Top Five Reasons Why Corporate Events Go Wrong

No matter how organised or well-planned an event is, sometimes things go wrong; most of the time these situations are due to things that are out of our control; the kitchen runs out of soup, a speaker cancels at the last minute. But what are the main causes of corporate events going awry and how can we avoid the unavoidable?

Error One: Being too confident

It's a bit of a weird thought, especially as the further you get into business the more you are told to look, walk and act confidently; especially when you don't feel like keeping your chin up. But corporate events are the exception.

Planning an event without taking into consideration the potential conflicts is a one-stop-road to failure. Think about the things that could go wrong and compile a list of plan B options to save the day, should the unfortunate happen.

Error Two: Someone doesn’t respond professionally

It is difficult to keep a cool head when something goes wrong at an important event, especially when everything is set up to move smoothly from one activity to the next. If something goes wrong and a member of your team crumbles under the pressure then the atmosphere automatically changes. Once your guests pick up on this it’s game-over.

Ensure that all staff are fully aware of procedures and how to flag a problem professionally, so that as soon as something starts to go wrong it can be dealt with quickly.

Error Three: There isn’t enough staff

Just because it worked once with a certain number of staff doesn't mean that it will again. It's always better to have spare staff on hand or on call so that, should there be an emergency or someone calls in sick; your event is still covered.

Error Four: Not checking, double checking and checking again

Even if it means that people start to get slightly annoyed with you, it is important to check, double check and check again.

Ensure that your clients fully approve the event schedule, your staff know the rules and procedures as well as the running order AND the potential plan B is in place.

If you have guest speakers then ensure they also know the running order and ask them to be available a specific amount of time before they are due to speak, and check that your venue can cater to your schedule and be sure to ask about any issues that may crop up on their part.

Error Five: Not allowing for extra set up time

No matter how perfectly planned an event it, set up's will always be a slow process. Allow extra time so that if the set up does run over, you don't have to panic.

These are the top five reasons why an event can go wrong and as long as you follow these simple tips then your event is sure to be a stress free success!