Organising a corporate event can be stressful, but when executed well, they have the potential to impress, engage, and leave a lasting impression.
In this ultimate guide to planning a corporate event, we explore the core considerations to help you create an unforgettable experience, including choosing a venue, suitable food and drink, and selecting the best entertainment.
Covent Garden Entertainment offers world-class acts, performers, and corporate event entertainment for hire across the UK.
Key Takeaways
- Important considerations when planning a corporate event include the budget, selecting a theme, choosing a venue, organising the event schedule, variety of food and drink, and corporate event entertainment.
- Excellent choices for corporate event entertainment include walkabout acts, acrobats and circus acts, comedy and cabaret acts, and live music.
- Covent Garden Entertainment provides unforgettable, world-class entertainment for corporate events, tailored to suit any audience, venue, and occasion.
| What Our Corporate Event Guide Covers |
|---|
| Consider the Budget |
| Select a Theme |
| Choose a Venue |
| Organise Your Event Schedule |
| Decide on Food & Drink |
| Select Corporate Event Entertainment |
Consider the Budget
Planning a corporate event should always begin with considering the chosen budget. Your aim is to use the funds strategically to create a memorable event without overspending.
A great way to approach the budget is by breaking it down into the main elements of the event, such as venue, food and drink, and entertainment. This allows you to prioritise where to invest the budget, identify potential overspending, and make adjustments as necessary. For instance, you may wish to allocate more money to a headline entertainment act, which may necessitate scaling back elsewhere.
Top Tip: Leave a small contingency of 5-10% to cover surprises or last-minute needs. A budgeting tool or spreadsheet can help you keep a record of estimated costs versus actual costs effectively. Regularly review your spending to ensure you stay on track and under budget.
Select a Theme
Selecting a theme helps give your corporate event a clear identity and makes it easier to guide other choices, such as décor, dress code, and even the menu. Think about the purpose of the event and the attending audience: is it an awards night, a product launch, a team-building event?
Here are some corporate event theme ideas:
- Elegant black-tie: Showcasing sophisticated décor, classical music, and formal dining.
- Gatsby/1920s: Featuring art deco décor, jazz performances, and vintage cocktails.
- Futuristic: Including immersive lighting, digital installations, and interactive entertainment.
- Festival: Presenting bright colours, live music, casual seating, and roaming performers.
Top Tip: Always balance creativity with practicality, keeping budget and venue constraints in mind.
Did You Know? Covent Garden Entertainment provides a wide range of entertainment catering to fit specific event themes. For instance, The Wild Tonics deliver a classy Gatsby and 1920s themed show, Humanoid Robots, the UK’s only robotic walkabout act, and Acro Chaps, a comedy acrobat trio perfect for an outdoor festival. Many of our acts can tailor their costumes and performances to fit your chosen theme.
Choose a Venue
The right venue sets the stage for the whole event, both literally and figuratively. Take into consideration factors such as:
- Size
- Layout
- Accessibility
- Transport links and parking
- Technical capabilities
Also, take into account the type of event you are hosting. A formal awards ceremony may call for a grand hall, while a product launch could be better suited in a flexible and creative space. Always try to visit potential venues in person when possible, as seeing them first hand allows you to visualise the layout and notice any potential issues before it’s too late.
Did You Know? Covent Garden Entertainment provides acts for both indoor and outdoor events, including crowd-pleasing walkabout performers, a popular choice for corporate events.
Organise Your Event Schedule
A well-structured schedule keeps your event running smoothly and ensures guests are engaged throughout. Map out key moments of the event, such as arrival and welcome, presentation or main activities, meal times, entertainment highlights, and closing. Determine how long each segment should last, allowing small buffers to accommodate any delays.
Top Tip: Maintaining energy levels is key to a successful event. For example, you may wish to start with something light and interactive, and then build up to a high-energy and memorable finale.
Did You Know? Many of our clients at Covent Garden Entertainment choose a varied entertainment schedule, such as a juggler or magician during a drinks reception, a comedy act following dinner, and a live band to close the event.
Decide on Food & Drink
Food and drink options are another key consideration. Formal events may call for a sit-down dinner, whereas a casual networking reception may work better with canapés. Canapé Tables is a popular act for corporate events, with performers dressed in beautiful costumes that act as fully functioning serving tables, creating an incomparable interactive dining experience.
Bear in mind dietary requirements and preferences so all guests feel catered for, and consider pairing drinks with certain moments in the event, such as welcome cocktails and wines with dinner.
Top Tip: Organise tasting sessions when possible, and speak candidly to your caterer about your event. They will be able to advise on pricing, recommended portion sizes, help you finalise a strong menu, and even suggest items to complement your chosen theme.
Select Corporate Event Entertainment
For many guests, the entertainment is the highlight of a corporate event, leaving a lasting impression. Therefore, it is critical to choose wisely. Consider how performers could enhance moments, such as breaking the ice during welcome drinks, creating a wow moment that mesmerises your guests, or energising the crowd as the event starts to wane. By carefully selecting acts, you can ensure your corporate event is dynamic, engaging, and truly memorable.
Covent Garden Entertainment offers a wide variety of event entertainment, including for corporate events, to suit all occasions. These include:
- Walkabout Acts: Performers that move through the event, creating conversation and engagement. Popular walkabout performers include living statues, stilt walkers, and juggling acts, ideal for drinks receptions and networking events.
- Acrobats & Circus Acts: Visually striking, high-energy performances such as firebreathers, aerialists, and comedy acrobats that captivate and fascinate audiences. These circus acts for hire are perfect for parties, outdoor festivals, and gala dinners as main event segments.
- Comedy & Cabaret Acts: Interactive and humorous performers, such as magicians, comedians, and cabaret artists, who bring laughter, fun, and audience participation for light-hearted corporate events.
- Live Music: From soloists and string ensembles to bands and DJs, our extensive variety of musical acts can provide background music, headline performances, or a lively finale to energise the event.
Choose Covent Garden Entertainment for Your Corporate Event
“From jaw-dropping performances to subtle wow moments, our entertainment makes every corporate event truly memorable,” says Rob Collins, Director.
Covent Garden Entertainment specialises in providing unforgettable entertainment for corporate events. Not sure which entertainment will work best for your event? We can help! Let us know your objectives, audience, venue, and budget, and we’ll recommend a list of suitable acts to make your event unforgettable.
For more information on our service offerings, explore our article, Frequently Asked Questions for Corporate Event Entertainment.
Ready to get started and hire event entertainment? Contact us today and discover first-hand how Covent Garden Entertainment can bring your next corporate event to life.