Running a business is not only sales and tables of profit - first and foremost it is the people who fight the every day struggles by your side to improve the financial results. Currently the employees are being offered more and more benefits such as sport memberships, fruit thursdays and organized integrating events. The last are definitely the most beneficial because it heavily strenghtens the bonds between your workers leading to strong relationships and much higher integrity while working on company projects later on. In addition to this a highly integrated team is way less likely to be a subject of personal changes, because the private relationships are an additional, and much more impactful, reason why employees would not leave the job.
There are many places that can be visited on company meeting ranging from local restaurant, team paintball match (and suddenly we all see that accountants endurance is far behind the others :) ) or a match of football in a sport hall. Statistics however are clear - the most universal and most wanted by employees form of integration is a non-formal outdoor party. Depending on our needs and goals we set for the meeting we can choose from many types of events - we have already mentioned some of them here in case you wanted to know some more about them. In this article we would like to help you organize your business event. We have prepared 10 practical tips that will definitely help you answer some of the most important questions considering the event and allow to choose the most suitable even type for your case.
1. Set the business party goal.
Company party, as we have already mentioned here can focus on realising many different goals. Employee integration, presentation of a new product, year sum-up with a Best Employee Award Gala - there are many reasons to hold business events so it is worth noting some of them that suit you best and sketch the party plan, estimate what will you need (grill, stage for the gala etc.) and focus on the goal throughout the organizing process.
2. Estimate the budget.
Budget plays and important role in business event organization, so we should pay special attention to the cost estimation. Even though tent event preparation could be relatively cheap, renting a huge banquet hall and launching fireworks show after the top tier restaurants treat will definitely generate a huge bill. You should make sure you can note as many spendings as possible as cost of running your business and not to exceed monthly income - this way organizing such party will be a perfect tax optimizing method leading to decent savings.
You should take under consideration all the aspects having your goals in mind. Dancing floor, grill accessories, fireworks - each and every of this addons is another brick in the wall of your expenses - if you need to save as much as possible then focus only on what is necessary.
3. Be realistic.
Even organization is an amazing way to motivate and keep your employees, but it can also be a nail in the coffin if we misestimate our financial possibilities. It is well worth looking realistic on financial aspects and invite only as many guests as our budget can hold. Have in mind, that the costs will increase dramatically if you decide to invite 100 instead of 20 people. Maybe a better solution will be to only invite specific departments? Be careful however, because some of your employees might feel bad not being invited while their friends are attending the party - this will definitely lead to motivation drop and might result in losing some of the workers.
4. Think about the mood.
Mood, dress code and overall atmosphere will vary depending on whether the event is a formal gala or an outdoor integration with grill and beverages. Think twice about requiring attendants to wear formal outfits - most employees will feel much better wearing loose clothes, as the company meeting is a perfect way to finally talk with each other in a private, chilled out way. On the other hand speeches full of pathos and an official sum-up gala are a situation where lack of formal dress code might affect the seriousness of the event. Carefully analyze the goals you set and adjust the mood to it.
5. Plan whole event.
Events require very careful planning. Decent organization not only guarantees success of the party, but also helps you save some money. Early reservation of space, tent or accessories usually allows to negotiate better prices so it is well worth doing that in advance. While planning remember to plan every little detail. How are you going to invite the guests? How will you start the event? Will you give a speech? Is the space for business event tent big enough? Have you made sure that your guests will spend their time in a comfortable way, providing them toilets, chairs, food and drinks? What kind of entertainment can you offer? All these things will impact the final impression of your event.
6. Consider sponsorship.
Sometimes it is possible to gather additional budget participants. Some fields of trade might greatly benefit from finding a sponsor. If you are a huge company there is a decent chance that local restaurants or catering businesses will agree to provide you food in exchange for advertising their services. Tiny, local businesses can gain significant boost in their prosperity by simply supporting events organized by business whales, so it is well worth to seek for sources of financing or support in your local area.
7. Invite your contractors.
If the event is formal and it's goal is to promote new product or whole brand it is well worth considering inviting your customers and suppliers - it will definitely be very kind and will be noticed. Additionally this allows to tighten your business relations and share some important information about your company that might interest them.
8. Keep your attitude right.
Most business owners have developed over the years the ability to be responsible and not end the party under one of the tables. You should however warn your coworkers, especially those on the top of companies hierarchy, that despite the loose atmosphere they should still behave. Experience of many companies clearly show that alcohol could be the cause of many unpleasant situations that will bother your companie for a few months after the party.
9. Show the event to the world.
Social media provide amazing potential in terms of brand promotion so it is really worth sharing all the important moments of your companies life with a broader audience. If you want to share some breathtaking photos of the event on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter you should consider hiring a professional photographer - one picture in social media can keep on bringing new customers for a very long time, increase the number of potential future employees etc. It will also be an amazing keepsake for the participants - if you have invited your customers, they might even share the photo on their profiles increasing your brand awareness amongst wider audience.
10. Put 100% hear in it.
While organizing and during the party you should put 100% of your heart into it. Preparations are a tough time when we try to set it all up and talk with lots of people to make it a blast - it IS exhausting. The most important part of our work starts along with the event beginning however - you have to make sure that all your guests are having fun, feeling comfortable, that they are not hungry and have something to drink. Business events are a perfect test for dynamic company management even for a small team. Sometimes your mood and attitude might be the key to making your participants feel good - that is why you should smile despite any drawbacks that might happen - it is an additional motivation for your employees.
To sum up - organizing a business event is defnitely a hard task for both small and huge businesses. Careful planning and good attitude will help us launch that amazing tent business event that all of our guests will be talking about incoming months. Remember, the company is people and how you treat them will have the effect in the future.
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