Some people love them, some people will go under sufferance; but if you’re the Events Co-ordinator of a big corporate event, it’s a big responsibility.
As DJs and suppliers of events services; we see a huge variety of corporate events. From charity fundraisers to Christmas parties and awards functions, the challenges are often the same; to create an evening that will appeal to the guest-list; do something a bit different; and work within the budget.
In some industries; awards nights and glitzy fundraising functions are par for the course. Every few months one will come around and it’s time to dust off the penguin suit and prepare to part with some cash at the inevitable silent auction or get your networking hat on – depending on the purpose of the event.
Making you the office super-hero!
For event co-ordinators; ensuring an event not only goes without a hitch but is successful in its objective is absolutely essential. We consider it our job, to make you – the event co-ordinator – shine in front of your colleagues, staff and management through delivering a top night. The purpose may be to raise funds for a well-deserving cause; to reward high performing staff or teams or to present industry awards and gain exposure and profile for the organisations present. And the reality is that for any of these objectives to be met; the guests need to have a fantastic, memorable and uplifting time.
As DJs we have handled the entertainment, and performed at many high profile corporate events and Christmas parties. It’s where reading a crowd becomes all the more essential as you don’t have the detailed heads up on music preferences and guest list that you do at other events, for example, a wedding. But extensive experience of DJing corporate events has taught us a few things and led us to introducing some innovative little touches.
For event co-ordinators of corporate events; here’s some of our tips and observations.
Do:
Find out as much as possible about the purpose of the event. If it’s fundraising; people need to be inspired, have a great time, but not feel guilty or under pressure to part with money. Games; attractions; a good structure to the early part of the evening to raise awareness of the cause, leading towards the ‘party/dancing’ section of the night will ensure a good balance.
If the purpose of the night is awards; these can go into quite a decent length of time. An appealing and appropriate compere; and ensuring a swift transition the moment the awards finish into a boogie and party atmosphere will help keep the guests engaged.
Do:
Use song slips! This simple solution that we’ve introduced for all our corporate customers is an effective way to ensure the whole audience feels connected with the music. After all, they’ve had a chance to influence it! It also adds an element of fun to the evening. Just watch while guests rack their brains to think of awesome tunes to request, leading to the perfect tailored songlist landing in the hands of the DJ, and lots of people on the dance floor.
Do:
Try to include some different or suprising elements. In some industries; attendees may get invited to similar events on a regular basis. The event will suffer if it’s too formulaic in structure and offers nothing new or exciting. Whether it’s an interesting/different game; unusual high impact decorative touches such as starlit dance floor; alternative activity such as photo booth or selfie mirror; inspiring speaker or awesome live performer; just one wow factor element can elevate the evening to something really special.
Do:
Pick suppliers who are accustomed to working at corporate events. Event suppliers need to understand the nuances of the guests, the structure of the evening and be highly professional, credible and efficient in order to present the right impression to VIPs, industry leaders and senior level professionals.
Don’t:
Assume anything. Certainly, don’t assume the preferences of the guests based on age or demographic. As DJs; if we were to assume that age over 40 somethings at a school fundraising event wanted to listen to 80s or 90s music all night; we could end up in hot water. Finding out as much about the guest list up front, and providing a selection of activities and music is the best way to ensure all the guests get a bit of what they like.
If you need any further advice on corporate events, awards nights or Christmas parties; or find out about our DJ packages or events enhancements including AV hire, lighting solutions, drapery and dance floors, photo booths, selfie mirrors and more – get in touch.
