Whether you’re hosting a small, intimate workshop or seminar, putting on a huge EOFY or Christmas company party or organising an exciting product launch, corporate events always manage to come with more pressure than a purely social affair.

The backdrop of formality, however subtle… making a good impression on business partners, clients, guests, investors, stakeholders…ensuring your company and guests enjoy themselves whilst successfully completing the target of your event. It’s a lot of spinning plates to balance.

Luckily for you, we have decades of experience in the world of corporate events. So, we’ve put together the ultimate guide for how to plan a successful corporate event, with an easy-to-follow checklist and guide.

Stage 1: Before The Real Planning Starts

Before you get down to the nitty-gritty of corporate event planning, spend a couple of weeks establishing what you want your event to look like.

Define The Purpose

Why are you hosting this event? Why now? For seasonal and topical celebrations, or events happening outside your company such as Christmas, the answer may be obvious, but if you’re hosting a corporate event with multiple separate groups in attendance, make sure your guests (and your company!) know the reason for it.

Not only will this persuade them to attend, it will also help you when making more decisions down the line, and finalising other details such as your theme, catering and entertainment, which will all be informed by the tone and style of your event.

Set Event Goals

If you’re hosting a work party purely for letting your hair down, the goals aren’t too important. But if your corporate event takes the form of a conference, or perhaps a training session, the stakes are a bit higher.

Decide with your planning team how you’re going to create actionable goals, and how you’re going to be able to measure the success of the event afterwards, whether it’s speaking with guests, analysing sales on the night, or counting sign-ups to your service.

Stage 2: Sorting Logistics

Once you have an overview of your event goals, it’s time to put the plans into motion.

Know Your Budget

Prioritise setting a budget early on in the event planning process; sometimes even a year in advance for bigger events or larger companies. This will also give you enough time to secure important event information, such as your venue, and enable you to narrow the scope of your searches.

Whether your budget is given to you by the higher powers or it’s up to you to come up with the figures, you should be very clued up on allocating and tracking it. We recommend adding 10 – 15% on top of your initial amount, to cover unexpected costs, such as last-minute cancellations, expenses, swap-outs and hefty bar tabs!

Our expert tip? It will always cost more than you think.

Choose A Date & Venue

Your priority should be locating an appropriate venue that sets the right tone and formality for your event whilst being able to fit the expected number of attendees comfortably. For larger events or companies, we recommend scouting ahead a year in advance, as bigger spaces will quickly get booked up, especially around key calendar dates such as for EOFY parties and Christmas work events.

Don’t forget, if you’re based in Melbourne – you can host your party, work event or conference right here at Canvas House. With our stunning vaulted ceilings and whitewashed brick walls, we set the perfect balance for a formal environment with a relaxed atmosphere.

Draft An Event Timeline

No one likes an event that drags on past its sell-by date, but equally, no one likes feeling pushed and rushed around. Your event timeline should aim to segment the event into a few distinct parts, but keep it as straightforward as possible. For example:

Welcome drinks: 17:00
Canapes
Speeches x3
Entertainment act 1: 18:00
Awards presentation
Speeches x2
Entertainment act 2: 20:30

This is a brief outline of an event that provides key timestamps without micromanaging the affair. For instance, you might want to allocate each speaker 10 minutes, but you’ll need to allow 20 for each one, to make up for delays, overruns, toasts, technical difficulties, people going to the toilet… and all the other unpredictable intricacies that are the reality of hosting any corporate event.

Besides, guests can quickly tell if event organisers are stressed, and this can create a tense atmosphere that is hard to enjoy or concentrate in. So plan for your sequence of events to give the day structure, but avoid running a military operation that has you checking your watch the whole time.

Stage 3: Arranging The Details

The major part of the planning for a successful corporate event starts around a month or two before the set date. This is when you finalise what’s happening and who’s coming.

Craft & Send Invites

Once you have a confirmed venue and date, let people know about it! Send concise details with essential information. An effective business event invitation will include:

The date & location of the event.
Helpful information on how to find the venue (such as what building floor, car parking and public transport options).
The start and finish time (here’s another tip: state the end of the event at least 30 minutes before when your venue shuts or licence ends, to ensure long enough for everyone to leave).
The purpose of the event.
The nature of the event (such as whether guests can expect food, entertainment or presentations).
The dress code & theme.
Other important details, e.g. if partners are allowed, if guests are required to bring anything, if transport or accommodation will be provided.
A contact detail for guests to RSVP and send inquiries.

Remember, your invite represents your business, so make sure it stays true to your company branding as well as the theme of the event.

Liaise With Partners

Companies can often afford more opportunities for liaising than individuals hosting an event. Connect with other local businesses and reach out to enquire about collaboration opportunities.

You might be able to trade your services or products with a florist, caterer, entertainment act, or furniture hire company. Alternatively, you may be able to secure sponsorship from related companies or brands with an interest in your event.

It’s also important to work with your venue staff to inform them of the layout and order of events for your occasion. If you choose to opt for Canvas House, our dedicated event planning team works with local partners across the city, so we can offer some suggestions of trusted caterers, equipment rental companies and other services you’ll need to pull off your event.

At this stage, you’ll need to balance questions from your guests (which is why it’s so important to include all the details on your invitations), and your event partners – including what time suppliers will come back to pick up their equipment, and whether they charge extra to return late at night, or the next day.

Stage 4: Pull It Off

The day has arrived, and it’s now that you’ll be grateful for all that preparation to help things go to plan.

One final tip from the team at Canvas House? It won’t. In life, rarely does it ever, but when it comes to events, it’s important to understand that even the most well-thought-out occasions will always have small, unexpected issues crop up on the day. That’s another reason why working with a professional team is so important, who can help you iron out these mishaps so that guests won’t notice a hair out of place.

Hosting a corporate event is a great way to show anyone involved in your business that you’re capable of working through a complicated project to demonstrate your skills, expertise or product range.

Whatever reason you’re planning a corporate event, host it in our beautiful Melbourne event space, providing you with a stunning backdrop that sets the right impression from the moment your guests step through the door. We’re happy to talk through your plans, requirements and ideas and maybe suggest some of our own, so don’t hesitate to send over an inquiry or drop an email to our friendly team.

How to Plan a Successful Corporate Event: Checklist & Guide

How To Plan A Successful Corporate Event