Corporate Event Designing - Why Leverage Others Time and Efforts?

Usually company organizations embody events as a key half of the integrated marketing plan. Outsourcing the coordination, carrying out and evaluation of corporate event designing can enable in-house groups to focus on the overall strategy of the selling plan and its core components instead of the detail, artistic, technical aspects of the event. The alternative is to make use of an in-house employee although this leads to a potential loss in output as this person is now troubled by event planning instead of completing their primary role. Outsourcing corporate event designing has its own benefits and although there is a service fee, the final net benefit of time and cash saved will definitely even out cash wise.

Company event planning will be a advanced beast that requires budgeting, planning and execution. Just one of those areas can be overwhelming to the unqualified person and also consume a nice deal of your time and that's why outsourcing is therefore essential. Take for instance an employee awards evening. The elements embrace an member of staff rewards program, nomination and winner selection method, communication plan and also the awards event. Allowing the in-house groups to concentrate on the inner areas of employee reach, the selection and judging process and outsourcing the event designing, budgeting, communication, supplier contact, project management and execution allows the in-house team member to stay targeted on the strategy and association with the key target audience.

Another space that company event planning company will assist a corporation is with social media for events. Advertising and promotion is creating a shift out of ancient media shops and there are new and distinctive ways targeting audiences for events through social media. A social media arrange can consist of Digging it, Twittering, Blogging, Facebooking, mixing, mashing, RSS feeding and making it Delicious. There's a great deal of commitment required to set up and maintain social media strategy. We tend to have seen some organizations putting in place the social media set up and begin off on a good note however it quickly turns to dry wood when not followed through. Working with a company event planning company will guarantee that the arrange is executed and come back on investment can be seen.

How to Hire the Right Venue for Your Event

Whether it's a corporate event, special birthday celebration, anniversary party or wedding or other occasion when one needs space for a group get together, hiring a venue space has a lot of advantages. Using a venue for hire will make planning one's event easier as things can be coordinated through a single source. Plus, with the wide variety of event venues available, one can find a space that truly fits the occasion. Here are some simple things to consider when looking for a venue to hire.

Type of Gathering: A corporate dinner party and a 50th wedding anniversary each have similar and unique requirements. It is important not only to know what type of event, but the tone and feel one wants to achieve too.

Number of Guests: This is critical as either a too small or too big a venue can really put a damper on a party. Too small a space means overcrowding and potentially slow service, while too big a venue can sometimes make the gathering feel insignificant. Get an accurate headcount early in the process.

Time of Year: This is obviously important if considering an outdoor event, but even during colder times, many venues have heated outdoor areas. Either way: be sure to plan the event well in advance especially if there is a specific date in mind.

Event Activities: Make sure to anticipate any activities that will go on during the event. For example, if planning a corporate outing, senior management may want to make presentations or speeches so space needs are different. Knowing what activities are planned ahead of time will help eliminate last minute scrambling.

Location: Ideally the venue location will be convenient to most of the guests, but when this is not possible, consider the venue's proximity to public transportation and/or convenient parking. Also, if looking at a city venue, consider the safety of the neighborhood.

Food & Refreshment Catering: Food and drinks make or break a party, so make sure to thoroughly investigate the capabilities of the venue. Most will have catering facilities or will provide recommendations but most often one's own caterer can be used.

Entertainment Needs: If considering some type of entertainment, be sure to get requirements early to be sure the venue can accommodate. While most venues can easily handles bands and dance floors, entertainment options are becoming more unique, so don't assume the space is set-up for things like a live cooking demonstration.

Special Requirements: Think carefully about anything that may require special thought. For a 90th birthday party there may be quite a few older guests. If the party space is not on the ground floor, make sure there are enough lifts to accommodate guests. This is where a good conference with the venue's representative to go over plans is very valuable as they can often anticipate potential issues based on experience.

Budget: Be sure to have a figure in mind before searching for a venue and don't be shy about sharing the parameters early in the process. While one wants to hire the best venue for the gathering, spending a lot of money won't guarantee the party will be a success.

Keep these considerations in mind when hiring a venue to ensure the space fits the event.

Five Steps to Finding a Gem Amongst Event Management Companies

With so many event management companies keen to have your business, how do you find your way through the also-rans to a suitably experienced partner? In this article we present a five-step guide to finding the right company for you.

(1) Understand why you need an event management company

Do you need support with particular aspects of your event or a complete solution? The former lets you pick and choose services; the latter gives the peace of mind that a professional is handling your whole event.

Having identified your requirements take time to prepare an event brief; this should include details of the services that your supplier provides, typically grouped in the following categories:

• Venue management (some event management companies are linked with specific venues)


• Event marketing


• Speaker management


• Delegate management


• Event finance

(2) Undertake a web search

Leading businesses have informative, professional and properly optimised websites. A Google search around phrases such as 'event management company London' or 'events management companies' will lead you to many potential suppliers; the next stage is to shortlist the best ones for your purposes.

(3) Shortlist

From the search results identify businesses that look promising and visit their websites. Expect to find comprehensive information about their services and a suitably customer-focused approach.

Are they clear about the benefits they offer your business? In particular, look for evidence that they will save you time and money, deliver the event you require and give you peace of mind through the events management process. At this stage you can request a brochure or talk to the companies on the phone for more information.

(4) Visit your shortlisted companies

Next, schedule a visit to your shortlisted events management businesses. During your visit, ask probing questions and look for their interest in your needs.

Do you get on well with the team? Do they seem genuinely interested in going the extra mile for you? Could you see yourself working with them? If your instincts and their answers give you confidence you're likely to be onto a winner.

Now's the time to ask for a formal proposal detailing what they'll do for you.

(5) Appoint your partner

Having found an events management company that can do what you require, and a team that you feel good about working with, it's time to appoint them. Having made your decision, don't procrastinate; the best companies get booked up fast so make sure you don't miss out on a great partnership.

Finding the perfect partner is really just a matter of common sense, being methodical, asking the right questions throughout the process and trusting your professional instincts.

Team Building Activities the Modern Outdoor Way

If you have ever been on a team builder event for work then you'll know they can traditionally be tedious, dull and hardly inspire you to greater things.

But office team building doesn't have to be like that... a series of boring paper exercises, building a bridge out of straws or scribbling keywords on a Nobo whiteboard!!!

NO, NO, NO... BECAUSE TEAM BUILDING CAN ACTUALLY BE SO MUCH FUN - YOU'LL FALL ABOUT LAUGHING.... read on my corporate friends!

Wake Up, Go Crazy with Fun Team Building Programmes

As a person who has been on far too many management team building and corporate team activity days I can say that 90% of the time I came back to the office cynical, manipulated, tired and bored or a mixture of them all. I lost count of the times I said to colleagues "what a waste of time"!! And I heard others say that too!

So if your staff are thinking it - then it's probably true. So please wake up to a new breed of corporate event management and team building that are much more sports in nature. It WILL get the staff laughing, motivated and talking positively for many months to come.... for sure.

Team Activity Programmes Have Changed For Good

Corporate games, team building activities and leadership exercises of old are dead! - People learn much better in a relaxed and fun environment. So all manner of group games and team bonding activities have been designed around crazy antics and fun day events such as "It's A Knockout" games or Outward Bound courses. And I know what I'd rather do... have some fun outdoors!

If you do, you can expect a lot of running around, shouting, laughing, and falling over, getting wet, foamed up, crashes, silly costumes.... and more falling over! But it can have its serious side in that these are team games with a purpose to succeed, show leadership, communication skills and use both physical and mental strength. You'll observe your teams in ways that will not be observed in the workplace and with all that frivolity about you'll see team bonding like no other... it'll be a team love fest and they be begging for more! Honestly.

