The key to a successful event is a great idea that is well managed and executed. And whether you're organising a corporate event for 20 or 2000, and whether your budget is small or large, two of the most important aspects of your job will be how organised you are and your attention to detail.

Objectives
First and foremost is to determine your event objectives. Your event can have multiple goals and objectives. However, begin by determining your main objective for hosting the event.

Here are some examples of possible corporate event objectives:

¥ To communicate information and/or values
¥ Inform and educate
¥ Publish an academic paper or research findings
¥ Implement and practice new techniques or skill building
¥ Entertain
¥ Raise public, company or member awareness
¥ Raise money or establish new funding sources
¥ Celebrate
¥ To thank
¥ Mark a special religious day or festival
¥ Promote or launch your company's products or services
¥ Staff motivation, networking, or sense of community
¥ Offer a venue for strengthening strategic partnerships and alliances

A corporate event should offer direct exposure to your unique target audience.
Whatever type of event your choose, ensure it reflects your corporation as a professional, reliable, and innovative organisation, and that your event guests are left with a favourable image of your company.

Who is your audience?
Think about who your primary target audience will be, where they are located/sourced and what appeals to them. Also consider what would help to motivate them to attend your event? To ensure you keep focussed on your primary audience during the event planning stages, continually ask yourself one important question: What's in it for my attendees?
Next, you'll need to create a detailed timeline.

The timeline
Begin with the end in mind. When drafting a timeline for any event, take out your calendar and work backwards from the event date. You can then work out targets along the way and establish exactly how much time you'll need to get everything organised. The time required for planning an event is very much dependent on the type and size of the event. However, generally you should start your planning process, at the very minimum, 6-8 months before the date of your event. If you are holding your event at a seasonally busy time of the year, ensure you book essential services and suppliers early. (It is not unheard of for top suppliers and businesses to book their services out a year or more in advance.)
By creating a timeline that is realistic and workable, you will reduce stress by avoiding last minute, unforeseen problems. Your timeline will help you to complete tasks on time, and create a flawless and fantastic experience for everybody involved in your event.

Once you've established your timeline, begin your Event Schedule Checklist. This document will be very detailed and cover every aspect of your event. Include each pre-event task that will be required: promotional activity dates, design and production deadlines, mailing deadlines, staff involved, and all other details. Also include next to each task who is responsible for the task and a completion date. Plan the basics first (formality of event, location, type of venue, catering, music and entertainment, props and decorations etc) and then work on the finer details (invitations, welcome packs/giveaways, security, power needs, logistics, parking, transport, staffing etc).

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