Swank Events

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Boston Corporate Events
www.swankeventsboston We do it all, and we do it well.

Corporate events, company outings, award galas, brand summits, company celebrations, and so much more.

Red flag in vendor relationships: they're responsive during the sales process, then communication drops off dramatically...
07/12/2025

Red flag in vendor relationships: they're responsive during the sales process, then communication drops off dramatically after you sign the contract.

If someone takes three to five business days to respond to straightforward questions during planning, they won't suddenly become more responsive as the event approaches.

Communication typically gets worse under pressure, not better.
This pattern tells you everything you need to know about what working with them will actually be like.

Your caterer stopped responding to emails three weeks before the event. Your rental company keeps changing the quote. Yo...
02/12/2025

Your caterer stopped responding to emails three weeks before the event. Your rental company keeps changing the quote. Your DJ showed up an hour late to the venue walkthrough.

When do you try to fix the relationship, and when do you just walk away?

The answer isn't always obvious, especially when you've already paid a deposit and the event date is approaching.

Most vendor issues can be resolved with clear communication and direct conversations.

But some red flags signal problems that won't improve no matter what you do.

Knowing the difference can save your event—and your sanity.

We can help!

https://swankeventsboston.com/blog/working-with-difficult-event-vendors/

Cost per attendee is one of the most useful event metrics because it gives leadership a concrete number to evaluate. If ...
01/12/2025

Cost per attendee is one of the most useful event metrics because it gives leadership a concrete number to evaluate. If you spent $75 per person on a team-building event, is that reasonable?

Compare it to other benefits your company offers—gym memberships, professional development, team lunches. Context makes the number meaningful.

An event that costs $100 per person but significantly improves retention is a bargain. One that costs $30 but accomplishes nothing is expensive.

Do the math: if your company pays $50/month for employee gym memberships, a quarterly team event at $75 per person costs the same as six weeks of that benefit. But which one builds stronger relationships and improves collaboration? Sometimes the more expensive option delivers better value.

Frame your costs in terms leadership already understands. It changes the entire conversation.

Here's what leadership really wants to know about your event:>> Did people show up? >> Did they value it? >> Would you d...
01/12/2025

Here's what leadership really wants to know about your event:

>> Did people show up?
>> Did they value it?
>> Would you do it again?

If you can answer those three questions with clear data, you've made your case. Everything else is detail. Don't overcomplicate the ROI conversation by trying to measure everything. Focus on what actually matters.

✔️ Strong attendance (80%+) shows people prioritized your event.
✔️ High satisfaction scores (8+ out of 10) indicate they found value.
✔️ Positive responses to "would you attend again" means you've built something worth repeating.

When you sit down with your boss, lead with these headline numbers.

Have supporting details ready, but start with the basics.

Most executives want the summary first, then they'll ask for specifics if they're interested.

Do you know how to answer the question, “Was the event a success?”

"The most valuable part of our team event wasn't the activity we planned. It was the unstructured time where people from...
28/11/2025

"The most valuable part of our team event wasn't the activity we planned. It was the unstructured time where people from different departments actually talked to each other."

This comment showed up in three different post-event surveys for one of our clients. When you see patterns like this, you've identified what actually creates value.

Next time, you know to build in more of what works.

Pay attention to your open-ended survey responses. Look for repeated themes. If everyone mentions the networking time, or the casual conversations, or getting to know colleagues outside their immediate team, that tells you something important about what your audience values.

The activities you stress over might matter less than the informal moments in between.

Sometimes the best thing you can do as an event planner is create space for organic connections to happen.

What’s something you’ve planned for an event that went better than expected? (P.S. Be sure to do it again.)

The question isn't whether corporate events provide value. The question is whether you're capturing evidence of that val...
27/11/2025

The question isn't whether corporate events provide value. The question is whether you're capturing evidence of that value.

Start simple: attendance rate, satisfaction scores, and cost per person.

These three metrics take ten minutes to calculate and give you a foundation for any ROI conversation. Everything else is supporting detail.

