If you’re the person in charge of planning the corporate entertainment, lucky you. Planning a corporate event can be a very challenging task as there’s always lots to consider throughout the entire process. Whether it’s an event where important people within the company will be attending (CEO’s, managers, clients, overseas guests) or a small social club function that Peter, June and Sharon from Admin will all be at, attention-to-detail and accurate planning is always required in order to pull off a successful event nobody will forget.
With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of important Things to Remember When Planning Corporate Entertainment, to help take the stresses away. From planning and setting a budget, to knowing your audience, we cover all the ideas (some extremely obvious ones) to ensure you pull off the Office Party Of The Year. Which, might we add, is quite the title.
Start With a Budget
So, your manager has tapped you on the shoulder and asked you to organise the corporate entertainment for this years big office event? The first question should always be, “What’s the budget?” No point in organising a well-known corporate comedian to attend and be your MC, when your budget for entertainment is around $100. It’s just not going to work. Starting with your budget can help you determine how much money you have available for food, entertainment, the venue, drinks, and other minor details such as the decorations, plus it helps to set a standard for each of the points just mentioned.
Plan Earlier Than You May Think
There’s a saying, “If you snooze, you lose.” Well it’s certainly true in this regard. If you have to plan the corporate entertainment for this year’s Christmas party, don’t wait til December to start organising and booking things. Start in August. It sounds ridiculous we know, but if you leave it til the last minute, all of the best corporate comedians, entertainers and guest speakers will be booked out. Not to mention the best venues or caterers – they’ll all be gone.
Know Your Audience
This one seems rather straightforward, but trust us on it. If you’re wanting to book corporate entertainment for your next office function or event, know your audience. Relying on a comedian who mainly does ‘R’ rated stand up at your local bar, probably isn’t the right type of comedian for the entertainment on the day. It’s important that you have a decent understanding of the type of people who will be attending the corporate event, and what their basic interests may be. Keep this in mind when choosing your entertainment as you’ll need to give the comedian, or chosen act an idea of the type of crowd they’ll be performing in front of. He or she will be able to prepare for the event based on this information you provide, allowing them to deliver appropriate jokes and lines to suit the crowd they’re standing in front of.
Have Someone Check Over Your Guest List
Write down a list of all of the people who will be attending and ask someone reliable to check it over, before sending the invites out. There is nothing worse than explaining to the person who was left off of the guest list for the Office Christmas Party, because you simply ‘forgot’. Having an extra set of eyes helps you ensure you’ve included all the right people, but if your office is rather large, we recommend asking HR for an updated staff list to ensure no one is left out! If your corporation has a number of casual employees, freelancers or even part-time workers who aren’t always physically in the office, these people are always the first to be easily forgotten, simply because they are not around often. Relying on the HR list ensures no man (or woman for that matter), is left behind.
Choose an MC as Entertainment
Choosing an MC as the entertainment is like getting two birds with one stone. You could book entertainment for your next corporate function, such as a guest speaker or a comedian, someone who will entertain for a segment or an agreed time. But booking an MC as the entertainment will ensure that guests will be entertained from start to finish, in between meals, food and drink, and of course can introduce other speakers or presenters – once less job for you to worry about!
Keep a Spreadsheet or Checklist
Chances are, if you’ve been called upon to organise the office entertainment and/or overall series of events for this years Christmas party, then there is no doubt you’ll be expected to prepare all of this, and do your daily job at the same time. HEC-TIC. Therefore, we recommend keeping a detailed event planning spreadsheet/checklist to help you remain organised. The spreadsheet/checklist should be filled with everything that you need to organise on the lead up to the day, and a section for you to be able to mark each item off along the way when it’s organised or completed. These days, there are plenty of detailed spreadsheets and templates to help you online
| 2017 Christmas Function | ||
| Food | $2,000 | PAID |
| Drink | $3,000 | PAID |
| Entertainment | $900 | PAID |
| Venue | $500 | PAID |
| Total | $6,400 | |
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask For Help
Organising a corporate function or planning the entertainment can be rather stressful, and it’s important to remember that you can always ask the people around you for help. If Sam from IT has a cousin who is a graphic designer, ask her if her cousin can help with the invitations. If you know that Mike who sits next to you is a wine connoisseur, ask him to help you choose the wine list. Not only will it make your colleagues feel important for being involved in the planning process, but it means that you’ll have one less thing you need to worry about in the lead up to the big day. Cab Merlot or Cab Sav? Mike will know.
And there you have it. Now we’ve provided you with all of the right tips and tricks to remember when planning or organising your office event or entertainment, we’re confident you’ll do a great job. If you’re on the hunt for a corporate comedian or MC for you next big office function or event, contact the Funny Guys on (03) 9696 0202. We have an array of comedians and experienced MC’s on hand who specialise in entertaining all types of people; young and old, male or female, and can help make your corporate function an event they won’t forget.
