While we would all like to believe that if you plan it they will come, that is not always the case with corporate events and meetings. Employees and executives have so many meetings and events to attend in any given week that it can sometimes take a little extra effort to ensure that they will show up at yours. Fortunately, there are several simple ways to increase the appeal of your corporate events and business meetings, which will increase attendance and show your client or boss that you know what it takes to deliver the results they need.

Here are five tried and true ways to increase attendance at corporate meetings and events:

1. Invite an enticing guest speaker. Whether it is a trendy guru or a respected leader in your field, adding an enticing guest speaker to the line-up will significantly enhance your event’s appeal.
2. Choose an appealing venue. Folks grow tired of going to the same venue for meetings and events repeatedly. Switch things up by opting for a museum, theme park or cruise ship to increase interest.
3. Serve alcohol. While you might not want to serve alcohol during the annual stakeholders’ meeting, you can certainly arrange for a cocktail social afterwards. Alcohol always seems to increase the appeal of any event.
4. Arrange exciting entertainment options. People love to be entertained, which makes this an easy way to get folks interested in attending your event.
5. Stay in touch prior to the event and ask for confirmations. Send out regular reminders and updates as the date approaches to keep your invitees interested and involved. And, do not be afraid to ask them to confirm their attendance prior to the event.

The world seems to be a bit darker and edgier than in the past and guest security should be taken seriously by the hotel hosting your next event. It’s shocking when untoward events take place in a hotel; guests book a room for comfort and convenience. Their security is simply taken for granted.

It never crossed Erin Andrew’s mind that her privacy would be invaded last September at the Nashville Marriott. The ESPN sportscaster was photographed with a cell phone through an altered hotel room peephole while she was changing. Other celebrities have been stalked or robbed while staying at quality hotels. Security procedures have become more stringent after the violation of Erin Andrew’s privacy.

You may not have a celebrity speaker at your event; however, the nature of the event might pose some security problems that need to be addressed. Preventative measures should be taken if your guest speaker is well known either to the public or in the industry. Book the speaker into his or her room using an alias.

Alert hotel personnel if anyone requests a room stating they are in your party, you must be notified immediately. Changes are the request is legitimate but it’s better to avert a problem than fix it.