Are you planning to host a corporate event? Whether it’s your first time or you want to improve the overall result of the event, knowing how to find and coordinate with vendors is important. Vendor management can be a complicated task, especially if you don’t have connections yet. However, once you know this part of corporate event management, you can turn event planning into a whole new experience.
But before you can achieve stress-free event vendor management, you should start with the basics. One of which is setting your expectations, and from there, you can start coordinating with the right vendors.
In this article, we’ll guide you through coordinating and managing vendors for corporate events.
1. Understand the Contract
The first step you should take is to read the fine print. Not all new event organisers are familiar with this step, especially when the services offered suit their needs. However, aside from the services the vendors offer, you should also be able to know essential details, such as cancellation policy, payment schedule and mode, setting up and packing up schedules, and contact person.
No matter what services the vendor is offering, it’s best to be aware of everything you need to know about the contract.
2. Create a Master Vendor List
Creating a master vendor list is the next thing you should do. It can be your guide for the entire corporate event management. First, list all the types of vendors you need to look for. Usually, events need a venue, food and drinks, entertainment, documentation, and decoration. Next, under each of these categories, list the vendors you prefer, including their contact numbers and other information. It’s recommended to contact at least three vendors from each category so that you can have options. Lastly, finalise the vendor you would want to work with.
3. Communicate as Early as Possible
Communicating with the vendors as early as possible comes with various benefits, such as getting more discounts, booking the exact date as planned, and being able to discuss your needs for the corporate event.
Once you start communicating with the vendors, maintain a consistent meeting and ensure to communicate clearly and effectively. Otherwise, all your hard work will be jeopardised. Fortunately, nowadays, there are many forms of communication, including email, chat, video calls, and face-to-face, so you can easily ask and get your answers within minutes.
4. Consider Adding Buffer Time
During the planning stage, ensure to always add some extra time when scheduling. Besides, no matter what type of event you’re hosting, you should always keep in mind that there’s someone who will be late.
However, when dealing with vendors, look for those that can fulfil the schedule as planned. Usually, reviews and online feedback include whether they can be set up on time, so don’t forget to consider this factor. But of course, giving them a few extra minutes to make adjustments or improve their service can also be reasonable.
5. Assign a Point Person
For the event day, don’t forget to delegate the tasks to other people and assign someone to be the point person. As someone who planned and coordinated with the vendors, I know it might be too much to handle if you’re still the one going to make rounds and ask them if everything’s going well.
Besides, although the details of the event are essential, being the one who’s overseeing the big picture is an even more important task.
6. Use Tech to Stay Organised
Coordinating with a lot of vendors can be a daunting task, which is why you need every little bit of help you can get. This includes utilising apps that can help with corporate event management. Nowadays, you can find various apps that are helpful in event planning and organising. In addition, other software can support and take care of the documents.
For instance, if you’ve already found your ideal event planning app, you can also use Google Drive to keep the documents and use the most accessible chatting platform for instant messaging.
7. Be Firm but Friendly
Being a part of a company allows you to manage a lot of corporate events. Fortunately, if you can build great relationships with the vendors, there’s no need to look for other options in the succeeding events. In addition, it’s easier to make requests and personalisation based on what you need for the improvement of the event.
So, when it’s your first time communicating with the vendor, stay firm but don’t forget to be friendly. At the end of the day, you still want them to continue working with you.
8. Conduct a Post-Event Debrief
After the event, assessing the performance of each vendor is an important step to tell whether you can still work with them in the future. Enumerate the things they did well and those that need to be improved. Of course, if there are only issues with small details, you can let them go as long as they can fix it next time.
Final Thoughts
Vendor management can be one of the most essential yet overwhelming tasks. From finding the ideal vendors to maintaining a good relationship with them, you need to be patient to achieve the success of your event. In addition, don’t forget to consider this guide to lessen your worries.
