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5 Tips for Throwing a Cost-Effective Event for your Company or Clients
By BEN HEINEMANN One of the best ways to show your clients or your own employees that you truly value the work relationship you have with them is by having an event to show your appreciation. Whether it’s a holiday party, the launch of a new product or service or just an excuse to say “thank you,.....
By BEN HEINEMANN
One of the best ways to show your clients or your own employees that you truly value the work relationship you have with them is by having an event to show your appreciation. Whether it’s a holiday party, the launch of a new product or service or just an excuse to say “thank you,” these events can quickly escalate into big headaches for the business that is throwing them, especially if it’s a small business. Below are 5 tips on throwing an event that will not only keep everyone happy, but also keep your wallet in check.
- Plan Far in Advance: You need to plan ahead not only to keep things organized and keep you sane, but to secure the best pricing on anything from an event venue (not to mention venue availability) to tickets to a sports game. The longer you wait to nail down all the fine details, the more you will pay in the end, both literally and figuratively.
- Use Electronic Invitations: While everyone still appreciates a formal invitation to an event by mail, electronic invitations, or e-vites, can actually help you manage a guest list much better than traditional snail mail communication. There’s no waiting to receive an RSVP back via mail – it all happens as soon as the person being invited clicks on the link for the event and responds either attending or not attending. Sites like E-Vite and Paperless Post offer elegant looking invitations for free. You’ll also save on postage.
- Keep it Intimate: If you run a small business with only a handful employees, something as small as a nice dinner can mean the world to those you depend on for completing projects and managing deadlines. For an event like this, you can limit it to employees only (no spouses or significant others) and use the dinner as another form of team building. Just make the reservation, send out an Outlook calendar invite and you’re set!
- Negotiate Everything: If your event is a larger affair with clients and vendors remember that when booking a venue or event space, everything is negotiable, from the cost of the actual venue to the caterers and entertainment. You can also plan larger events during off-season or off-days of the week to keep costs down and give you additional leverage when negotiating final pricing.
- Use Your Connections: Do you have a friend or business partner with a house made for entertaining? People in your life who are great musicians? Do you belong to a club that also has a great event space? Consider both your professional and social network and plan an event that takes advantage of all the connections you’ve made throughout your career. We’re not saying use people (of course you should invite these connections to your party) but what we are saying is it never hurts to ask, in a tactful, tasteful manner.
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