A lot is at risk when planning a corporate event. One small mistake can quickly turn into a disaster. And if it does, you may have to answer to stakeholders.

Whether you’re part of an in-house event team or a trusted consultant, read on to discover the most common mistakes made planning corporate events and how to avoid them.

Mistake #1: Your corporate event has no defined goal

Never start the event planning process without establishing your goals and objectives first. A firm understanding of what your event will help your business achieve will guide you and your entire team through the process, not to mention help you sleep better at night.

What are you trying to achieve with your event? An employee training, for example, is likely designed to help staff become more knowledgeable or skilful.

Once you have your high-level goal, set clear measurable objectives like the number of registrations, the number of live stream viewers, or percentage of returning attendees. Make sure your objectives are measurable and concrete so you can prove the value of your event.

After setting goals and objectives, share them with your team so that they can guide their decision-making.

Mistake #2: Your corporate event schedule is underwhelming

Many event creators have assumptions about what their attendees want that they haven’t tested. To make sure you deliver an experience that attendees will love, you need to look at your schedule and speakers through their eyes.

A shift in mindset can help you understand what matters most to your corporate event audience. Ask yourself these questions to make sure attendees are engaged.

• Are the topics in your schedule fresh and relevant? Your event schedule should align with your goals and your attendees’ interests, needs, or desires.
• How engaging are your speakers and presenters? A business event may revolve around its speakers, but speakers only thrive when the audience is engaged. Audience participation in presentations might seem like something that’s difficult to achieve. But there are techniques and technologies you can employ ahead of time to encourage it. Read this post to learn more.
• Do you have a communication strategy? Don’t just provide attendees with the basic details of your event. In addition to the essentials, like when and where your event will take place, tell attendees what they can expect from your corporate event.

Mistake #3: Your on-site experience is poorly managed

A solid schedule and engaging experience are the main ingredients for a successful corporate event. But if your on-site experience is frustrating, your attendees will notice.

Many of the frustrations corporate event planners experience on-site, from long lines to inadequate food and beverage options, can be easily avoided with a little bit of planning. Answer these questions to identify gaps in your on-site experience and learn how to fix them.

• Is your corporate event understaffed? Whether your team is big or small, it’s your job to hire a team who can get the job done. Learn how to identify your staffing needs in this guide.
• Are your attendees constantly waiting in line? If your attendees spend hours waiting for food, drinks, or even just to get inside, keeping them happy and engaged will be difficult. Although there is no set “formula” for minimising lines, there are simple ways to help reduce wait times (and stress). For example, using RFID can speed up entry to your venue.
• Is your team prepared for the unexpected? When something goes wrong, a proactive communication strategy will help you stay in control. Your communication strategy should outline how your team should respond to negative situations. Use this guide to create one and share it with everyone on your team.
• Can attendees provide feedback after the event has ended? It’s impossible to get everything right. But thanks to online surveys, you can ask attendees to let you know what worked (or didn’t). These templates from SurveyMonkey can help you start gathering feedback right away.

Mistake #4: Your event operation relies on outdated technology

The final mistake most common to corporate events is the use of outdated or inadequate technology.

Look at your team’s to-do list. It probably includes everything from reconciling payments to tracking food preferences. How much time do you and your team spend juggling all of these tasks?

With a modern online ticketing and registration solution, your team can stop doing repetitive tasks that don’t add value to you, your customers, or your organisation. The time and money saved can be redirected into more important things, like hitting your company goals.

To streamline your process and start saving time, set up your next corporate event on Eventbrite.