Do you have a knack for organising events? Before diving into becoming an event planner, you should know what type of events you want to organise. One of the types of event planners is the corporate event planner. It’s where you organise corporate events, such as seminars, conferences, and team-building activities.
But although it may sound easy, the job of corporate event planners can be a bit overwhelming. For starters, most of these events come with many attendees and are required to be held in huge venues. So, before you start organising corporate events, here are some tips you should know to become a successful corporate event planner.
1. Establish Strong Organisational Skills
Since most of the tasks you need to do require organisational skills, it’s the first thing you should acquire. If you can handle multiple tasks at once, you can easily develop and master the art of organising.
The human brain may not remember everything, so the first thing you need to have is a helpful planning application or software. Although you can also use a physical notebook, having an app allows you to manage changes and track the progress wherever you are.
Additionally, investing in helpful tools and exploring various workshops and certifications about developing strong organisational skills can help you move forward with your goal.
2. Know Your Client’s Goal
Corporate event planners may already have an idea in mind when it comes to various events. However, it’s still important to hear out your client first before planning anything.
During the first discussion, you should know every detail you need in planning the event. This includes the target date, time, theme, type of corporate event, and goal. As the discussion moves forward, you can ask more questions that can give you an idea of how they want the event to look.
In addition, consider event the minor requests and details the client provided to achieve what they have in mind.
3. Keep Posted on the Latest Event Trends
Another thing you shouldn’t forget to be a successful corporate event planner is to stay updated on the latest trends. Do you know the latest technology, practises and designs of most corporate events nowadays? Do you often visit reliable sources and check social media to see how are they organised lately?
If you don’t know the updates, you might end up losing clients. Since most corporate events are held as a form of advertising, it’s not going to look good if their events look outdated. Additionally, it’ll look like they don’t have enough budget or that they don’t care about the competitors.
4. Build Strong Relationships with Vendors
Successful corporate event planners collaborate with various vendors that provide the best services, including catering, flowers, decorations, and lights and sounds. Without a strong relationship with the vendors, it’s impossible to organise the ideal corporate events.
It starts with building a network. Once you find the vendors that suit the way you plan and organise corporate events, you can work with them all the time. As your connection and bond becomes stronger, the easier it is to work with each other.
Additionally, you can get more discounts and great packages in the long run. And in return, you can recommend them to your clients.
5. Pay Attention to Detail
Sometimes, the tiniest mistake may lead to a bigger disaster. So, as a corporate event planner, it’s your job to pay attention to every detail of the events. From double-checking the guestlist to executing the decorations, there’s nothing about the event that you should miss.
Additionally, since there’s no such thing as a perfect event, you should have room for errors. For instance, if the flowers don’t arrive at the said time, you should prepare the vases or spaces where the flowers should go, so when they arrive it’s easy to get things back in order.
6. Communicate Effectively
From the client to the staff, make sure to effectively communicate everything you need, including the progress of the event. At the initial consultation, make sure that your client knows where to contact you. If there are issues or concerns, address them properly, so that you can go back from where you left off.
7. Stay Calm Under Pressure
When planning corporate events, or any other event, there are instances when you have to deal with situations that involve high pressure. When that happens, you should stay calm and think of a possible solution.
Besides, corporate event planners often need to be able to handle stress and face their clients with assurance that things will be alright. So, if you want to pursue this career, you should practise adapting to high-pressure situations.
We hope this article helps you get to know the basics of becoming a successful corporate event planner. Although you still need to do a lot of things, following these tips can be a great start.