Making Team Activities Fun

Yes, as the corporate event planner you want to ensure your team day offers a series of interesting team building ice breakers, problem solving games, group activities, motivational games and team bonding activities... but hey, let's make it enjoyable. We are not here to punish the workforce or turn them into robots right? We want to motivate and stimulate them - the rewards of which are well documented - a keener, happier workforce is a more efficient and productive workforce... in essence the whole point of team building programmes.

Say NO MORE to indoor team building exercises in the workplace or office - GET OUTDOORS and you'll see the staff's eyes light up. When did that happen with overhead projector?

Plan Your 'NEW' Corporate Event

If you are a corporate event planner or team leader looking to do something new and fun for your team morale or leadership training then start Googling key phrases like: "teamwork games, corporate event ideas, fun team building activities, corporate fun days or corporate team building activities... there are loads of ideas beyond the 'brainstorm' and PowerPoint lists... As the team organiser if you CANNOT be motivated to do something different then how can you expect your team to be?

Team Building And Corporate Team Work

Getting people to work well together and as part of a team is something than can in the long term help to generate income for a company and prove more profitable than the cost of organising and covering the cost of such trips. Doing these events abroad can also add an extra dimension to the experience and companionship between the employees and deep working relationships can be created: Below we look further into what types of events can benefit the employees and also we talk specifically about team building.

Communication is a word we hear time and time again in business and also at home. Having a good working relationship, understanding and high level of communication makes a huge difference at work, especially in medium and large organisations. Finding a way to forge better levels of communication and understanding between employees is a challenge.

Sending employees to a local or even more so, to a foreign destination such as Barcelona or Paris, can be very beneficial. You need to get employees out of their familiar surroundings and environment and by sending them to somewhere such as Barcelona or Paris or anywhere outside of the UK where the language is different, you make them more vulnerable but more open to change and this leaves the way open for new ideas to be absorbed.

The events you should organise for your employees on their team building trip should ideally be something which will put them in teams i.e. on an organised city treasure hunt, dragon boat racing or group cooking challenge for example. The emphasis is on the need for the team to work together to accomplish a task together.

An organised city treasure hunt in a city where the language is foreign can really make for a fun yet challenging team building event. This type event is organised by many companies in the UK and abroad and commonly involves the team needing to follow certain instructions given to them and to collect and visit certain places, and to work out certain clues. They will usually be racing against another team of colleagues.

Corporate team building activities can be rewarding and memorable for employees, The feel good factor is also often high with employees remembering the time they were in Paris, London or Barcelona for example, getting to know colleagues better with whom they had previously had little interaction. The results can be good

Photo Booths Build Company Morale

In today's economy, companies are looking for effective ways to grow their business. When you look at any firm, their employees are their greatest assets. They directly interact with customers, and employee retention is key to cost reduction. If you are planning a team event, a photo booth rental is a great way to boost company morale. Read our article below to learn more about creating a positive environment for your co-workers.

Everyone has seen a photo booth at least once in their life. They are a nostalgic way to capture memories. You don't have to plan a large scale event to have a booth. Guests could have a great time in the booth at the office while they are on their lunch breaks. Photo booths can quickly boost productivity in the workplace. Imagine everyone laughing it up in the booth with their co-workers.

Bring on the Fun

There are many ways to keep the event fun and unique. Try throwing a surprise party. Decorate a storage room and tell employees to dress to impress. You could even give the team building party a theme. Your photo booth can match the theme by incorporating colors and slogans into the photo booth design message area. This goes on the bottom of every photo. We also encourage you to bring props to help loosen guests up. Nothing is more priceless than seeing your boss wear big sunglasses with a clown wig.

Show off Your Scrapbook

Reputable photo booth companies give duplicate copies of photo strips. One half goes to guests and the other half goes to the planning committee. There are many ways to use your half of the photo. A common way is to scrapbook them while employees leave messages in the book. This scrapbook can be placed in the foyer or break room. Just think of all the amazing comments your employees, clients, and suppliers will give you.

Photos around the Office

If you opt out of the scrapbook idea, you still have options for your other half of the photo. You could surprise the employees and tape photos around the office. Do it on every floor of the building. Co-workers will be laughing throughout the week as they walk up and down your hallways.

