The 5 C’s Of Event Management That Will Help You Host Like A Pro

Planning a corporate event — and making sure you hit your objectives — can be an overwhelming job. Effective event management requires a combination of strong organisational skills, creativity, attention to detail and lots of hard work for a successful event. Essentially, event management is the process of conceiving, planning, and executing social and corporate events.

You've already done a lot of the legwork if the event planners have the creativity and desire to pursue event management. Breaking down the event planning process into the “5 C’s” can make things easier and more manageable. These so-called 5 C’s of event management include:

• Concept
• Coordination
• Control
• Culmination
• Close-out

Let’s take a look at what goes into each of these C’s.

1. Event Concept

The first and most important step in corporate event planning is coming up with a clear concept based on the objectives, requirements, budget, brand personality and other factors. Draw up a plan by asking yourself these questions:

• Who is the target audience? How do you want them to feel about the event? This will help the event planner determine everything from the overall tone and style of the event to choosing the venue and the menu.
• What do you hope to achieve? Do you want people to purchase your product during the event? Are you aiming to reach a wider customer base? Do you want your guests to donate money to your program?
• When will the event take place? This will depend on the purpose of the event, as well as the audience and the event venue.

Where will the event take place? Are you looking for a blank canvas space for a conference? Or a stunning theatre venue for a fundraising gala? The purpose and tone of the event will dictate the size, style and location of your venue.

2. Coordination

You’ve finalised the goals and have a clear view of the overall tone, creative elements and basic requirements. It’s time to roll up your sleeves and get deep into event planning mode. At this point, you’ll be:

• Working with your finance team to set a budget
• Creating an event planning timeline
• Developing an event program
• Booking the venue
• Deciding on a menu and booking a catering service
• Hiring an event decorator or styling the event with your creative team
• Designing and sending out the invitations
• Event promotion
• Keeping track of RSVPs
• Creating marketing material and promoting the event to your target attendees
• Booking speakers, performers and hosts
• Hiring event staff and security
• Organising transportation for the attendees
• Purchasing or renting equipment

You can also opt to hire an event management company. With the right event management team on your side, you can be sure that your event will run smoothly and be a success.

3. Control

In this critical but oft-overlooked stage, you’re focused on making sure that everything is on track. You’ll be comparing what’s on your event-planning master list to what’s happening on the ground. You’ll be dealing with last-minute changes, handling issues with suppliers, and making sure everyone involved stays on top of their tasks.

During this stage, the event manager will be:

• Going through your list and double-checking everything
• Performing a run-through of the event
• Arranging transportation for equipment and vendors
• Coordinating with vendors to make sure they know when and where to set up before the event
• Making sure you’re staying within the event budget
• Delegating day-of duties to your team
• Preparing for worst-case scenarios