How to Successfully Organize a Professional Event?
12 June 2014
Read by 3369 persons
Organizing a conference, forum, seminar, or symposium may seem simple at first glance, but the success of such events requires following specific rules.
Here are the key tips that will allow you to successfully organize your corporate event, whether internally or with your clients.
Defining the target audience and choosing a strong theme
The first step in organizing an event is defining the target audience. You don't address your clients, partners, and internal managers in the same way.
Then you need to find the right topic and title. Don't focus on already trendy topics when preparing the event, but rather try to find a subject that will gain momentum in the coming months.
Finding a speaker who generates interest
The choice of speaker is just as important. Generally, for an internal symposium, it's advisable to use someone external to the company, preferably someone well-known.
Conversely, a speaker from the company is more appropriate for an event aimed at clients.
Reserving a suitable room in advance
In parallel with these steps, the selection and reservation of the room should be done as early as possible. The choice of venue is crucial. It's arguably the first element to consider, even before choosing the topic.
Ensure the room is well-proportioned for the expected audience and well-located – easily accessible by public transport, with easy parking, and in an area suitable for the target audience.
Choosing an appropriate date and time
Another element to consider: choosing the date. Pay close attention to the calendar and absolutely avoid school holidays and certain days of the week, such as Mondays and Fridays.
Before setting a date, check your professional environment to ensure that no major industry or similar event is taking place during or around the chosen period.
Regarding the time, for a 1.5-hour event, the late afternoon is recommended. For a conference with external guests, the 6 pm to 7:30 pm slot is more appropriate. A cocktail reception is welcome as it allows attendees to get to know each other and chat. For an internal company event, you can start at 5:30 pm.
Sending invitations on time and following up
The key is to invite neither too early nor too late.
For an external event, the invitation should be received at least three weeks before the event, assuming a 1 in 10 attendance rate. For an internal symposium, two weeks is sufficient.
Invitations can be sent by mail, but the easiest method today is email, using a contact management tool. This simplifies mass mailings, reduces costs, manages responses, and allows for follow-up within eight days of the event.
Rehearsing a few days before the event
A few days before the event, it's useful to rehearse, to finalize the details with the speaker, test the slideshow, and set up any technical elements with the technical crew (audio, video...).
This avoids last-minute surprises and unforeseen events.
Providing name badges for attendees
On the day, make sure to badge attendees to facilitate identification and networking.
You can also organize a cocktail reception at the end of the event to encourage interaction.
Sending a report
Finally, send an email report within a week, including the presentation slides and an evaluation form (it's more effective to do this a few days after the event rather than on the same day).
You can also post all these elements online on your company's website for everyone, or on the intranet if you have one, in the case of an internal event. You can also add a short interview with the speaker on the topic covered.
Organizing such events can be done internally by a dedicated manager assisted by another person. The HR department also participates by providing the list of people to invite.
However, some calls for tenders are essential: caterer, report writing company, possible translator, use of an electronic management tool, external service providers for email invitation management or the creation of a dedicated event website...
In all cases, it will depend on your budget and the internal skills you can mobilize for this event.
Philippe Montant
CEO of ReKrute
Here are the key tips that will allow you to successfully organize your corporate event, whether internally or with your clients.
Defining the target audience and choosing a strong theme
The first step in organizing an event is defining the target audience. You don't address your clients, partners, and internal managers in the same way.
Then you need to find the right topic and title. Don't focus on already trendy topics when preparing the event, but rather try to find a subject that will gain momentum in the coming months.
Finding a speaker who generates interest
The choice of speaker is just as important. Generally, for an internal symposium, it's advisable to use someone external to the company, preferably someone well-known.
Conversely, a speaker from the company is more appropriate for an event aimed at clients.
Reserving a suitable room in advance
In parallel with these steps, the selection and reservation of the room should be done as early as possible. The choice of venue is crucial. It's arguably the first element to consider, even before choosing the topic.
Ensure the room is well-proportioned for the expected audience and well-located – easily accessible by public transport, with easy parking, and in an area suitable for the target audience.
Choosing an appropriate date and time
Another element to consider: choosing the date. Pay close attention to the calendar and absolutely avoid school holidays and certain days of the week, such as Mondays and Fridays.
Before setting a date, check your professional environment to ensure that no major industry or similar event is taking place during or around the chosen period.
Regarding the time, for a 1.5-hour event, the late afternoon is recommended. For a conference with external guests, the 6 pm to 7:30 pm slot is more appropriate. A cocktail reception is welcome as it allows attendees to get to know each other and chat. For an internal company event, you can start at 5:30 pm.
Sending invitations on time and following up
The key is to invite neither too early nor too late.
For an external event, the invitation should be received at least three weeks before the event, assuming a 1 in 10 attendance rate. For an internal symposium, two weeks is sufficient.
Invitations can be sent by mail, but the easiest method today is email, using a contact management tool. This simplifies mass mailings, reduces costs, manages responses, and allows for follow-up within eight days of the event.
Rehearsing a few days before the event
A few days before the event, it's useful to rehearse, to finalize the details with the speaker, test the slideshow, and set up any technical elements with the technical crew (audio, video...).
This avoids last-minute surprises and unforeseen events.
Providing name badges for attendees
On the day, make sure to badge attendees to facilitate identification and networking.
You can also organize a cocktail reception at the end of the event to encourage interaction.
Sending a report
Finally, send an email report within a week, including the presentation slides and an evaluation form (it's more effective to do this a few days after the event rather than on the same day).
You can also post all these elements online on your company's website for everyone, or on the intranet if you have one, in the case of an internal event. You can also add a short interview with the speaker on the topic covered.
Organizing such events can be done internally by a dedicated manager assisted by another person. The HR department also participates by providing the list of people to invite.
However, some calls for tenders are essential: caterer, report writing company, possible translator, use of an electronic management tool, external service providers for email invitation management or the creation of a dedicated event website...
In all cases, it will depend on your budget and the internal skills you can mobilize for this event.
Philippe Montant
CEO of ReKrute
