PRESIDENT

EVENT PROGRAMMING:
When companies set out to plan corporate events they do so
with the big picture in mind. They establish clear objectives
and are able to plan several events to meet them. They secure
sponsorship and competitively priced vendors for event services
and have a vision on what the next two or even three events will
look like. or do they?
As an event planning company, event planning, for us, is not
simply selecting a venue and theme,
securing a caterer and deciding what
flowers we would like to use in the
centrepieces. It involves a high-level
overview of a company’s short term
ANd long term objectives and goals.
Companies have usually spent hundreds
if not thousands of hard-earned dollars
on establishing their brand and vision,
in addition to developing a marketing strategy to ensure current
and future sales. They have recruited and hired top marketing
staff to execute initiatives from a well-defined marketing plan.
Including an event Program component would prove extremely
beneficial overall.
As an example, a company recently approached us to handle an
“awards and recognition” event. They had several support and
management staff that had made significant contributions to
their profitability in the prior year. They wanted to congratulate
these valued employees and motivate the balance of the
department. In addition, they told us that they had several sales
targets that they were required to achieve each quarter in order
to retain market share.
While we provided them with an event summary that was fun
and interactive for that day, we also provided them with a vision
of what the next few events could look like and how this event
program met the company’s objective of employee recognition.
We met with their sales and marketing team who provided us
with an in-depth look of all their goals, both short- and longterm.
They shared profiles of the staff, what types of events they
had already done and what their wish list was. What was great
about this exercise was that we were then able to take it to
the next level by meeting with their finance staff to determine
an overall budget that would be acceptable to them and their
president. This helped the financing of each event and ensured
that all areas of the company were on-side with the big picture.
WHY IT’S A BETTER CHOICE FOR TODAY’S PLANNERS
“...event planning ... is not simply
selecting a venue and theme ... It
involves a high-level overview of
a company’s short term and long
term objectives and goals.”
side benefits of event Programming are all in the details. Take
sponsorship - when a sponsor is approached for an event that
they are good fit for, it will work out well for both parties. It’s
been our experience that when a sponsor is asked to be part of
an event Program by being made privy to the demographics, and
made to understand the overall vision, they may be much more
generous with their contribution. This is referred to as tieredsponsorship.
Another benefit of an event Program
pertains to vendors. In some of our
Programs the same vendors are used
(as decided by the client) and as with
anything, when healthy relationships
are built around services such as these,
spectacular results can only get better!
When a vendor is secured for multiple
events with the same client, they are extremely accommodating
around pricing.
Consider your big picture. use your organization’s resources
efficiently and effectively by working with your team, taking
the time to create an event Program for the year to achieve the
results that your business is aiming for. �
written by Leigh aslanis of Events and The City, a division of
Marketing, sales & service Corporation. Let us show you how
our combined skills of Marketing & Event Planning can help
achieve your business’s goals. Contact us at 416-219-6584
or visit www.eventsandthecity.ca.
Volume Three | Issue 4
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