Business Case Building

For many sales managers, one of the most challenging parts of organising a corporate event comes when the event itself is still just a twinkle in their eye. Recent years have seen finance teams under the cosh from analysts in the City demanding constant growth, and stakeholders who take that demand as a fair forecast. That means tighter reins being kept on tighter budgets, which can be a real challenge for sales managers who understand that the right event, incentivised and delivered in the right way, can light a fire in a sales team, lift morale, revolutionise engagement, and boost bottom lines. Create the perfect event and everyone benefits... But how do you communicate those benefits in a concise and compelling way to your decision makers? Here are a few of our top tips on building a business case for your event.

Setting Foundations: Understand Your Business Objectives & Let Them Drive Your Case

We’ve touched on this before, but it’s a common stumbling block for managers trying to justify an event. The event isn’t an end in itself—it’s a driver for change, a celebration of a job well done, an incredible incentive for your teams to reach a little further and climb a little higher... whatever the intention, ensure that you understand how your event relates to your business objectives, and make that the foundation of your case.

Strengthening Your Foundations: Understand The Wider Context

It’s not enough to understand the difference the event will make to your team, you need an understanding of the broader business context—particularly in terms of who you’re presenting your case to. Understand their position, their objectives and the pressures that they are under, and let that lead your tone. Equally, think about who you are proposing the event for and pitch activities, entertainment and locations around those attendees.

Managing Objections: Get a Handle on Budgets Early

Money talks loudest when it comes to finance teams and department heads, so get a grip on the numbers as soon as you can. Understanding the wider objectives and the requirements of your attendees will help massively with this. It will also help you to write potential suppliers or partners into your business case, which starts to give your proposal some structure, some shape and some legitimacy.

Getting Help Building: Choose Your Suppliers or Partners Carefully

Planning events takes a lot of time, so you’ll need help. There are a lot of corporate events companies out there—and some of the better ones are good. ‘Good’ isn’t enough when you’re building a business case though. Inconnection create game-changing events that ooze wow-factor on even the tightest of budgets, thanks to our buying skills and up-to-the-minute knowledge of the best venues and suppliers. We deliver legendary experiences on time and on budget—take a look at our success stories, then drop us a line.

Proving Your Case: Use Results to Communicate Value

At some point someone is going to say to you “Bottom line, where’s the benefit from this event?” This is where your business objectives give you a ready-made set of event objectives and usable results. From incentivising and then tracking sales lift, to proving the link between staff engagement and conversion figures, decision makers need to see measurable ROI. Follow up on those numbers, communicate the event’s value, and each success will strengthen your next event’s business case.

If you can prove that your corporate event fulfils business objectives both for your team and the wider organisation, pitch that to your decision makers in a way they understand, and give fair budgeting estimates and a clear strategy for measuring the event’s value, the battle is half won. Get in touch via the contact page, or check out our hospitality calendar—we’d love to hear from you.