Harness the Intranet

Bigger companies will use an intranet to educate employees. This is a great way to communicate the success of the photo booth from the team building event. Why not post a video on the website showing co-workers in action? You could even include comments of their initial reactions. This is just another way to generate buzz with employee morale.

Whose the Most Photogenic

There is nothing wrong with a little friendly competition. If you read the paragraph above, then you might consider hosting a contest on your company website. You could have customers, suppliers, and employees rate who was the best picture taker. Put a deadline on the contest and watch how competition brings out the best people.

As you can see there are many benefits from having a photo booth at your upcoming company morale event. You could do a combination of ideas to get co-workers energized about your company's message. Whatever the message is, just remember to keep it fun and keep it going.

Company Picnics - How To Plan One

STEP 1: GET ORGANIZED

Start with a notebook divided into sections for Budget, Location, Raffle Items, Party Favors, Food & Beverage, Invitations, Activities, and Games & Entertainment. Even for the smallest picnic, having this notebook will make your job easier and keep all of your important info in one place.

Get your picnic committee together and decide who will cover what duties. It is important to have people on the committee who are god communicators and who work well together. It is also important to appoint a committee chair who would be responsible for all final decisions which need addressed.

STEP 2: Check Your Calendar

Since your employees' families are going to be invited, the event will more then likely need to be held on a weekend. Make sure the date you pick is not a religious holiday, and unless you want to encourage a mutiny, don't plan to hold the event on a long weekend or when half of the staff is away on vacation.

STEP 3: Determine an Approximate Head Count

Determine who will attend your company picnic and attempt to put together an approximate head count of those who will attend. While there is no exact science to do this, we have found through our experience that about 80% of those invited will attend. Multiply that number by 2.5 to account for spouses and kids. This should give you a number to work with which makes sense.

STEP 4: Establish a Budget

The company will give you limited amount of dollars to spend on your event. This budget will dictate most of your decisions. Make sure to remember Food, Drink, Entertainment, Prizes, Location Fees, etc. Corporate Picnics & Events is an all inclusive turn-key event company. This means that you can call us up, give us a budget to work with and a head count and we will do all of the work for you. We arrange the location, provide catering, print fliers for your office, take pictures, and more. We take the stress upon our shoulders which gives you more time to focus on other things.

STEP 5: Pick a Location

If you have had your company picnic at the same spot for more than 2 or 3 years in a row, consider moving it. If you decide to have it in the same location as before, consider moving it to a different spot on the event site. This will give your employees a refreshingly new feel to the annual event.
Try to find a location that can offer privacy. Many companies are having their picnic on their own grounds, either in a grassy area or in the parking lot. However, if you do decide to have it off site, you should attempt to find a location which can be reserved. Who wants to police other groups and compete over ball fields and other facilities? Make sure you have enough room for your group. It's a picnic, so people will want to move around and kids will want to explore and run around.

If you are having the picnic in a hot month, find a place with lots of shade trees and/or pavilions. You should also think about room for tents. Make sure to plan ahead. Most public parks require a permit which start at about $20.00. The permit will ensure the spot you have in mind is reserved for the event along with picnic tables, fire pits or grills, and the like. Make sure to consider parking. You will want to have enough space for all of your guest's cars which should be within short walking distance. If this is not possible, you may want to consider a shuttle to help transport people to and from the event site.
Some companies have chosen to have their picnic at an amusement park. These evens can be fun, but they lose the group feel and may not promote the cohesion which an event like a company picnic should. It is hard to get everyone together with the large space for all of the activities. Having a smaller site where all of your guests are within ear range of the DJ or bull horn creates the unity that these events are planned for in the first place.
We suggest your entire picnic committee goes to see the event site. This will help establish in everyone's mind a feel for the site and what activities would work within the space. This will also help give everyone a chance to come up with ideas on how to make the event an exciting one.

