From seminars and conferences to trade shows and expos, there are plenty of reasons to plan a corporate event. Although event planning can seem daunting, these 5 tips for planning a corporate event can help you get started on the right foot!
Determine Your Goals
Whether you are presenting a new product to your audience or hosting team-building exercises, you want to make sure you get the most out of your event. The first step to ensuring you achieve the goal of your event is to determine exactly what your goals are! Depending on the context of your corporate event, you may be speaking to individuals within the company or to your customers. Either way, here are a few examples of potential goals:
Change customer perceptions
Strengthen your team’s bond
Motivate employees
Training
Planning
Social media or press opportunities
Introduce new products or services
Entertainment
Set a Budget
Once you understand the purpose of your event and the goals you wish to achieve, it is time to set a budget. Every event, corporate or otherwise, must have a budget. Without a budget set in place, expenses can quickly get out of hand. Make sure to allocate the money according to what aspects of the event will most contribute to the success of your goals, whether that be the venue, audio technology, or comfortable furniture. Always make sure to incorporate a buffer of 10% for those unexpected costs that are sure to sneak up at the last minute.
Create a Schedule
Planning out the logistics of the day will set your event up for success. The event’s schedule should include arrival times, set up, individual activities, and break down afterward. Make sure to schedule the event’s activities in a balanced way to optimize your audience’s attention by providing both engaging content and time to unwind throughout the day.
Promote Your Event
No event is complete without people to attend, so make sure you promote it! Capture your audience’s attention and reel them in with exciting announcements, interactive projects, and incentives such as free food or prizes. Promoting your event is easier than ever with the use of technology. Emailing potential attendees is a great, direct way to let them know about the event. Social media allows you to reach a larger audience.
Leave Certain Aspects to the Professionals
Although much of your corporate event can be planned in-house, certain aspects are better off left to the professionals. When it comes to acquiring the necessary equipment for your event, there are several advantages to renting. By hiring professionals to take care of certain aspects of the event, it leaves you with more time to focus on budgeting, creating a schedule, promoting your event, and achieving your goals!
Graduating is a major accomplishment and should always be celebrated! Outdoor parties are the perfect way to acknowledge this achievement with friends and family. When planning your party, consider the many advantages of renting your party equipment!
Cocktail Tables
Hi-top cocktail tables are great for outdoor parties. You can either plan to have your guests stand at these tables, making it easy for them to mingle, or pair them with barstools so that people can sit. Cocktail tables also offer a great opportunity to add pops of color to your decorations! Try draping linens over the tables using school colors to show your school spirit!
Lounge Furniture
Are you looking to add a touch of luxury and refinement to your outdoor graduation party? Look no further than our lounge furniture. These customizable pieces will give your guests a comfortable place to sit while they celebrate!
Tents
At Grimes Events & Party Tents, we have tent rentals for every event, including graduation parties! For parties with smaller guest lists, our 10×10 pop-up tents and 12×12 high peak tents can be used individually or placed side by side. For parties with larger guest lists, our frame tents with a solid or clear top are known to be ideal for backyard parties. Make sure to consider all of the tent accessories you can rent as well, including flooring, fans, side curtains, and more!
Lights
Keep the party going into the evening hours by adding lights to your party space! There is no shortage of creative ways to use string lights as decorations. LED cubes and floating globes are not only a great way to provide light in the evening, but they also offer another opportunity to add pops of colors once the sun goes down!
At Grimes Events & Party Tents, we have everything you need to host the perfect outdoor graduation party. From tents and tables to lounge furniture and lights, we have it all! Contact us today at 561-853-8368 for all your event rental needs!
2020 was a difficult year for many, but small businesses were among those that took the hardest hit. If you’re a small business owner, you may be looking for creative ways to drum up business in 2021 now that restrictions are becoming more lenient.
Promotional events are a great way to reach new customers and spread awareness of your company. Take advantage of Florida’s warm weather and consider hosting an outdoor event to boost your small business this spring!
Community Sidewalk Sales
2020 brought out a true sense of community and solidarity in the face of the pandemic. The perfect way to carry this forward in 2021 is to collaborate with neighboring business owners and put on a sidewalk sale event! Set up outside your storefronts to allow potential customers to easily browse all the different products and services in the area. Local restaurants can provide free samples and local musicians can perform throughout the event, encouraging people to stick around longer and enjoy the evening!
Give Away Free Products
Everyone loves freebies, and the best part is – it’s also free promotion for your business! Consider setting up a tent outside your storefront to hand out free products and swag with your logo on it. This is a great way to reach new customers, as you can hook them on your product by providing samples and branded freebies to spread positive brand awareness.
VIP Events
While reaching new customers is always a priority, it’s also important to reward your current customers and show your appreciation for their loyalty. Consider hosting a VIP event that offers discounts or special offerings for your loyal customers, with free appetizers and drinks. If you are launching a new product or service, this VIP event is a great opportunity to give your customers an exclusive first look. The days leading up to the event will generate some social buzz about your business, helping you reach new customers as well as strengthen your current customers’ loyalty – it’s a win-win!
If you’re planning a promotional event for your small business, Grimes Events & Party Tents has you covered! From tents and lighting to tables and chairs, we have everything you need for a successful event! Contact us today for more information!
The wedding industry has seen many changes over the past year. As we venture into the wedding season in 2021, make note of which trends have stayed and which appear to be over.
Sequel Weddings
After hosting a pandemic wedding with a restricted guest list, many couples are choosing to host another party for those who were unable to attend the first time around. Many couples are choosing to renew their vows during these ceremonies. Others saved their first dance and toasts for the sequel wedding to make the occasion special!
