Corporate events are planned ahead of time. Since they’re a significant part of the annual activities of businesses. Usually, they allot enough budget to ensure the success of corporate events. However, there are instances when even though you’ve planned things well, you may still encounter unexpected situations.
When an unexpected thing happens, are you prepared to solve it? In this article, we’ll discuss various ways to help you handle unwanted situations during corporate events.
1. Prepare for an emergency
Given that you may face problems along the way, one of the things you should add to your list of things to do is to prepare for these emergencies. Whether you’re working with corporate event planners or not, you should have a plan in case of encounter risks.
Although it’s best to look at things positively, taking positive actions is also important. Besides, even though preparing for emergencies requires additional work, you’ll be glad that you did it once you’re facing problems.
2. Communicate with the team
It’s impossible to work on a corporate event alone. More likely, you’re working with a team or corporate event planners, so it’s impossible to do things without proper communication. It’s not just in corporate events, but events in general. If the people behind the production are doing things on their own, without the approval of others, it may result in a disaster.
In some instances, even when people are communicating, they can still encounter miscommunications, so it’s best to set the right channels when updating others or when deciding.
Since communication is the key to a successful event, let the team know how important it is to reach out for their concerns at all times.
3. Set a flexible schedule
Adding some extra time to the event schedule can help save delays. Whether it’s the missing host or a technical difficulty, you can still come up with a successful event if the timing is right.
In addition, the schedule should also be adaptable to current situations. For instance, if there’s a problem with one of the activities in the programme, at least a few of what’s on the list should be able to cover.
Aside from technical difficulties and late performers or presenters, there are other programme-related challenges that you may encounter depending on the flow of the event. So you should consider the possible challenges before finalising the event flow.
4. Have an on-site support team
Whether it’s technical or medical support, you should have them on standby. Of course, when it comes to technical support, the team should right be backstage.
Meanwhile, for medical emergencies, if you can’t have a medical professional at the event, at least have the phone number of the nearest ambulance or hospital.
5. Set a back-up technology
As you know, technical difficulty is one of the most encountered problems corporate event planners face. This is why you should always have a backup. From the generator to the cords, everything should have a spear item in case there’s a problem with the sound system, lights, or projection.
6. Set a budget for emergencies
Although corporate events are planned with a budget, there are instances when you still need money for last-minute additional equipment, rentals, and other essentials. Just like having room for the schedule of the activities, there should also be flexibility when it comes to budgeting.
Besides, it’s almost impossible for the budget to fit perfectly with the actual event. So, it’s best to prepare for additional costs.
7. Assign responsibilities
As mentioned, a corporate event won’t be possible with just a single person working on everything. From the planning to the execution, there should be a team handling every aspect of the event.
So once the event has been planned, start delegating the tasks properly. Make sure the team or individual assigned to the task can handle it. Additionally, getting to know the specialisations of each member of the team should be done beforehand.
8. Evaluate the event
The event doesn’t end once the guests leave the venue. There should also be a post-event evaluation to know whether it’s a success or not. You can start by comparing the plans and the execution. Next, list all the challenges encounter before and during the event. Lastly, evaluate the experience of the guests. If they look happy about it and have no idea of the challenges the event went through, it may count as a success.
Final Thoughts
Preparing for a corporate event can be overwhelming, and challenges are always on the way, there’s always the opportunity to grow. Besides, if you try preparing for the unexpected, you may be able to handle these challenges better than anyone else.
Whether it’s your first time or not, hiring experts should be a priority. Since they have enough knowledge and experience, plus connections, they can transform a simple corporate event into a well-polished one. It doesn’t mean you have nothing else to do, since you can prepare to handle unexpected situations.
