Organising a corporate event requires hard work and dedication, but it brings your company a series of advantages that not only keep it relevant in its area of business, but also help to create bonds with partners and consumers.
According to the company's objective, the event can adopt a number of formats ranging from traditional trade fairs to seminars, not forgetting the exclusive presentation of new products and services to partners, clients and the media in hotels and congress halls.
The variety is great, the profits immense and the work, well, that can be made easier with the help we're going to give you throughout this article.
How to organise an event step by step?
As Nietzsche used to say, "the devil is in the details", which is the equivalent of saying that in order for the corporate event you are organising to be a success for your company, you need to pay special attention not only to major logistical and technical issues such as renting the venue or accommodating guests and clients, but also to something that often goes unnoticed by the eye, such as the booking programme and payment solutions (in case the event has paid admission or sale of products / services).
Step 1: Define the objective and target audience of the event
The first step in organising corporate events should be to define the purpose and target audience of the event.
In the case of objectives, the most common are:
- The launch and presentation of a new product or service;
- Celebration of an important date for the company;
- Closer ties with the community (social events, collecting donations, etc.);
- Reinforcing the brand's image among the general public;
- Promoting the company as a technological leader through seminars and technical congresses.
Depending on the objective, the target audience will be defined, a step that will be decisive in later stages of the event's organisation, as this will help you define the format, location, space needed for the event and the marketing strategies you will need to put in place.
In addition, pay attention to the date on which you plan to hold the event, as a large turnout is expected, so it's important to avoid times like Christmas, Easter or the summer holidays.
Step 2: Choose the venue for the event
In order to choose the best place to organise your company's corporate event, take the following aspects into consideration:
- Number of people expected;
- Capacity;
- Profile of the target audience and the event;
- Accessibility and security;
- Parking;
- Good access to the site, i.e. proximity to public transport or central roads (motorways, motorways, railways, airports).
Step 3: Plan to publicise the event
After this phase, which we can describe as "breaking stone", as it relates to the heavier logistical structure, it's time to put a communication and marketing plan into action so that the event reaches its target audience.
At this point, create an online page dedicated exclusively to the event with all the relevant information for the public, guests and exhibitors (in the case of a trade fair), such as the organisation, date(s), times, location and routes ("how to get there"), exhibitors, event objectives, etc.
It's also important that this page and its content are worked on through SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) in order to achieve greater visibility in search engines, that it has links to the event's and organisers' social networks and multiple means of contact (telephone, email, etc.).
If the event requires prior booking and payment of entrance fees, we recommend that the website has an area reserved for this component with online payment methods included, such as payment solutions REDUNIQ E-Commerce e REDUNIQ@PaymentsThe latter is a ready-to-use solution that allows you to accept online payments even if you don't have a website.
If, in addition to online bookings and payments, you want to make available contactless payments at the entrance to the event or in its cafeteria services, and also have a terminal that allows you to manage bookings and print invoices, as is the case with the REDUNIQ Smart TPA or, if you want to use your smartphone as a mobile payment terminal using an app, you have the TPA REDUNIQ Soft.
Step 4: Define an action schedule that includes last-minute contingencies
To ensure that everything runs as you had imagined, define who is responsible for each task, set deadlines for each one, hold pre-opening rehearsals to iron out the rough edges and always, always have a plan B in case the unexpected happens.
Above all, always remain calm and try to solve any problems that may arise with grace and creativity.
Step 5: Follow up on the event
Just as important as the event itself is the follow-up you'll do once the doors close.
To capitalise on the success of the event and the contacts you've made, send thank-you emails to all participants within a week of the doors closing and a satisfaction survey so that you can improve the organisation of future events.
Include the contacts made in your e-mail marketing campaigns and keep a close eye on your sales team's progress with them.
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