Many of us are familiar with that feeling of regret or panic of having forgotten to do something important on a morning before leaving the house for the work commute. We may occasionally forget to shave, for instance, or – of a rather greater level of seriousness – to lock a door or window.
However, when we overlook a crucial element in the planning of a corporate event, the implications can be rather greater and more damaging – if not necessarily for ourselves personally, certainly for our brand, business or organisation.
Here at Château Bouffémont, we are a well-respected private venue for holding corporate events in France, located a mere 30 kilometres from the centre of Paris. We are therefore advantageously placed to advise you on the below things that can be easily overlooked when you are organising such an event.
- Transportation and accommodation information
Whatever venue you choose for your corporate event, it is rarely sufficient to simply give your attendees the name of the venue and expect them to know or figure out the rest.
Many of the prospective guests are, after all, likely to be arriving from far afield, and may be unfamiliar with the location of the venue, or even the wider area. Nor may they be aware of nearby hotels, or how those may be reached, if they need to stay overnight.
This is precisely why it is crucial to provide your attendees with as much information as possible on transportation and accommodation, as well as your contact details so that they can discuss with you their options if they are still struggling to get to the venue or book a hotel room.
- Mundane supplies
Even at the most resplendent and spectacular venue – although not at Château Bouffémont, perhaps, with its highly refined furnishings, aristocratic charm and well-prepared team – you can’t rule out the possibility that someone will need a pen, paper, scissors or something similarly mundane, only for seemingly no one else present to have any such supplies to share.
So, we would advise you to keep well-stocked in such basic supplies – just in case.
- The communication of changes
Hopefully, you won’t need to make such a drastic last-minute change as a switch in venue for your event. However, there are still all manner of minor alterations that you may be forced to make, such as to the schedule for the day.
If so, do you have a means of communicating such changes so that all prospective attendees will be quickly made aware of them? Even a regularly updated event listing on social media is certainly a lot better than nothing.
- Charging stations
It’s inevitable that at any corporate event, there will be many attendees present with smartphones, tablets, ‘phablets’ and laptops – in short, devices that they will probably need to recharge at some point if they are to get the most out of the event.
Have you checked how many charging points are actually available at your intended venue, and considered whether the number would be sufficient for the number of people likely to turn up to your event? Are the charging points also at accessible and convenient locations within the venue?
- Social media hashtags
Certain social media platforms – especially Twitter – lend themselves extremely well to the use of hashtags, which you may wish to use to encourage unified online conversation about your event. You won’t want some of your guests to use a hashtag like #CPL2018, for example, while others are using #CPL18 or just #CPL.
Another possibility is that you forget to include your chosen hashtag on all of your marketing materials, such as your leaflets and posters. Remember that the more widely you use your hashtag in the promotion of your corporate event, the greater the awareness there will probably be among the attendees well in advance of the date.
While the above are not the only things that can be easily forgotten about by corporate event organisers, paying close attention to them will go a long way to ensuring your own next event is as successful as can be.
Would you like to learn more about how you can hold the most successful corporate event, even on a tight budget? If so, consult these money-saving tips on the website of The Balance now.