Corporate Event Planning in Kolkata: Season, Venues and a Six-Week Timeline

Planning a conference, an AGM, a dealer meet or an award night in Kolkata is mostly a matter of making decisions in the right order. This guide covers when to hold the event, how to shortlist a venue, and what should be finished in each of the six weeks before the date.

When to hold it

• October to February is the main season. The weather is dry and cool enough for outdoor dinners and open-ground events. It is also when venues, equipment and crews are busiest, so book early.
• The Durga Puja weeks change how the city moves. Traffic is slow and many suppliers are committed to the festival. Avoid load-ins on the main festival days if you can.
• June to September is the monsoon. Keep the event indoors, allow extra time for transport and ask the venue about power backup.
• March to May is hot but quiet. Indoor venues are easier to get and dates are more flexible.

How to shortlist a venue

Corporate events in Kolkata are spread across a few areas: the convention centres and business hotels of New Town and Rajarhat near the airport, the hotels along the EM Bypass, the offices and halls of Salt Lake Sector V, and the heritage hotels and clubs of central Kolkata. Choose the area by where your guests are coming from, then check each hall for five things.

• Ceiling height. This decides the stage height and the size of the LED wall. Measure to the lowest chandelier or duct, not to the ceiling.
• Depth of the hall. The furthest seat decides the screen size and whether you need delay speakers.
• Loading access. A service lift or a ground-level door near the hall saves hours of set-up.
• Power. Ask for the load available in the hall and whether a generator is permitted.
• Set-up hours. Find out when the hall is handed over. A stage that must be built between midnight and 8 a.m. needs a different plan from one with a full day.

The six-week timeline

Six weeks out

Fix the date, the headcount and the seating style. Shortlist venues and take your production company on the site visit. Write the agenda as a list of segments, because the stage, the screens and the sound are designed around it.

Four weeks out

Approve the stage in 3D. Confirm the LED wall size and resolution so that presentations are built to fit. Confirm the sound and lighting plan. Send speaker and VIP invitations.

Two weeks out

Collect every presentation and video in one place and test them. Finalise branding artwork for printing and fabrication. Confirm the awards list, the anchor and any entertainment.

The final week

Share the run of show with the venue, the caterer and the production team. Confirm set-up hours and vehicle entry with the venue. Print name cards, badges and trophy labels.

The day before

Build, then rehearse: every slide, every video and every microphone, with the presenters on stage. Our conference AV checklist lists what to test.

The budget lines people forget

• Generator and power distribution when the hall’s supply is not enough for LED and lighting.
• Early access or overnight set-up charges from the venue.
• Recording, photography and live streaming for colleagues who cannot attend.
• Breakout rooms, each of which needs its own screen, sound and operator.
• Branding outside the hall: entrance arch, registration desk, directional signs and a photo wall.

The LED wall is usually the largest AV line. Our guide to LED wall sizes and rental cost in Kolkata explains how it is priced.

One production partner or several vendors?

You can hire the stage, sound, lighting and LED separately. It is sometimes cheaper on paper. The cost appears on the day, when four crews share one stage and nobody owns the schedule. With one production partner there is one cue sheet, one rehearsal and one person to call.

That is how we work: corporate event management in Kolkata with our own audio visual equipment, fabrication and crew, from a warehouse in Tangra, just off the EM Bypass. Share your date and headcount and we will reply within four business hours with a plan and a quote.