480+ corporate events · 5 years
How Corporate Event Planning Works, from First Call to Teardown
Here's how corporate event planning works with us when your venue is across town or across the country. You send the details once, and each step below shows what we do and what you get.
Our 7 stages of event planning
Each step has an owner on our side, so you always know who to ask and what happens next.
Travel, load-in and venue access
Your event can be in any state, and you still deal with one team that handles the trip. We have two bases, Los Angeles and Orlando, and work across the U.S. In Orlando we keep an office and a warehouse. Florida and the East Coast are a regular part of our work area, up to the largest show floors such as the Orange County Convention Center. Transport is booked together with setup and staffing.
Four past events show how this works in practice:
- Across the country. We shipped a flight simulator to Morrisville, NC for a school event. Venue access opened at 10 AM, which left time to install and test before the 4 PM start. We brought our own hotspot as a backup to the venue Wi-Fi.
- A multi-day show in a hotel. For i2c's booth at FinovateFall in New York Marriott Marquis, we installed and tested on September 8, a day before the floor opened. Then we ran the booth from 8 AM on each show day.
- A room up a flight of stairs. Alpha School held its event in a second-floor room with stairs only. Our crew carried the surf simulator up and had it running before the 3 PM start.
- An outdoor plaza. For Capital Group's Summer Social we planned shade tents and power distribution before the stations arrived.
Find your city among our corporate event services by city.
Insurance and production documents
The venue gets its paperwork before event day, so nothing stops the truck at the dock.
Insurance documents. We send them to venues and organizers on request. At Hangar 21, load-in was on the airfield side, and we cleared that access and our insurance with the agency and the venue in advance.
Production plan. It lists the stations, power and Wi-Fi needs, arrival time and event hours. For a bar mitzvah run by Kid's Bash OC, the planner reconfirmed the two-player setup in this plan, and we coordinated power and Wi-Fi with the venue ahead of time.
Send the venue's requirements with your inquiry, including any wording it needs on the certificate. We'll confirm what we can provide before you book.
What this process gives you
You hand off the logistics and keep control of the event.
One contact
You call one team with every change. You don't relay messages between a rental company, a crew and an AV vendor.
Stations ready before doors
At Hangar 21 we arrived at 1:30 PM and were ready at 4:30 PM, 90 minutes before the 6 PM start.
Your brand on the floor
We wrap panels in your colors and add sponsor graphics and a branded leaderboard.
Something to report back
A final leaderboard, a contact count from the booth or event photos give you material for your manager or your client.
Questions about the process
What does a corporate event planner do?
We turn your brief into a plan: format, venue, vendors, program and production. Then we run it on the day. With us you also get our own interactive stations and the operators who run them, so one team covers planning and the event floor.
How far ahead should we book?
As early as you know the date, since stations and crews book up. Short notice can still work: EF Academy went from first request to a staffed surf simulator in two days.
What do you need from the venue?
A contact, the loading and access hours, the floor plan or room name, power locations and the Wi-Fi details. If the venue has an insurance checklist, send that too.
Can you work under our agency's schedule?
Yes. Event agencies book us for their clients, and we fit our arrival, setup and operation into the agency's timeline.
Can you plan more than the interactive part?
Yes. We plan and produce full events as well: program, venue, vendors and AV. The process is the same, with more items on the setup plan.
What happens if the schedule changes on the day?
Your operator adjusts. Turns get shorter when the line grows. If doors open late or a session runs long, tell the operator, and we shift the station schedule. More answers are on questions planners ask before booking.
Start with the date and the venue
Tell us when and where, and how many guests you expect. We'll confirm availability right away and send the quote and a first setup plan. Include the event type, date, city, guest count and budget. If the venue has load-in or insurance rules, attach them. Or call +1 213 912 1010
