By Jackie Camacho-Ruiz
When it comes to excitement, corporate event planning has it all! It’s amazing to conceive the big vision of an event, then make sure all the details are in place for the big moment when things begin to unfold. I have planned so many events, from small retreats and workshops of a dozen or so, to large events like the Today’s Inspired Latina book launch, attended by nearly 500 people.
While the size, time and place all vary, there are a few things that you need in order to plan an amazing event that will wow your guests and make waves throughout your community. These ten tips helped me plan my important events, and they can help you too.
01. Know the purpose of your event, and develop a theme.
When I say a theme, I don’t necessarily mean a cartoon character or seasonal motif (although some corporate event planning occasions may call for that). I mean determining what kind of feeling or impression you want your event to give your guests. Do you want them to leave energized or relaxed? Confident or questioning?
02. Know your audience.
Every event should be planned with a clearly defined audience in mind. You can’t invite everyone in the world to your event; you should make sure the guests know that they were specially chosen because of who they are…and tell them! For a special spa opening, we invited the special few and made it clear with how they were invited that they were in the elite.
03. Create a clear value for the audience.
What is the promise for your event? If you claim that it will inspire and empower your guests, what will occur? What will they walk away with, and what will they receive? Whether it is a physical memento of the event or a set of new ideas, you can use this value to promote the event. This information is often important in the invitation or eblast as a bullet-pointed list of what to expect. Make a promise to the audience, and keep it.
04. Use branding as a touch point to connect every aspect of the event.
Bring together the ideas and thoughts that resonate with the look and feel of your company’s brand message, to help the audience make connections between the different parts of the event. For example, at one event I was sponsoring for entrepreneurs, I partnered with a coffee roaster to have her private label some of her coffee beans for JJR. It was our “amazing” coffee blend. It represented our entrepreneurial relationship in a very special, memorable way.
05. Add “amazing”, and have a viral effect afterwards.
With an amazing event, not only are you making an impression on those who are attending, but also on those who hear about it, specifically on social media. An innovative photo op can go a long way. For example, at the JJR Anniversary Party, I had my flight school bring a small plane to the event to help the attendees celebrate my journey towards becoming a pilot. It was one way to make the event extra amazing, and people took a lot of pictures that were quickly posted to social media. What can you do that would make your event go viral?
06. Create an emotional connection with the audience.
There are surface-level ways to foster an emotional connection with the audience, like having great food, prizes, and visually appealing decor. To take your event to the next level, look for more ways to connect. I like to have an element of surprise, or introduce the attendees to a special guest with an impactful story to tell. Sometimes it’s with something significant, or value-added like a mini-publication we provide free to the audience.
07. Feature special people.
Think about impressive people who would be amazing to have at your event. If you can dream of them, you can ask them. If you can’t get your dream guest, find more accessible, but equally exciting guests. A relevant speaker who can present or tell a story brings the added benefit of their social network. The more the merrier!
08. Have great entertainment.
People work so hard these days. When you consider your corporate event planning budget, try to include entertainment. When you give people something fun and exciting to disrupt their routine, the entertainment will really make it memorable for them. For example, at the Today’s Inspired Latina book launch, we had a Mexican folk dancing group come and perform as a special surprise. It was truly unexpected, people loved it and shared pictures, and then talked about it afterwards.
09. When the event is over, connect back with the purpose.
What do you want your attendees to walk away with, in hand? Try to align it to a giveaway at the end of the event like a handout, bookmark, trinket or something to tie it all together (this could be another place for incorporating your branding).
10. Capture the moment…And share it!
After putting in so much work for your event, you should be able to share it with the world. Be sure to give an event recap on social media, tagging people in the photos so they too can share photos, quotes, and memorable moments with their own social networks. Create a hashtag for the event and be sure you let everyone at the event know to use it as they post. And don’t forget the traditional local business media. They often post wonderful action shots from events for their publications. All you need do is submit them.
So if you think corporate event planning is boring, think again! It’s an area that I truly enjoy and love to contribute to with marketing magic. If you have an important event coming up and you want to bring the “amazing”, I invite you to contact me, and we can discuss your vision together.