Planning an event in 2017? Here’s what you need to know

If you’re a PA planning an event in 2017, here are some top tips from the experts at Apex to help you make sure it’s a success.

• Choosing the right venue is fundamental to your event. As well as making sure it’s accessible and has enough space, you also have to be sure it suits the purpose of your event. Booking the Ritz to announce a downturn in business is never a good idea!
• Catering, giveaways, etc. are all important, but not how you guarantee success. It’s the messages you convey that are crucial. If you’re not sure how to go about this, bringing in an expert help to support your communications and agenda planning could make all the difference.
• Social media is drastically underused, and in many cases incorrectly managed when it comes to events. However, with PAs increasingly expected to do more with less and technology delivering more and more business benefits, it should be a key weapon in your armoury.
• Quirky tech is always an attention grabber, so take a look at what’s available to help engage and involve your attendees. But don’t use tech just for the sake of it. Exciting new tools aren’t going to deliver results without first considering what you are trying to do, and how they are going to help you to do that.
• With endless ‘to-do’ lists and never enough hours in the day, pulling off a successful corporate event that meets everyone’s expectations isn’t easy. Make sure you invest in a little self-care to refocus and re-prioritise (an event management partner can also remove the burden from your shoulders).
• Events are ‘predictably unpredictable’. So if it can go wrong, then at some point it probably will. Make a list of your day full of disasters, and think what you can do to make the chances of each one happening as small as it can be.

The team at Apex will help you create events that deliver against your business objectives. Find out more about how they can help you, or give them a call today on 01625 429370.