Webinar Recap: 2024 Event Planning Pitfall
Webinar Recap: 2024 Event Planning Pitfalls
Victoria Kwon · 10/20/2023
In the fast-paced world of event planning, staying ahead of the curve and avoiding common pitfalls is essential for creating memorable and successful offsites and company events.
Seasoned BoomPop Event Experts delved into this topic recently in the "2024 Event Planning Pitfalls" webinar. This insightful discussion highlighted the top six planning pitfalls and provided valuable guidance on how to steer clear of them.
Here’s a recap of what you missed.
Offsites are the new office space for remote teams
As more companies are adopting remote work models, they are increasingly recognizing the value of in-person gatherings. These gatherings are crucial for building strong relationships, fostering company culture, and achieving strategic goals.
For many companies, team leads are expected to become event planners on top of their normal job responsibilities.
An average 2-day offsite can take more than 80 hours to plan. From sourcing venues, managing contracts, organizing flights, booking restaurants, and more, it can be a headache to plan without the right tools and guidance.
We are here to help you navigate the most common pitfalls we see when working with clients and steer you toward the correct path for planning a successful team event.
The 6 common event planning pitfalls to avoid
Planning with enough lead time
Rushing the planning process not only adds last-minute stress on your shoulders but also limits your options when it comes to selecting venues and negotiating contracts, and ultimately, it can diminish the overall guest experience.
To avoid this, start your planning well in advance. In general, we recommend a minimum of 6 months, but this can depend on the complexity of your event, the destination, and the time of year. This gives you enough time to secure the best resources at the best rates, ensuring a better event experience for your team.
Forecasting the budget
Deciding how much to budget for your event can be complex, but it is important to know what to expect before you begin planning.
A good place to start is a budget estimator tool which uses industry averages to give you an idea of how much you should plan to spend based on your event details.
Choosing the right destination and dates for your group
Selecting where to go and when can be a daunting task without the necessary resources or data, and can feel like taking a blind shot in the dark.
When you consider factors like attendee flight costs, travel time, venue availability, and the timing of the best deals when making decisions about the location and timing of your event, you can feel confident that you are getting the most out of your budget.
When you plan with BoomPop, you’ll have access to tools like our Budget Optimizer to help you find the best destination using data-driven insights.
Knowing what and how to negotiate
Effective negotiation is key to staying within budget while securing the best value for your offsite. It can significantly impact the quality of services and the overall guest experience.
Managing the guest experience
No matter how flawlessly the logistics are managed, the guest experience ultimately determines the success of an event. This involves intentional planning, attention to detail, and a commitment to ensuring that every aspect of the event aligns with the needs and expectations of your guests.
Ensuring you can enjoy with onsite support
Having dedicated support onsite allows you to immerse yourself in the experience, confident that any issues or questions can be swiftly addressed. This peace of mind ensures that you, as the organizer, can relish the event alongside your guests, fostering a more enjoyable and memorable experience for everyone.
Enlist support from the experts
Our Event Experts are always on your side, so you won’t have to worry about all of the planning logistics. They are well-versed in the intricacies of organizing seamless and memorable team events and bring with them a rich tapestry of experiences and industry insights to ensure your event's success.
Want to talk about what having a planner on your side may look like? Let’s chat.
Watch the full recording below:
