1851 Franchise LogoFranchise
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.
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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!
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

Franchise News

5 Tips for Throwing a Cost-Effective Event for your Company or Clients

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,.....

Nick Powills

By Nick Powills

1851 Franchise Publisher

December 14, 2012

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.
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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!
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

Don’t Miss the Next Big Franchise Story

Sign up for the 1851 Franchise newsletter to get our biggest stories before everyone else

By signing up, you agree to our user agreement (including class action waiver and arbitration provisions), and acknowledge our privacy policy.

Nick Powills

About the Author

Nick Powills

Follow

Nick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.

More Articles Like This