One of the most essential corporate events is the end-of-year gathering. It’s when companies celebrate employee appreciation, company milestones, and end the year on a high note. However, even when it’s just about celebrating the end of the year, companies can run into challenges that affect the event.
When corporate event management experiences challenges, there can be many factors leading to it. Sometimes it’s just pure coincidence, but in some cases, it’s due to poor planning or late arrangements.
In this article, we’ll discuss some mistakes corporate event management makes when planning end-of-year gatherings.
1. Not Planning Early
Whether it’s a corporate event or not, there should be enough time to plan and organise events. One of the most common mistakes in corporate event management is to wait too long before starting to plan. And with the holiday season coming, the planning and booking should begin.
Unfortunately, if the corporate event planning is delayed for even just a week, the venues, vendors, and suppliers may be limited, and you won’t have enough time or options to choose.
2. Not Setting a Clear Goal for the Event
Even if it’s a simple year-end gathering, there should be a clear goal for the event. Without a clear goal, it can be hard to assess whether the event is a success. So, once you’ve received the go signal about having a year-end party, and your team has been tasked to plan, ensure to start with having a clear goal.
You can start by listing some objectives, and think of a general goal, or the other way around. For instance, the year-end celebration can be about strengthening team bonds, celebrating achievements, and motivating employees.
3. Overlooking the Guest Experience
Another common mistake in corporate event management is when they fail to consider the experience of the guests and focus solely on the logistics. So, before proceeding, you should first check the factors that can have a negative impact on the experience of the attendees. Some of these include predictable programmes, dull entertainment, and long speeches.
Meanwhile, a year-end corporate event that considers guest experience has more interactive activities and can make the necessary adjustments based on the vibe of the event.
4. Failing to Share the Important Details
Poor communication is another mistake often made in corporate event management. When there’s miscommunication, you may encounter problems, such as unclear dress code, last-minute updates, and missing event details. These things can leave other organisers and guests frustrated, and they might not be able to attend more of your future events.
Meanwhile, to avoid having poor communication, ensure that to find the best way to communicate with the stakeholders. In addition, inform them about the event in advance, and repeat it a few times on various platforms.
5. Ignoring Dietary Restrictions and Preferences
When it comes to food, there are many things to consider, such as the budget, dietary restrictions (such as allergies, vegan, vegetarian, and halal). So, when sending the invitations, you should ask the guests about their food preferences. But if you’re not doing that, you should ensure that there are types of food that are safe to eat for those with dietary restrictions.
6. Skipping Budget Planning (or Not Sticking to It)
If the budget is poorly made, you can guarantee that there’ll be a lot of problems as the event date comes to close. So, before finalising the budget plan, ensure to survey the right pricing of the things you need to buy, including the breakdown of the expenses per vendor or service you’re planning to hire.
At the same time, ensure to include a budget for extra expenses, so that there’s no need to panic when you need to pay for additional fees.
7. Forgetting to Acknowledge Employees’ Efforts
A successful year-end celebration isn’t just about the sake of the audience, but also to acknowledge the efforts of the employees throughout the year. Failing to do so is one of the most common mistakes companies make during year-end celebrations.
Besides, the employees contribute a lot to the success of the company, so it makes sense that they should receive recognition.
8. Overcomplicating the Programme
Another mistake that often results in a complicated year-end corporate celebration is when the programme is overcomplicated. Once the time of the event has been identified, you should just choose a few presentations, an awarding ceremony, and some activities that can attract the attention of the audience.
Inform the stakeholders of the programme flow, so that they won’t get lost on the day of the event.
9. Neglecting Post-Event Follow-Up
Even after the event, you can still make a mistake as the organiser. Some of the things you should do include gathering feedback, evaluating the success of the event, and sharing the highlights on social media and through reports.
On the other hand, if you fail to do so, it can be hard to determine whether the year-end events in the future should be done the same or if there are some improvements needed.
Final Thoughts
Months or weeks before the year-end celebration, it’s essential to plan the event. Aside from booking venues, vendors, and other reservations, there are also other things to consider, such as the stakeholders and the company’s values, and building stronger connections.
