Minimizing Risk: How Not to Get Burned on Your Next Corporate Event

As a top event planning company, we hear it all the time. Communications between a company planning an event and the hotel have broken down, and we're asked to step in and re-negotiate the contract or effect other repairs. Of course we're happy to save the day -- but we feel constrained to point out that little careful planning, communication and common sense can do a lot to minimize your legal, financial and logistical risks. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so here are some important tips to help you make your next event a healthy one.

Book what you need. You'll find yourself stuck with huge attrition penalties if you don't communicate your room needs clearly and accurately. An impractical or hard-to-reach location will also cause plenty of headaches, so do your homework beforehand. Make sure the space fits the event!

If it's not in writing, it doesn't exist. This policy holds true for the hotel contract as well as any riders regarding meals, technological support, cleaning services, legal indemnities and other necessary details. Go over the specs with your venue as many times as necessary during the contract negotiations until everyone is on the same page. Then read that page again.

Rehearse! This should go without saying, but you must have every single piece of your presentation event thoroughly nailed down well in advance of curtain time. Speech timing, video, audio, set decoration, seating, lighting -- it all has to work together perfectly, and if something isn't working you need to know far enough in advance to fix it.

Let's face it, planning and executing an event is risky business. But you can reduce and control those risks with the right advice from an experienced corporate event management company.