What Are The Most Important Skills Corporate Event Planners Need?

Successful corporate event planners possess three essential skills.

Start developing these three must-have skills, whether planning events for customers or coordinating your company’s events.

Corporate Event Planner Skill #1 – Promoting the Company’s Image

The corporate event planner’s goal is to create a positive image of the company in every detail of the event. The successful planner never forgets that each event impacts the company’s image.

This requires skill on the part of the planner, because it’s so much more than having the right food and drinks or choosing an appropriate venue. It means working to ensure that those who attend leave with a positive impression of their hosts.

This rule is true no matter the size of the event. The same attention to the hosting company’s image is essential, no matter whether you’re planning a training seminar or a formal retirement dinner. Your attention to detail in every area of a corporate event not only ensures your own future success, it also makes the customer (or your employer) look their best.

If you hope to attract corporate event business, or to excel as an employee who coordinates company occasions, polish the skill of always putting the company in the best possible light.

Corporate Event Planner Skill #2 – Staying within Budget

Being able to work within a budget is a must for all event planners, whether you specialize in children’s parties or large corporate occasions. The corporate event planner, however, is under extra pressure simply because even the largest corporations are carefully watching the money being spent on events.

Here’s how to plan the best possible corporate event while working within a budget:

1. Understand the customer’s expectations from the beginning. Ask questions about anything that’s unclear. Be honest if what they’re asking for isn’t possible within their budget.
2. Build a portfolio of creative ideas for stretching an event budget, and be ready to suggest alternatives.
3. Keep a close eye on details. Keep your event plan current so there aren’t any last minute surprises.
4. Develop a strong network of vendors who offer competitive pricing, so you can always offer the best value for the company’s event dollars.

No customer wants to appear stingy to the people who attend their events. Your job, as the corporate event planner, is to make the company look as good as possible while staying on budget.

Corporate Event Planner Skill #3 – Coordinating Internal Staff with Outside Vendors

The third ability you’ll want to develop is keeping event details on track while working not only with your vendor network but also with corporate employees. These employees might, for example, be the person who is speaking at an event, employees assigned to greet guests or the person responsible for vendor payments.

Understanding those employees’ roles and how they’ll interact with event staff is an important detail in planning a corporate occasion. The executive assistant, for example, who believes she is in charge of the wait staff could throw a wrench into your carefully planned awards dinner.

She could, however, work for the person who can hire you for future events or be in a position to assist you as a fellow employee. Develop the ability to communicate firmly and tactfully the overall event plan.

Here’s how:

• Schedule a meeting with everyone from the company who is assigned a role in the upcoming event.
• Create a plan that includes each of those roles and define when and how they’ll be needed.
• Communicate new developments to all involved.

Your goal, if you’re also an outside vendor, is to build trust and secure long-term business with your corporate customers. Demonstrating the ability to work with both internal and external staff helps cement that trust. And if planning special events is part of your corporate job description, being able to work well with vendors and fellow employees enhances your value. These three skills are absolutely essential if you hope to make your mark as a corporate event planner. Now I’d love to hear from you. In the comments below, share where you are in developing these skills? What kind of assistance do you require to build strong corporate event planning skills? As always, thanks for joining me each Wednesday, for commenting and for sharing!