How to make your corporate event a hit

 

Whether you’re hosting a masterclass, seminar, award ceremony or networking schmooze-fest, meticulous attention to detail is the key to a memorable – rather than mediocre – experience for your guests.If you want to have attendees talking about your business for all the right reasons, get your event off to a flying start with these simple tips:

 

Choose your date wisely. Attendance is likely to be down during the summer (people are on holiday), in December (everyone’s busy with Christmas), and at the end of a quarter. Try to choose dates that fall near the middle of the month, and avoid Mondays and Fridays.

Pick the right location. An elegant setting can make all the difference: at The Clubhouse, we offer luxurious open plan event spaces which are ideal for evening receptions, dinners, talks, networking events and product launches for up to 150 people.

Get your content pitch-perfect. Walk through the event with your co-hosts beforehand to ensure you’re intimately familiar with the schedule. Give yourself a few days to perfect your presentation, and ask guest speakers to send a copy of their slides for pre-approval.

Keep it short and snappy. The average adult attention span is a measly 8 seconds. Keep speeches and presentations short and to-the-point, with lots of interesting visuals and, where appropriate, some light jokes.

Get a bit of buzz going. Even if your event is strictly invitation-only, publicity is still important – after all, you want people to know what they’re missing out on. Talk about the event on social media: start a Twitter and Instagram hashtag so people can liveblog the experience if they want to. Depending on the type of event, it might also be worth informing local media outlets and small business blogs.

Be liberal with your invitations. Not everyone will be able to attend, so if you want a good crowd, invite four times as many people as you want to come. For most corporate events a quarter of people respond in the affirmative, and while it’s not a hard-and-fast rule, it’s a helpful guideline to use during the planning phase.

Provide refreshments. Tea, coffee and nibbles – or delicious canapés and a glass of wine or champagne in the evening – all go down a treat! More importantly, they keep delegates focused on what’s happening at the event, instead of wondering when they can sneak off to the nearest watering hole.

Make your event easy to find. Email your delegates a link to a Google Map showing the exact location to avoid any unnecessary headaches. Once they arrive at the venue, ensure a warm welcome and make sure there are plenty of signs and prompts to help them locate the right room, as this will help to alleviate any anxiety.

Don’t forget to follow up. Don’t let those business cards you painstakingly collected languish at the bottom of your desk drawer – drop everyone an email to thank them for coming to help foster ongoing relationships.

for help planning any event, large or small, contact the events team at The Clubhouse: events@theclubhouselondon.com