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Corporate Event Planning 101: The Basics

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Figuring out the first step in the corporate event planning process can be the hardest part. Here is a list of basic considerations to ponder:

  • The excitement for your event starts with your first touch-point, usually your invitation. DO NOT RUSH TO GET THIS OUT! It is better to move the event date than to rush an invitation. This is your invitee’s first impression. Make it memorable!
  • An event doesn’t start at the front door, each touch point leading up to the event is very important. Consider your RSVP system. Do you want to use one of the saavy online systems? Or do you want a more personalized call in or email service?
  • When designing an event, walk through it in your mind as the attendee; envision what they will experience every step of the way. Ask yourself: Is that the impression I want to make?
  • How will your attendee’s arrive? Where will they park? The option of valet might require special permitting depending on location. If your event is in an obscure location a better option may be luxury coaches. This will allow attendees to drive to a familiar meeting point (no potential for frustration by getting lost), and a chance to interact on the way to and from the event.
  • Event agendas can get tricky. For all-day meetings or conferences, make sure there is enough break time for attendee’s to re-focus. Studies show that most people need time to re-charge after 60 – 90 minutes.
  • Internet accessibility is something to consider. However, if you have spent time and money to take employees off-site, Internet access may be a distraction.

These are only a few of many considerations when planning a corporate event. The key to a successful event is to pay attention to details.

How To Order Shoes When You Don’t Have Sizes

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As part of their “goody bag,” a client was gifting a pair of TOMS shoes to every attendee. As part of the RSVP, guests were asked their shoe size.

Three weeks before the event, with only one-third of the RSVPs in, we were forced to place the shoe order to ensure their timely arrival. Blindly purchasing 400 pairs of shoes could prove disastrous. Informing a guest his/her shoe size is unavailable would be embarrassing for us, and unacceptable to our client.

Playing “Shoe Size Roulette” was unappealing, so we opted to ask Google. The all-knowing search engine provided the following chart with the average American woman’s shoe size.

Women’s Size Percent Sold
4 0.90%
4.5 0.20%
5 1.80%
5.5 1.90%
6 5.90%
6.5 5.80%
7 12.50%
7.5 11.20%
8 16%
8.5 11.80%
9 13%
9.5 4.50%
10 9.30%
10.5 0.70%
11 3%
11.5 0.10%
12 0.80%
12.5 0.10%
13 0.30%
14* <0.1%

Courtesy of Footwear Market Insights

Now for the mathematical equation (and people think event planning is strictly a creative field!):

Since the RSVPs were still coming in, we had to first calculate the anticipated number of event attendees.  The invitation acceptance rate was averaging 25 a day therefore assuming 500 attendees.  Ordering 100 extra pairs offered a nice buffer and increased the total shoe order to 600.

After reviewing the current male-female attendee ratio, the shoes were split evenly between the sexes.

Next, the known shoe sizes were subtracted.  These remaining shoes were then split according to the above chart.  To determine the number of size 10 shoes, we calculated 200 shoes x 9.3% = 18.6.  Ordering .6 of a shoe is difficult, so we rounded up.

Men’s sizes were trickier. Google failed on locating a similar chart on men’s average shoe size so we applied the same formula, using the averages of the current RSVPs.

Was there a better way?