Lady of Decorum, Event Director Monica Petit had the honor of working with the NCAA After the Game team this past May..

Not only was it a great pleasure to work with a seasoned Event Planner, it was also a fun time with great guests and activities to ensure guests were entertained throughout the evening. But aside from the fun times, there were a few key elements that kept the event running smoothly that you are sure to want to know about, and use at your next corporate/business event.

Let’s begin with the front end successes.

Everyone knows that the “Registration Table” is where the party is. And if you don’t…now you know. Having a dedicated team ready to engage your attendees, or “audience” is a crucial step in ensuring an inclusive and engaged atmosphere throughout your event. I had the pleasure of working the registration table and a few great elements allowed the guests to enter with confidence and a task or two to complete.

• Each guest was given a name tag and NCAA branded lanyard. This may sound small. But guests were pleasantly surprised to get a “gift” upon walking into the venue.

• The guest list was categorized by industry/profession and each industry was broken down by color, and placed on attendees name tags.. This was one of the memorable additions to the registration table. Not only did it help open up conversation, between “like-industry” individuals, but it also allowed for a better networking angle. Especially considering not all attendees were athletes.

• Drinks anyone?!!? Well of course drink tickets were handed to every guest. Let’s face it, free drinks are a great incentive at any event. But an unexpected drink is even better.

• Each guest was asked to write a quick story, or touching memory from college, that possibly included a coach or person who influenced them. That “love letter,” would then be posted on the event webpage and later mailed to the department in which the person they wrote the memory about works. This was a very nice touch, and I think we hit our 10 person quota! Wink wink!

You can imagine from the list of items covered above that the registration table was a hoppin place to be, but the fun didn’t end there. We haven’t even touched upon the meat of the event.

During the Event…

Once the pleasantries were complete, guests mingled with other guests and quickly dropped their guards in the safe space of the Downtown Denver ViewHouse location.

If great conversation wasn’t enough, a floating twitter “selfie” paddle was circling around the room. This was one of the highlights of the evening. Not only did it allow guests to let their hair down and get silly, it created a parting gift that they could review after the event. A keepsake if you will of the evenings experience.

After the event…

No we’ve reached the end of the event. Saying a grateful goodnight to all the guests as they leave is a great way to show appreciation, but the work of following up is just as crucial.

A few days after the event a survey was sent to all attendees that will surely help determine the changes needed to make the next event better than this one.

Overall, The evening was fantastically planned, and fabulously executed. The right hands were on deck to pick up any slack that may have deterred the event. So when thinking about your corporate event, take a clue from one of the great ideas above, and ensure your guests have a memorable event!

***All photos are property of NCAAPhotos***