You know, being a professional event planner, you get to meet all sorts of people that come in looking for help with dinners, conferences, barazas, presentations, corporate meetings, the list goes on and on.
However, one of the biggest challenges, perhaps every event planner’s common enemy, always seems to be logistics.
To be honest, we can’t even fault you for stressing over logistics.
Events fail (and fail horribly) because of poor logistics planning. We’ve seen it happen, and trust me when I say it’s embarrassing for the host.
But we’ve also seen events succeed immensely when we step in to handle the logistics and make sure everything is adequately planned and executed.
Today though, I’ll be giving you a sneak peak into the bag of tricks that makes us professionals when it comes to planning and managing corporate events.
Ready to have a look? Keep reading to find out.
Notepad?
Now the tips I’m about to share with you are very simple.
So simple, that you can literally note them down as bullets for reference when you start planning your event.
If you can, pull out a quick notepad, sticky note, or just write on the back of that business card that was given to you but you know you’ll never use (You’re not the only one).
Let’s go.
Start With A Plan
You know what they say, “For a man who doesn’t know to which port he is sailing to, no wind is favourable”.
It’s exactly the same when it comes to handling logistics of an event.
You need to know exactly what your event goals and objectives are and have a clear plan on how you will execute them.
Planning on keeping your guests for long? How will you feed them? Planning on educating your guests? How will you keep their attention in your hands?
Make sure you get this part right, it is the foundation of any great event.
Create A Timeline
The thing about logistics is that it is incredibly easy to procrastinate-and even easier to forget.
And no, I don’t mean completely forget to plan for it-any decent event planner has logistics at the front of their mind most of the time.
What I mean is forgetting about the details. The tiny bits and bobs of arrangement that make the difference between a meh event and a wonderful one.
So I’d recommend that you make yourself a timeline with precise dates by which certain aspects of your logistics should be fully sorted and catered for.
Venues
When it comes to the venue, there’s just so much to talk about.
I’ll go over two main things here but if you want to check out more on choosing the right venue, head over to our article on that topic and give it a quick read.
First of all, your venue should never be rushed. I always use the analogy of a gift box. Your venue is the gift box in which you will put all the wonderful presents in the form of the event that you’re sharing with your audience.
You have to make sure the venue matches what’s going to go inside it as closely as possible. Rush into finding a venue, and you’ll probably find that you’ve bought into the wrong gift box.
Afterall, you can’t give someone a bike in a shoe-box sized container. I think you get the point.
Secondly, make sure you check (and check again) that it is the right venue even after choosing it.
Pay multiple visits to the place, learn the people, learn the environment, and make it feel like home for your function.
Staffing
Here’s another really important one.
Unless you plan to simultaneously man the sound system, usher in guests, tune the lighting, and do every other task that needs to be done at your event, you’re going to need staff.
Ushers, security, catering staff, the tech guys, camera people, event promotion. Just to mention a few.
So make sure that you organise for the staff that you need at your function.
You could even think of bringing on staff to help plan and manage the event.
Tellit Events maybe? *wink wink*
Catering
Catering is a very common one. So common that we had to dedicate an entire article to it over here.
I would advise you to first consider what kind of event you’re planning and then build up on catering from that.
Remember the foundation we talked about earlier? Yeah? Look at your event foundation and then decide what kind of house is perfect for it. Not too big, not too small.
You don’t want to overdo catering and end up straining your budget over a smaller and shorter function. Meanwhile you’d want to capitalise on producing the best catering at larger functions.
But once you know what you’re looking for. It’s quite straightforward. Just don’t leave this one until the last minute. It can be a real hassle to sort out under pressure.
Decor
This is probably the most looked-forward-to part of logistics.
We all get excited when we see the beauty of an event that we’re planning start to come into reality.
When it comes to decor, if you know what you’re doing, go for it.
However, if you’re not sure on how to properly plan out the colours, lighting, seating, and other aspects of your event’s aesthetics, it’s better you put that task in the hands of an experienced planner and designer.
This is another one of those that you need to keep at the top of your to-do list though. Don’t let it become a last minute task.
Checking For Cracks
So now that you have the keys to unlocking professional logistics planning for corporate events, all you have to do is make sure you keep checking for cracks along the way.
Cracks are any tiny aspects (the details) of your function’s logistics that aren’t as obvious but could still have a small effect on the success of the event.
Ofcourse, don’t let them distract you from your biggest tasks, but don’t let them grow and sprout leaks in your perfect boat of a plan to the point that you have to fight to keep your event afloat.
One of our greatest prides at Tellit Events is our ability to notice and suppress these cracks before they have any effect on your function.
We just love to see you succeed without stress, hassle, or burden-reaching the finish line looking alive and energetic.
So if you already have an event plan but would like to get some more guidance, or if you’re starting from scratch, go ahead and click the button below to find out more.