Attendance rate shows whether people valued the event enough to make time for it.

Satisfaction scores (ask for 1-10 rating) give you a number leadership understands.

Cost per person provides context—is $85 per attendee reasonable for what you delivered?

Don't try to measure everything. Focus on metrics that directly connect to your event's main goal. Morale-building event? Track satisfaction and engagement. Client appreciation? Monitor relationship strength. Team building? Look for improved collaboration.

"We spent $12,000 on our employee appreciation event. Three months later, our turnover dropped by 15%. Replacing just tw...
26/11/2025

"We spent $12,000 on our employee appreciation event. Three months later, our turnover dropped by 15%. Replacing just two employees would have cost us more than the entire event budget."

This is how you make the case for investing in people. Calculate what retention is worth, then show how events contribute to that outcome.

The math is straightforward: recruiting, onboarding, and training a new employee typically costs 50-200% of their salary. If your average employee earns $60,000, replacing them costs $30,000-$120,000.

An event that helps retain even one person pays for itself multiple times over.

Track turnover rates before and after employee-focused events. Even small improvements represent massive savings.

When you can connect a $15,000 team-building event to retaining three employees, suddenly that investment looks like the smartest money your company ever spent.

We had a great time at the Evergreen Launch Party last week! It was great to reconnect with the Fenway team and look for...
24/11/2025

We had a great time at the Evergreen Launch Party last week! It was great to reconnect with the Fenway team and look forward to working together again next summer! 🏟️⚾️

The best events create value that extends far beyond the day itself. Here’s what I mean:When people mention months later...
21/11/2025

The best events create value that extends far beyond the day itself.

Here’s what I mean:

When people mention months later that a project collaboration started from a conversation at your company gathering, that's ROI.

When teams that used to work in silos now communicate regularly, that's ROI.

When employees say they feel more connected to the company's mission, that's ROI.

And not everything worth measuring shows up in a spreadsheet immediately.

This is why you document the qualitative wins.

>> Save that email from someone thanking you for the event.
>> Note when your boss mentions positive feedback from their peers.
>> Track when departments that never collaborated before start working together.

These stories matter just as much as attendance percentages.

Smart event planners keep a simple folder: "Event Impact Stories."

Three months later, when budget discussions come up, you'll have concrete examples of how your event contributed to business outcomes.

The event went great. People are still talking about it. But when your boss asks if it was worth the investment, what do...
18/11/2025

The event went great. People are still talking about it. But when your boss asks if it was worth the investment, what do you actually say?

Most event planners can tell you whether people had a good time, but they struggle to quantify the value in terms leadership cares about.

The truth is, you don't need complicated analytics. You need a few key metrics captured at the right time and the ability to connect what happened at your event to outcomes that matter to the business.

That gap between "people enjoyed it" and "here's why it was worth it" is smaller than you think.

Here’s how to find it…

https://swankeventsboston.com/blog/measure-corporate-event-roi/

"People had a good time" isn't specific enough as a success metric.What does "good time" mean in your context? Does succ...
15/11/2025

"People had a good time" isn't specific enough as a success metric.

What does "good time" mean in your context? Does success mean people from different departments formed new connections? Leadership appeared more approachable? Clients felt genuinely valued? Employees left feeling motivated?

Each of these goals requires different event elements.

Be specific about what outcomes matter most.

Your planner can't optimize for everything simultaneously, so knowing what success really looks like helps them make smart tradeoffs.

Want to know more about what your event planner needs? Read our most recent blog!

https://swankeventsboston.com/blog/how-to-brief-your-event-planner/

14/11/2025

The vision on your company website might not match the reality of your workplace culture.

Event planners need the real picture, not the aspirational one.

If people are resistant to company events because past ones felt forced, say that.

If there are tensions between departments, mention it. If recent layoffs have affected morale, be honest about it.

This isn't airing dirty laundry—it's giving your planner context to design an event that will actually land well with your specific group rather than missing the mark entirely.

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