stellar guest list to turn a corporate event into a roaring success.
What can you do to make your corporate event extraordinary and memorable? To answer this question, you must tap into your audiences’ preferences and tastes. Do they like classical music, or perhaps, they are more likely to enjoy a magic show? Would they enjoy champagne paired with Italian cuisine, or would wine and lamb appeal more strongly to their tastebuds?
Planning a corporate event is a long-drawn-out process, and we advise you to get started months before the big day. Keep reading to discover some practical tips that will help wow your guests with a splendid ambiance.
A Flexible Budget
The first step to a successful corporate bash is indeed a flexible budget. If you want to wow your guests and leave a powerful impression on industry bigwigs, you need to spend lavishly. We advise working with small businesses and startups while hiring decorators, florists, caterers, and entertainers.
Starting with a flexible budget will help you splurge without losing sight of your affordability. Be sure to set aside a generous sum for the food, entertainment, venue, and other planning elements.
Go BIG on Entertainment
Are you planning on hiring a trollkarlar to enchant your guests with mind-boggling magic tricks? Or perhaps, you’re planning to erect a dancefloor so everyone can dance the night away to the town’s hippest DJ? Magic shows are a much more appropriate and enjoyable entertainment choice for corporate events. They are always a huge success, especially if you’re inviting families with children.
However, a magic show alone isn’t enough to keep your audience hooked and engaged. It would help if you planned a series of well-timed activities to prevent boredom and monotony from creeping onto your event schedule. Suppose you’re planning to launch a new product, celebrate a recently won award, or promote a new service. In that case, you need to reverse around 20-30 minutes of your event schedule for your business-related promotions.
The remaining schedule must offer various entertainment segments, breaking into a fun night of dancing or feasting. You can pair up the magic show with a stand-up comedy segment, followed by some fun games. You can also invite a popular motivational speaker to address issues concerning your line of work, such as workplace stress.
Understanding your Audience
Have you taken the trouble to connect with your audience and understand their tastes and preferences? If not, get ready for humiliating embarrassments that arise when hosts don’t understand the needs of their guests.
If your guest list contains people from different cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds, you must respect their differences. Keep in mind that certain food choices, liquor, and other event planning details can prove culturally offensive. For instance, you cannot serve pork to guests from the Gulf or Jewish and Muslim backgrounds.
Likewise, Chinese communities have a strong distaste for hosts and guests who do not practice punctuality. Expect your Chinese guests to follow the schedule to the second, and they will expect the same punctuality from you. Understanding your audience is crucial to avoid cultural faux pas and present food and beverage choices that align with their tastes.
Keep the Audience Enraptured
Most people attend corporate events to lure free food, product samples, and fancy corporate giveaways. Many people attend these events for networking and making lucrative connections. However, most guests patiently wait for their hosts to distribute drinks, hampers, and free food. How can you make sure your event is genuinely enjoyable enough to keep the audience hooked?
It’s easy: keep them involved and enraptured. Don’t lose sight of your audience, and don’t let the guests fall into a boredom-induced slump. For this purpose, you need an animated host or moderator who can pour life into the event. A moderator is a powerful force of energy that makes things exciting and encourages everyone to participate.
The moderator can enrapture the audience with fun games, gift hampers, and game show-like quizzes to spice things up. The audience will have a great time when they are actively involved in the event.
A Spectacular Theme
Here’s a unique idea to make your corporate event unforgettable: encourage everyone to dress up with a spectacular theme. Everyone adores theme parties, and this idea can give your corporate bash a delightful twist. Rather than plan a tediously boring business event, why not accomplish the same purpose with an action-packed themed event?
You can work with any theme that aligns with your corporate goals. You can throw a winter carnival or a spring fiesta with a unique branding spin that allows corporate promotion. For instance, the dress code can revolve around the colors of your branding elements. Or you can brand the entire event around the packaging of the new product your company has launched.
There’s a world of ideas to explore when finding themes that align with your brand’s story and graphic elements. Get creative and surprise your corporate guests with a fun night without overwhelming them with corporate monotony.
Insta-Worthy Photo Booths
We live in a world dominated by Insta-worthy moments and alluring aesthetics. Encourage your guests to make memories and preserve them on social media with Insta-worthy photo booths. The décor must encourage everyone to take pictures with elaborate backdrops promoting your brand and event.
You can create a unique hashtag for the night, encouraging everyone to use the hashtag while posting online. Go overboard on floral and decoration elements, as the photographs will promote your brand’s opulent event planning for years.
Read Also: Six Effective Suggestions For Corporate Lodging
Conclusion
Planning a memorable and extraordinary corporate event boils down to your budget and affordability. Can you afford to go overboard on decorations, food, and beverages? Or do you have to limit yourself to sub-par catering and cost-efficient event planning?
You don’t necessarily need thousands of dollars to throw an impressive corporate bash—planning and creativity trump money by creating affordable alternatives to grandeur and opulence. Working with small businesses is a terrific idea to save money without compromising on any element of your event. But most importantly, take the time to understand your guests.