STEP 6: Laying the Groundwork

Get the committee together and decide the times of the event. Most picnics last between 3 and 4 hours. If you have people working who come in shifts, then make sure the event lasts long enough to accommodate those employees.
Next, decide on any themes you may wish to have. Though a theme is not necessary, it adds a different kind of spice to the event. Some popular themes are Western, Mardis Gras, Circus Big Top, Country Fair, Safari, Luau, etc. You will want to decide on food to correspond to the theme. Your picnic can be catered or potluck. Your budget will dictate what you can and can't do. If you choose an entertainment company which provides turn-key event planning such as Corporate Picnics & Events, They should have you covered on catering if you so choose.

STEP 7: Activities and Entertainment

It's a picnic, so every one of all ages should have something to entertain them. At Corporate Picnics & Events, this is our specialty. We have many different packages and options which provide zones of entertainment for all ages, individual and family interaction included.
Inflatables are a huge hit with the kids all the way through the high school age group. Of course, many adults love to play on them as well. At Corporate Picnics & Events, we have the largest selection of inflatables to choose from in Arizona. All age brackets will have a fun and challenging experience with a variety of inflatables.
Carnival booths work great also. They offer a wide variety of games for all age groups. Just like at the fair. Prizes, which are often included in the cost of the carnival booth rentals, add a nice touch which gives all of your guests an opportunity to bring home a souvenir. Frisbee golf, volleyball, badminton, bocce ball, and other outdoor games can also be a popular segment of your picnic.
For the crowd that does not wish to participate in the more physical games, nothing beats old fashion Bingo. You can choose from a simple set-up, or a deluxe set-up which comes complete with a professional ball hopper. Prizes are what make this game so exciting, so make sure to pick some great ones.
For that extra touch, live entertainment is a great option. This could range from face painters, clowns, magicians, stilt-walkers, and balloon artists to a DJ or live band. They can also come in handy to fill in the gaps between planned events at the picnic.
Another popular option which goes over well is the classic family games package. This is a combination of old style picnic games such as egg toss, water balloon toss, 3 legged race, monster tricycle races, centipede skis, stick pony gallop races, beach ball hop races, and more. Ribbons or medals are often provided as part of this package.

STEP 8: Start an Information Campaign

Approximately one month prior to the picnic, you need to start getting word out about the event. There are many ways to do this such as talking it up in meetings, put an article in the company newsletter, attach notes to payroll, e-mails, and putting up posters and fliers in strategic locations throughout your building. When you book with Corporate Picnics & Events, we provide you a free event promo kit. This includes full color 11x17 customizable posters which feature all of the picnic information including pictures of the games and activities which will be present. We also provide a smaller size slick to use to pass around the office.
Be sure to let people know about what kind of prizes you will be giving away at the picnic. There are many ways to give the prizes away. You can have a raffle or you could even have a casino section where the employees play Vegas style games and bid their winnings on prizes at the end of the picnic. Most corporate events have prizes and gifts which are given away to reward their employees in one way or another. They also boost morale and show employee appreciation. It is not enough to just have several nice prizes or cash rewards without announcing in advance what will be given away.
Several companies worry about attendance if they spend the money and have a big event. This worry can be justified, however, we have found that poor attendance correlates with employees really not knowing what to expect, what activities will be at the picnic, and what prizes will be given away. Employees often respond better to an event which focuses on group and family fun, rather then the individual activities. Pre-event activities at the office can also spark interest in the picnic. Give employees opportunities to win or achieve additional raffle tickets to win prizes at the event and they must be present at the event to win. Also, make sure the event is located at a central site which is convenient for everyone.

STEP 9: The Big Day

As the stress and worries come to a peak, make sure to get some sleep the night before the event. Inclusive turn-key event companies like Corporate Picnics & Events take a lot of the stress away by providing all of the services which are required to make your picnic a success. In addition, they have their customer relations / Sales people keep in periodic contact with you in the weeks leading up to the event. This contact should include a map and layout of how the event will be set-up, a timeline for activities, and courtesy calls. These are added benefits which we have found to take much of the stress away from the committee and employees who are in charge of planning the event.