Event Planning 101 Checklist

 

23/04/26
By

 

Absolute Venues have drawn from over 25 years of experience in corporate event planning to compile this essential Event Planning Checklist.

We’ll guide you through ten crucial event planning stages, to leave no stone unturned in your roadmap for your upcoming conference, seminar or team-building day.

At the end of our Event Planning Checklist 101, we’ll also take a look at how to plan corporate event facilities, overnight accommodation and transport, so your delegates have no reason not to attend.

Whether you have initial ideas about what you want, or you’re not at all sure of what you need, these top 10 event planning stages should help you make a start on your corporate event planning in a more structured and stress-free way.

If you still need help – or you’re ready to book a venue for your corporate event – contact the team at Absolute Venues and we’ll go to work on your behalf.

 

Event Planning Checklist: 10 Key Stages

The first part of the Event Planning Checklist covers 10 key stages of corporate event planning. These can apply to almost all business events planning and are a great way to self-guide your initial venue search.

We’ve included some statistics from the UK Conference and Meeting Survey (UKCAMS) 2025, a major annual report into the size of the sector, to help you see what types of events other companies are hosting, and to allow you to make even more fully informed decisions.

1. Set Your Budget

A clearly defined budget is an excellent first step in planning corporate events. Decide how much you want to spend overall. This can depend on a variety of factors:

  • Venue
  • Location
  • Time
  • Duration

Depending on the type of event, you might expect to recoup some or all of this expenditure from the people who attend, or you might see it as a sunk investment in brand-building or reputation growth.

2. Choose Your Capacity

How many people will attend your event – and is that number fixed (e.g. invitation-only).

In 2024, nearly a quarter (22%) of UK conferences and meetings had 101-500 delegates, up from 15% in the previous year. Medium-large events are growing fast, so consider having room for over 100 visitors if possible.

This in turn can guide you if and when you need to source overnight accommodation, which is another area where Absolute Venues can help you with no fees or charges.

3. Know Your Purpose

It’s surprising how many businesses make a start on corporate event planning without really knowing why they want to hold an event.

While some of the other entries on our Event Planning Checklist are quite concrete – such as how much you want to spend, or how many people will attend – knowing the purpose of your event is more abstract.

Set out your goals – are you looking for immediate spending and investment, better brand awareness and positive reputation, or is your event a thank you to your employees or stakeholders for value they have already generated for your business?

4. Define Your Audience

Building on the purpose of your event, be clear about who will be there. Team-building days and employee away days might be limited to your workforce, or you may also allow partners and other family members to come along.

Spending increased in 2024 both for overnight and daily delegates, according to the UKCAMS survey:

  • Up 4% for 24-hour/residential delegates
  • Up 11% for daily delegates

If you welcome international visitors to a multi-day conference, you might want to negotiate preferential rates for hotel rooms near your venue, to help keep those rising costs down.

5. Pick Your Format

Choosing a format is an often overlooked element in how to plan corporate event itineraries to keep delegates entertained and engaged.

This means it’s easier than ever to book a venue with a video wall, high-quality audiovisual facilities and/or a stage with professional lighting.

6. Assemble Your Team

It’s usually best to have a team working together to plan a corporate event, rather than trying to do it all single-handedly.

Some key people to consider appointing include:

  • Project manager
  • Event organiser
  • Creative designer
  • Floor staff
  • Running order manager
  • Marketing manager

Give someone decision-making responsibilities – while a democracy is good, you also need to be clear about who gets the casting vote on any stalemates.

Remember, the Absolute Venues team is here to help you find a business venue that ticks all the boxes, giving you the facilities and space you need to deliver a memorable event. Make us part of your team from day one!

7. Choose Your Date

Deciding on an exact date for your event comes surprisingly far down the list, but this one is often steered by the other decisions you have already made.

Some flexibility can open up your corporate venue search to a wider range of options, while allowing us to negotiate even more competitive booking rates on your behalf.

Of course, there are some practical considerations to take into account here too. Christmas parties and summer away days fall within a certain window of opportunity, and some delegates might be unable to attend during school holidays – it all depends on your target audience.

8. Find Your Venue

This is the pivot point that allows your event to go ahead, which is why Absolute Venues take so much pride in the work we do to help our clients find a venue for free, which meets all of your criteria and preferred dates of availability.

Research by VisitBritain reveals that corporate event venues in London attract most business spending overall – but the capital is not the only significant region.

  • London: 61% of total spending in 2024
  • South East: 9% (£528 million)
  • North West: 6% (£355 million)

Whether you are looking for a corporate venue in Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham or Brighton, our network of over 160,000 venues in the UK and Europe is your passport to hosting a fantastic event in the perfect location.

9. Advertise Your Event

Promoting your event should be the last important step on your corporate event planning checklist.

Send emails out among your workforce, key stakeholders and/or customer database. Where appropriate, back this up with OOH marketing, social media ads and/or print spots in local newspapers and trade publications.

Try to track levels of interest, so you know if you need to drum up more delegates from somewhere – and keep in touch with your venue and suppliers so you can tackle any last-minute decisions that might arise.

 

Top Tips for Conferences and Corporates

The checklist above should give you a good guide on how to plan corporate event venues, itineraries and accommodation, but here are five more top tips for conferences and corporates:

  1. Set out your event’s theme and goals early to steer your decision-making.
  2. Appoint an events specialist and discuss different formats with them.
  3. Be realistic about your budget and negotiate the best rates on venues and accommodation.
  4. Make use of fee-free providers like Absolute Venues to save on your searches.
  5. Book star speakers well in advance – you may need to plan around their availability!

Conference planning can be a complex process as you juggle all the different elements into place, but it’s not difficult in itself – just take a logical approach and you can avoid some of the most common pitfalls.

 

Last-Minute Tips for Success

Once you’ve got the basics in place, it’s all about that last 3-5% that helps your event to stand out from the crowd. For obvious reasons, we believe that a stunning venue is the best start, but there are plenty of finishing touches to put the icing on the cake.

  1. Choose a unique and memorable theme – whether that’s your own brand or some other consistent way to decorate and deliver your event.
  2. Cater for your delegates. Free food and drink can keep delegates on-site for longer while keeping the costs of attending down.
  3. Treat everyone like VIPs. A gift bag or glass of champagne on arrival and a serviced cloakroom for jackets, coats and even luggage can all help.
  4. Hire a celebrity speaker. Actors, athletes and entertainers can add some sparkle to your event, while business keynote speakers can give your event more weight.
  5. Have fun! Icebreaker events can be pretty awkward, but later in the night, party games and giant lawn games can make your event more memorable.

Following our Event Planning Checklist will give you a solid basis, allowing you to add those unique and character-filled finishes to a truly memorable event.

 

Summary

We hope our Event Planning 101 Checklist has given you some insight into the essential steps involved in planning a business event, conference or convention. Avoid the classic problems and pitfalls and you can take confidence in an event that ticks all the boxes.

No matter how many (or few) event planning stages you have already completed, the Absolute Venues team is here to help you negotiate the best facilities, availability and booking rates for your location.

Remember, you pay nothing for our services – we take a finder’s fee from the venue itself – and our long-standing relationship with over 160,000 venues internationally means you’ll often pay less when you book through Absolute Venues.

You can contact Absolute Venues by calling +44 (0)161 929 4948 or emailing [email protected] – make us the first member of your planning team and let’s work together on your upcoming event!