You are in charge of the corporate party, but planning one is far bigger than anything you've ever done before.
You may be asking yourself, "Where do I even begin?" Don't worry; it's really not that different than other parties...
it's just bigger.
All parties have similar elements.
It doesn't matter if you are planning a birthday party for your son turning one, with the only guests being you, your wife, and a your son, or if you are throwing a party for your entire company; you can go about both parties the same way - just different scales.
Whoever put you in charge of the corporate event should have told you what the budget is for the party.
If not, that's the first thing you need to find out.
The party's location, guest list, and invitations will depend on it, so figure it out before you proceed any further.
You got the budget? Good, because now we'll talk about your guest list.
You might be wondering, "Isn't everyone from my company invited?" Of course they are, but you also need to determine if the budget and type of party will allow for spouses and significant others to be invited also.
It is especially important if this corporate party is going to take place around a holiday like Christmas.
Most people want to bring their significant others to parties so they can meet the people they work with, and what better time than a holiday party where everyone is in a festive mood.
If the budget will let you do it, I'd advise letting the employees bring at least one guest each.
Now that you know who is potentially coming to the party, you have to figure out where you are going to fit all of those people.
The location of your party will all depend on how large (how many employees) your company is.
You can't base it on how many you think will attend; plan for everyone to come.
That way, you will have plenty of room if they do all happen to come (it's a long shot.
) Now that you know who is coming (potentially) and where it's happening, you need to tell everyone that the party is going to happen.
You should send out a "save the date" email just to let everyone know that the party is taking place on a certain date.
You don't need to be any more specific than that.
Just get it on their radar.
You can let them know that an invitation will be coming in the mail at a later date so they can be on the lookout for it.
Since we're on the subject of invitations, make sure you send them out to your guest list sooner rather than later.
Just because you sent them a "save the date" email, doesn't mean they are going to come, or that they even read the email.
Your invitations should contain the specifics of your party, as well as R.
S.
V.
P.
information.
For the R.
S.
V.
P, tell them whether you need them to respond or not; don't just give them a name and email (or phone number) in the R.
S.
V.
P.
section.
If you want to know if they are attending - tell them.
If you want to know if they won't be attending - tell them.
You can never assume that people will understand the correct way to respond to an invitation.
You can also send out a couple of reminder emails to your list telling them to remember to respond to the invitation.
So, it doesn't matter if you are having a birthday party for your child, or throwing a huge corporate party, planning for both involves the same steps.
One is just a lot bigger than the other.