Planning a company event is a big deal – especially when you’re left in charge of ensuring it’s well received and goes off without a hitch. Winging it or leaving plans to the last minute is never the way to go. Wedding planners take months to organize, research and plan to make sure that every detail is taken care of thoroughly before the day finally arrives. And you should do the same too. To help you, we’ve tallied up this list of things to know if you are planning a corporate event in Ottawa this year.
Who Is Your Target Audience?
To begin, you need to nail down some important info to build your corporate event from. The first question to focus on is who is the event for? Is it clients, employees or maybe a networking event with various companies? Knowing who your guests are is an important first step for planning a corporate event in Ottawa.
What Is The Purpose?
You’ll need to determine the actual purpose of the event once you’re crystal clear on who it will be tailored to. Whether it’s a client appreciation dinner, a fundraising gala, team building for employees, or to heighten your company’s publicity, be very clear about what type of event you’re in charge of organizing and what’s expected.
When Will You Host It?
When planning the time frame of your event, there are three things to consider: your timeline, your audience and the time of year. It can take several months to properly plan and organize events on average, and scrambling to get everything done last minute can lead to disaster. So consider your timeline, along with your audience and what timeframe – mid-week, weekend – will work best for your audience. And remember to steer clear of other popular holidays and occasions. Planning around busy times like graduation ceremonies, long weekends or special holidays can prevent your guests from attending.
Where Will You Host It?
Once you have those important details locked in, it’s time to search around for the right venue that can accommodate your type of event and budget. If you require a large amount of space, onsite parking, catering and access to audio/visual equipment, then a designated banquet and event space is ideal since they’ll have everything you need in one place. Alternatively, if your occasion is small and intimate, then hosting a luncheon at a restaurant or hotel are also popular alternative options to consider.
How Will You Pull It Off?
Finally, you’ll need to think about how you’re going to manage to research, organize, plan, and execute everything on time, on budget and preferably, stress-free.
At St. Elias Centre, we’ve been Ottawa’s leading choice for hosting events of every size and type in our flexible, modern venue. We offer in-house corporate catering from our award-winning culinary team, along with client and guest services, audio/visual equipment, ample onsite parking and much more. Get in touch to learn more about our services and how we can help you plan a successful corporate event in Ottawa.