8 Pro Tips Behind Successful Corporate Events (From Industry Leaders)
Here at Angourie Resort we are extremely lucky to host, cater and plan incredible corporate events for the education, business and service industries every year.
But every event is unique and must deliver on different requirements. So how do the pros do it time and time again?
We reached out the some of Australia’s leading corporate event planners and asked them to share their knowledge and professional experience by asking one simple question:
What is the single hardest thing about running a successful event – that no one else sees?
We’re taking you behind the scenes to reveal what professional event planners focus on to deliver successful, memorable corporate events that you may never see as an attendee.
Table of Contents
- Managing Time
- Choosing Third Parties Who Share Your Vision
- Planning Is A Priority
- Vendor Bookings
- Timelines & Logistics
- Being Perfect
- Your Weakest Link
- The Venue
Managing Time
Rebecca Hunt from Event Birdie
The hardest thing about running a successful event is learning how to manage time, because running out of time isn’t an option when planning an event.
From the outside, I think a lot of people don’t realise just how long it takes to plan successful events. Guests turn up at the venue, see the finished result and have a good time.
What they don’t see are the hours and hours of time that it took to find the right venue, choose the menu, manage the guest list, hire all the suppliers, coordinate with all the stakeholders, create the event content… the list goes on and on and on.
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Choosing Third Parties Who Share Your Vision
Dwain Richardson from Corporate Challenge Events
The reliance on third parties, who don’t necessarily have the same sense or urgency or quality as you.
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Planning Is A Priority
Luli Adeyemo from Best Case Scenario
Probably the most challenging part is the awareness that to do an event well it is incredibly time consuming, the pillars of success are laid down during the planning phase.
Simple questions like ‘who are we going to invite’?, ‘why would they choose to come to this event over others’? ‘what is the communication strategy for the event’?
In addition to negotiating rates with venues, audio visual suppliers, catering, transport, speakers etc. to ensure a solid return on investment is often overlooked during the planning phase.
It’s not all about the price of the ticket but how well you can negotiate rates to increase margins.
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Vendor Bookings
Lauren Hall from iVvy
One of the hardest things about running a successful event
is the booking process for all vendors.
Previously, the time it would take to get packages, availability and pricing from all venues and vendors could be anywhere from two – six weeks! The challenge being, that when event organisers would finally get the opportunity to book the vendors, quite often due to the time lag and without live availability, they would have since been booked by someone else. This in turn, leaves the event planner needing to start the process all over again.
This disconnect within the events industry was the driving force behind iVvy where we’ve taken the booking process from weeks down to just minutes.
Timelines & Logistics
Kerrie Wood from LUXE – Unforgettable Events
There is no real single issue – all logistics and creative are linked or should be for set up, function, flow and delivery of any event.
Access to venues, transport across full manifest, appropriate signage and digital interactive communications for late ‘updates’ plus sharing timelines across all suppliers and vendors is critical to a collaborative coordination process.
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Being Perfect
Rebekah Fusca from Mask Events
Single hardest thing – we are perfectionists and people pleasers.
All we want is for our client and their guests to have the best time and be one million percent happy with everything we do. If a supplier lets us down and the client is unhappy then we take it to heart.
Your Weakest Link
Richard Breatnach from Workshop Events
The single hardest thing is that you are only as good as your weakest link.
At the end of the day, a successful event requires everyone to turn up and do the job they are supposed to do. The knock on effect from one cog in the wheel not performing as required can be significant.
Therefore it’s essential that the team is properly assembled, briefed and resourced.
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The Venue
Danielle Oppes from Angourie Resort
“Location, location, location.”
Three (well, one) wise words to live by, whether it’s real estate or event planning. The success of your event will be heavily influenced by the venue you choose. Some of the critical aspects you need to consider when selecting a venue to host your event are; geography and access, accommodation, amenities and atmosphere.
Choosing a resort style venue that has the option to host single day or multi-day events and that offers space for team-building, breakout areas for workshops and can provide other activities outside of a conference room will make for a memorable atmosphere and productive event.
The atmosphere will determine your guest’s impression of the events success, so you definitely want to select the perfect venue!
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The Right Venue For Your Next Event
Today stress is a major productivity risk, people are deprived of relaxation in their work and home lives, workers are often forced into louder and more public work environments. A quieter, personal and relaxing corporate event venue that brings attendees closer to nature is the order of the day.
If you’re looking to set up a corporate event or function close to the transport connections of Brisbane, Byron Bay or Port Macquarie, one choice of venue that addresses your needs in detail is Angourie Resort.
Located just 2 hours south of Gold Coast Airport, and nestled beside an incredible 600 hectare of rainforest, Angourie Resort can accommodate functions for up to 200 attendees, complete with conference facilities such as breakout rooms for workshops and meetings, a poolside cocktail bar, day spa, tennis court, swimming pool, and private resort style accommodation for up to 200 guests.
Angourie Resort’s staff can partner with your event planning team, providing a flexible skill set and event experience from a range of industries that allows them to tackle events for team building, conferences, gala dinners, and more, all tailored to your company’s needs.
