An event (also "ivent" or "event") in translation from English and in a broad sense can be understood as any private or public occasion. If we narrow down the parameters of an event, today it mainly refers to activities organized for existing or potential clients, colleagues, and partners.
Most often, an event aims to inform and attract attention: to promote a company, advance its brand or specific goods and services. But there are exceptions: events can entertain and educate the audience. Regardless of the specific type, an event is usually quite costly and requires careful preparation not only in terms of the overall concept but also the smallest details. This approach helps avoid force majeure and satisfy all the tastes of the event's guests.Types of events
- Corporate. These include events for teams that help strengthen corporate culture and develop team spirit. They can be small (for a few people from one small business company) and large-scale (for all departments and branches). Among the most popular types of corporate events are parties, quests, quizzes, team building, sports competitions, banquets, picnics, hikes. The occasion for a corporate event can be a professional holiday, an anniversary of the organization or management, a generally accepted calendar holiday (for New Year, March 8, May holidays) or an important milestone in the company's history and development (closing a deal, submitting quarterly reports, a new large project, etc.)
- Business. These are events for senior management, partners and competitors, sponsors and investors. For the most part, such events solve business tasks, whether it is expanding the circle of useful contacts, exchanging professional experience or improving management skills and negotiation abilities. Such events include business breakfasts and business lunches, negotiations and discussions, round tables and pitchings, business games, etc.
- Promotional. These are events to promote a brand. They improve the company's reputation by increasing customer loyalty, tell about new services or products. These include festivals and fairs, grand opening/closing ceremonies and red carpets, presentations and exhibitions, and other image events.
In addition, events can be classified by their format and nature, i.e. the way information is conveyed and the conditions of organization. For example, educational events include master classes, seminars, conferences, congresses, forums, trainings, etc. A free concert for children or the elderly, a sports marathon can be considered entertaining and at the same time charitable. Some events can also be classified as environmental — implying care for the environment and at the same time minimal negative impact on it during the preparation and holding of the event.
How to organize an event step by step?
Preparation
First of all, start by defining the goal and objectives of the future event. The essence and meaning of the event help determine its format, scale and atmosphere, duration and date, as well as the budget. Then you begin to outline the desired scenario in general terms and a plan where you specify all the organizational matters that need to be addressed. This will help free your mind, without getting too hung up on details, but also without missing anything important, and follow the plan to avoid unnecessary financial and time costs. When it is clear what the event should look like, you can align your budget with this plan, i.e., draw up an estimate and itemize all expense lines, and perhaps also plan a small “safety cushion” in case of force majeure. After that, you need to form an event preparation team and distribute responsibilities by defining areas of responsibility. Ideally, every task from the preparation plan should have its own person responsible.Program and venue
Two basic questions form the organizational foundation of any event. First, what the guests will do. Second, where everything will take place. First of all, at this stage you need to decide what the invited guests will do and how, whether it is watching a show, taking part in an interactive activity, eating, and so on. Based on the format of leisure, learning or communication, you can understand which other people will be involved in the event, that is, find contractors. At this stage, hosts, moderators, trainers, instructors, waiters, singers, DJs and artists, photographers and videographers are selected. In parallel, you need to choose a venue and, if necessary, arrange for its rental. The location should be determined based on the number of guests, dynamic forms of leisure at the event, seasonal weather conditions, transport convenience and the required technical equipment. Before renting a venue, you must visit it in person to verify the authenticity of the videos and photos of this location.Related processes
- We inform people about the event. On the one hand, invitations will need to be sent to all participants. On the other hand, if necessary, conduct a PR campaign involving media and bloggers. Possible options include: announcements on the company website, a press conference or press release, banners, posters, placards and brochures, advertising on social media and messengers, and email newsletters.
- We handle catering, security and logistics. You need to choose a catering service or dishes from restaurants’ banquet menus, order transport or arrange parking, and ensure the event complies with current sanitary-epidemiological and fire safety regulations.
- We work with the venue. You need to arrange its decorative and floral design, build a stage or divide the location into different zones, deliver, connect and set up lighting, sound, a projector and other equipment, and rent and place furniture with props. We remember the little things. Whether it is printed materials to inform participants, souvenir merch for all guests or gifts for the winners of various competitions.
Final touches
About a day before, you need to conduct a final check of the event’s readiness, first of all by inspecting the venue and contacting all contractors once again. You can make a checklist for equipment, decor, and props and use it on site. During the event, the organizer can perform coordinating functions. They monitor that the program follows the scenario, and if necessary make adjustments promptly and solve emerging problems. When the event is over, you need to make sure all participants have left and put the venue in order, for example, by ordering cleaning.We'll prepare an estimate tailored to your format within 1 business dayCorporate events, conferences, client days — 16 years and 1,200+ projects.
Calculate the estimateHow to evaluate the effectiveness of a past event?
- Count the number of actual guests compared to those invited, as well as the number of mentions of the event in the media and social media after its completion.
- Get feedback from participants by collecting it immediately through a survey, or by asking them to leave a review later, for example, via email. You can also ask your team whether they managed to achieve the set goals and avoid typical mistakes, or not.
- Analyze whether the goals were achieved. Did you want to generate income? Compare profit and costs. Were you interested in expanding your customer base? Count how many contacts you collected. Did you need to increase sales or boost interest in the product? Measure conversion by a specific target action, such as requesting a consultation on the website.
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