Reasons why you should opt professional agencies for corporate event management

We need to run a corporate event…how hard can it be?’ At face value ‘not very’ you would think might be the answer, but very quickly you will come to realise that there is so much more to planning and delivering an event than you ever first thought of. Combine the amount of time involved with trying to do a day job becomes nearly impossible, so what should you do? Find a good agency that can deliver added value at a reasonable price.

You first realise that event management is in fact an art at early stage, right at the start in fact when looking for a venue. You’d be amazed at the variety of venues available and also the cost! From blank canvas studio’s and warehouses to modern Hotel suites and ballrooms. What about a warship, a museum, a Livery Hall or Palace, how about building your own pop up venue, or a theatre for a product launch, would a cinema be more fun? There are stadiums, roof gardens, restaurants and clubs, hang on we need to find time to check capacities, parameters of what’s allowed and what’s not and prices of course. This takes a little while……

A professional agency will do all this for you, venue finding is a key component in any event planning, get a great venue and everyone is already in a good place. Let’s talk about theming and branding, what is going to work in the space we have for our numbers, how long to get it in production, who will produce it, Help! Again trust a good agency to help with the management of these important additions. They should able to source and negotiate competitive pricing for the vision you want to portray.

What about food and beverage? Bowl food, buffet, sit down meal, snacks, super food, fingers or forks? What is going to work for the ethos of our event, our brand values and delivering our objective. Food is hugely subjective, dynamic and divisive, so you need to take care. It’s one of the big bricks that you don’t want to get wrong on any event, people remember food! Good liaison with a decent caterer who understands the profile of the guests and the event is invaluable, as is flexibility and special diet awareness. We have an annual event overseas for 230 guests each year and there are about 70 special diets. Each one of those is an important individual who needs to be looked after. Food has gone a long way beyond ‘meat or fish’ and needs to be taken seriously. Drinks are a little easier, just decide the right level of expense and diversity, together with the image you want to portray. Is a Champagne reception really necessary? Would Prosecco be a better option. Fine wines or good value?

So we have a beautifully decorated and branded space and have decided on some well chosen food and wine. We need to understand the A/V for any presentations…and staging…and video and projection…and sound and lighting….and a guest speaker, celebrity or industry specialist? We need a good production company, who to trust. Again a professional agency will help with experience and knowledge of the industry. You might want to add corporate coloured carpet, change the presentation style to informal and relaxed, interact with your audience by using voting pads. There’s so much to think about.

What about the fun, everyone likes some after dinner or post conference fun, is a DJ or band required, entertainers, simulators, fairground stalls? Or team-building perhaps? How can you combine both? An effective Corporate event manager will help. So having done all this you’re almost there….aren’t you? Just the transport of getting everyone to and from the venue to get arrange, do we need gifts and goody bags? How about offering overnight accommodation for those who need.

And that is just about it, you’ll still need a few personal touches and there are a myriad of small things to cover, like all the communication to your invited guests and customers and menu’s and table plans and place cards and flowers.

The solution get some professional event management and get some recommendations on where to find it. Remember not all agencies are the same, choose one that you get along with - people do business with people, ask for references and discuss all fees in advance. Corporate Event management is critical to the success of any event. If you don’t have the time, resource and experience, don’t jeopardise your event. It’s just not worth it.