Corporate Events, Edmonton & Calgary, Alberta
Corporate Event Checklist
Every corporate event has roughly 30–50 decisions to make, and about 10 of them need to happen in the first 30% of the planning period. Here is the master checklist, organized by phase.
The items that close off options if delayed: venue (hotel ballrooms book 3–6 months ahead for Saturday evenings), AV supplier (professional crews book up in September and May), photographer (the ones worth hiring are committed 6–8 weeks out), and catering (service charges and menu pricing are confirmed in contract, not conversation). Lock these four early and the rest of the planning follows.
This checklist covers galas, team building, conferences, and openings. Not every item applies to every event — a team building program does not need a stage, and a ribbon cutting does not need a seating plan.
Corporate event planning checklist
12–20 weeks before — establish the foundation
- Define the event objective and what success looks like
- Set the budget range
- Choose the event format
- Identify the audience and guest list size
- Brief the planning agency
- Begin venue search and confirm date
8–12 weeks before — lock the major suppliers
- Sign venue contract
- Select and confirm AV supplier
- Confirm photographer and/or videographer
- Confirm entertainment and/or MC if applicable
- Confirm catering format and get preliminary menu
- Begin invitation design
4–8 weeks before — build the program
- Send invitations
- Draft run-of-show
- Brief all speakers and presenters
- Confirm décor concept and supplier
- Finalize AV production content
- Confirm transport logistics if applicable
1–4 weeks before — confirm and prepare
- Confirm RSVP count to venue and caterer
- Finalize seating plan if applicable
- Deliver all AV content and cues to production team
- Complete supplier logistics briefings — load-in times, access, parking
- Complete final run-of-show with all teams
- Prepare contingency plans
Day of event
- Venue walkthrough before any guests arrive
- AV and catering setup confirmed and tested
- All team members briefed and at stations
- Guest registration process confirmed
- Run-of-show distributed to all relevant parties
Post-event
- Send thank-you communications
- Collect and distribute photography
- Gather feedback from attendees and team
- Close all vendor accounts
- Internal debrief and documentation for next event
Common questions
Venue. Every other decision depends on it — the date flows from venue availability, the AV is specced to the room, the catering is either in-house or external based on venue policy, the production design is constrained by ceiling height and rigging points. Get the venue right first and everything else follows.
Plan your corporate event checklist
Tell us the date, the headcount, and what you are trying to accomplish. We will come back with an honest assessment.