Weekday Weddings
After many 2020 weddings were postponed due to the pandemic, we are now seeing more weddings than usual scheduled to take place in 2021. This results in hard-to-find bookings and availability. Therefore, weekday weddings are becoming more and more popular as not only an alternative for availability but also to save money, as many venues offer discounted prices during the week.
Backyard Weddings
Hosting a wedding in a backyard was a trend that truly burst out of the gate during 2020. However, this trend is far from over. Again, due to the limited availability of venues because of the many weddings being planned for this coming year, many couples are opting to have their weddings in their backyards. This alternative venue allows for flexibility and personalization that no other venue can offer!
Tents & Twinkly Lights
A tent is a perfect complement to any backyard or outdoor wedding. With so many options to choose from, creating a magical atmosphere for the special day is easy. Tent choices include frame tents, pole tents, and high-peak tents. To top it off, creating an ambiance is easy by hanging up string lights in any number of ways.
Formal Dining
To encourage health and safety, many weddings are limiting the amount of serve-yourself, buffet-style food that they serve and instead opting for restaurant-style, formal dining options. Another added measure many couples are taking when planning their big day is assigned seating. Doing this helps to limit the amount of contact people have with those who live outside their households.
Alternative Entertainment
With the pandemic still being a concern this year, wedding entertainment has taken a big turn. Instead of hiring bands or DJs and having people congregate on the dance floor, couples are choosing to hire alternative entertainment for their guests that make it easy to maintain social distancing. These entertainers can include comedians, illusionists, acrobats, sketch artists, roaming musicians, and more.
If you are planning your wedding for 2021, reach out to the team at Grimes Events & Party Tents! We have everything you need to help make your special day a success!
The age-old question of how to keep a child entertained is one that continues to pose challenges in the event planning industry. However, there are several creative options that suit a variety of events!
Craft Table
One common idea used to entertain children at events is to set up a craft table. There are many options when creating a craft table. One idea is to gather all the necessary materials for a specific craft and put them in a goodie bag. That way, the children have all the supplies organized and sorted before starting their craft. An even easier way to set up a craft table would be to purchase a butcher paper roll, lay it on a table, and provide crayons. This big, blank canvas can provide children with hours of entertainment!
Movie/Game Room
If you have the space available, consider setting up a movie room! This will help keep kids entertained with minimal disruption to the adults enjoying the event. Another option is to set up a game room. Depending on the ages of the children, you could include toddler toys, board games, or even activities such as ping-pong or air hockey tables!
Outdoor Games
With the beautiful Florida weather, many events in the area are held outdoors. Consider providing outdoor lawn games such as ring toss, corn hole, or giant tic-tac-toe. Not only will these games help to keep the young ones entertained, but they are also becoming a popular trend amongst weddings for adults to enjoy as well!
Photo Booth
Photo booths are another current trend in the event industry. These are a great way to entertain both children and adults, giving them something to do during downtime. Make your photo booth extra fun by making it themed according to your event or by providing props for people to pose with. Not only will people have a blast while using the photo booth, but it is also a great way to provide party favors!
At Grimes Events & Party Tents, we can provide you with all your event rental needs including tents, restroom trailers, tables, chairs, and more! Give us a call today to find out what we can do to make your next event the best one yet!
Living in beautiful South Florida, many events are held outdoors. From backyard weddings to corporate events and sporting championships to emergency relief, tents provide a great number of benefits.
Private Events
Private events such as birthday parties, baby showers, weddings, retirement parties, family reunions, graduation parties, or holiday gatherings benefit greatly from tent rentals. Grimes Events & Party Tents has extensive experience with private events. For example, last summer we were able to create a gorgeous driveway setup for a 10-year-old’s surprise birthday party, complete with a clear top frame tent. Other vendors provided decorations that made for a truly spectacular scene that the birthday girl was over the moon about!
Corporate Events
Many businesses host events such as seminars, product launches, trade expositions, networking events, leadership building, team building, conferences, business dinners, and more. While some of these events are small, others are hosted on a larger scale. Our frame tents are just one of the many options that can provide a great space to host these large gatherings.
Charity & Fundraising Events
Charity and fundraising events come in all shapes and sizes. They can include society balls, sporting events, charitable auctions, sponsored events, theatrical productions, and more. For example, last year we were able to provide 30 tents as well as tables, chairs, and fencing for the Autism Speaks Walk at the Meyer Amphitheater in West Palm Beach.
Live Events
Live events, such as sporting events, shows, concerts, festivals, etc., are a great opportunity for tent rentals. Whether you are using a larger tent to house a group of people or smaller, pop-up tents for individual vendors, the options are endless! In 2019, at the College Football Championship Conference, we provided tents for the stadium, conference USA, and UAB as well as media platforms throughout the stadium for CBS.
Small Businesses
Especially in the past year, many small businesses and restaurants have had to get creative in how they offer their services outdoors. Our pop-up tents, as well as many others, provided comfort for guests. For example, we were able to provide tents as well as tables, chairs, fencing, and lighting in Downtown Delray for the Downtown Development Authority’s Distanced Dining in the Park event, featuring extended dining options for local restaurants.
Emergency Services
Tents offer benefits not only during planned events but also during unplanned times of need. For example, Grimes Events & Party Tents is proud to have served Palm Beach County during a difficult year by making our tents available to use as additional facilities for COVID-19 testing.
Are you planning an event? Perhaps your event could also benefit from a tent rental! Contact the team at Grimes Events & Party Tents today for more information.
