While planning for the corporate event in the conference event room, there are many mistakes to be made, and we want to try our best to help you avoid them at all costs. How do you successfully manage corporate events? We created a list of tips to help your event go according to plan the first time around. At Ovation Square venues, we aim to get it right on the first try.

What are some common mistakes in corporate event hosting?

1. A Bad On-Site Experience

When it comes to the day you’re hosting your event, the last thing you want is people showing up after all your hard work and having a bad experience. To avoid this, make sure you do a walk-through before your event to scope out all the details ahead of time. Is there enough room for the number of guests you invited? Are there enough washrooms and are they convenient to get to? Are people going to have easy access to the food available? These are all things you will want to consider to avoid a less-than-desirable experience on-site.

2. Lack Of Communication

You will want to make sure you give your guests a good notice ahead of time so they can mark your event on their calendar. Telling guests with no notice risks the chance of people showing up and telling too far in advance risks people forgetting. We think 4-6 weeks is a perfect sweet spot, where you give guests roughly a month out to plan. Then you will want to make sure you follow up and remind your guests as the event gets closer. Any updates or changes need to be sent to guests in a timely manner so they can plan accordingly.

3. Audience’s Interests

You always want to keep your audience top of mind when planning an event. Just because you like or prefer something, doesn’t mean your guests are going to. You will want to carefully consider who is going to be there and have everything at your event planned accordingly from décor, activities, food and so forth.

4. Underestimating Budget

One of the worst things that can happen is you plan an event all the way through and realize you don’t have enough budget to execute. With décor, catering, photographers, furniture and so many more additional moving parts, things can add up quickly. You will want to plan ahead of time with a realistic budget and leave wiggle room for unexpected items.

5. Skimping Set-Up Time

You always want to allocate more than enough time to set up your event, so you don’t run into the disaster of guests showing up and you’re running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Not a cute look. We always like to suggest estimating the time you think it will take to set up and then double it. You can also make it easier on yourself by working with additional staff at the venue to get things done in a timely manner.

6. Competing Events

You want to avoid planning an event during competing events or holidays at the risk that less people will show up to your event. Make sure you plan ahead of time and pull in different members of your team and staff to make sure you’re not missing anything.

7. No Backup Plan

We like to have a plan A and plan B, along with a plan C and D. When you plan ahead and take into consideration any hiccups that could occur along the way, you are more likely to be able to problem solve the day of. It doesn’t matter how much you plan for an event, something is bound to go wrong eventually and we would rather you be safe than sorry.

8. Lists, What Lists?

Write everything down and make sure you’re organized. The more organized you are, the less likely details are to slip through the cracks. When you write information down, you are more likely to retain and remember it, so we always say you can never have too many lists.

9. Radio Silence After Your Event

You always want to make sure you follow up with your guests after an event. Tell them what well and what you will improve on next time. This will keep you top of mind and can also help with a call to action, like a follow-up survey where you receive guests' opinions.

We hope these tips helped answer the looming question, “how can the event planner avoid these mistakes and obstacles while planning for a corporate event?” At Ovation Square, we have an on-site event management company to help assist you in all event planning, which is an extra bonus when it comes to avoiding mistakes. We have the perfect corporate event space and would be more than happy to host your next event.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: If we underestimate the budget, what do you recommend we do?
A: We always refer to your plan and try to condense it down. Go through and see what you can trim down in order to save your budget.

Q: If we host an event at Ovation, could you assist with on-site mishaps?
A: Yes. We have an entire on-site event planning team and they will work with you every step of the way to avoid mistakes or make sure they are fixed as quickly as possible.

Q: How many times do you recommend we remind our guests about the upcoming event?
A: You don’t want to be overly communicative but we recommend 2-3 times between the initial invite and the day of the event. This could be in different forms of communication as well so it feels new and fresh every time.