Just Show Up — Corporate Event Planning in Charlotte, NC
Bray & Hollins plans and produces the events your company is judged on — sales kickoffs, client galas, launches and leadership retreats. You present. We handle the venue, the budget, the build and the run of show.
Six Kinds of Event, One Standard of Execution
Every engagement is scoped, budgeted and staffed the same way — whatever the format.
Not sure which of these you need? Send us the goal and the headcount — we will tell you the format that fits.
Twelve Years of Charlotte Corporate Events
We started in 2014 running one annual user conference for a Charlotte software company. Twelve years later we produce more than thirty corporate programmes a year across the Carolinas — and that first client still books us.
We are a planning and production firm, not a venue and not a caterer. That matters: we have no inventory to push and no property to fill, so the recommendation you get is the one that fits your goal and your number. We negotiate on your behalf, we hold the vendors to their contracts, and we are on the floor for the build and the show.
The team is eleven people. A lead planner owns your account start to finish — you will not be handed off after the proposal.
- ✓Independent — no venue, catering or AV inventory to sell you
- ✓One lead planner owns your account from proposal to reconciliation
- ✓Fully insured · $2M general liability · certificates on request
- ✓Carolinas-wide, headquartered Uptown
What You Get, Whatever the Format
These are not upsells. They are how we run every event we take on.
A line-item budget before you commit
Every proposal breaks down venue, F&B, AV, staffing and contingency separately, so you can see exactly what moves if the number has to change.
Contract review and vendor negotiation
We read the attrition clauses, the force majeure language and the AV minimums — and we push back on them before you sign.
A written run of show
Minute-by-minute, with owners named against every cue. Distributed to your team and every vendor 72 hours out.
On-site staffing for the build and the show
We are there for load-in, rehearsal and the event itself — not just on the phone.
Weekly change logs during planning
One email, every week, showing what changed, what it cost and what still needs a decision from you.
Post-event reconciliation
Final actuals against the approved budget, plus attendance and feedback data, within ten business days.
Events We Have Produced
A sample of the last two years across the Carolinas.
From First Call to Final Reconciliation
Discovery call
Thirty minutes on the goal, the headcount, the date window and the number you have to work with. No charge, no obligation.
Proposal and budget
Within five business days: recommended format, two or three venue options, a line-item budget and our fee, stated plainly.
Contracting and design
We negotiate and paper the venue and vendor contracts, then build the programme, the room design and the attendee journey.
Build and rehearsal
We are on site for load-in, staging, AV check and a full rehearsal of every transition before doors.
Show day
Our team runs the floor on comms against the written run of show. Your team presents and hosts.
Reconciliation and debrief
Final actuals against approved budget, attendance and feedback data, and a written debrief within ten business days.
The Part Most Planners Outsource, We Staff Ourselves
Plenty of firms will plan your event and hand you a binder. We think the binder is the easy part.
Our team is on site for load-in, the AV build, the rehearsal and the show itself — on comms, against a written run of show, with a named owner for every cue. When a speaker runs eleven minutes long or a truck arrives late, someone who already knows the plan is standing there solving it.
That is also why we cap the number of events we take in any given week. If we cannot staff it properly, we will tell you before you sign rather than after.
- ✓Stage manager and floor leads on comms throughout
- ✓Full technical rehearsal before doors, every time
- ✓Written contingency for weather, no-shows and AV failure
- ✓A capped calendar so every event is properly staffed
Your Finance Team Will Not Have Questions
Corporate events go wrong on budget more often than they go wrong on the night. Usually because nobody sees the real number until the invoices land.
We quote line-item, log every change weekly with its cost, and reconcile actuals against the approved budget within ten business days of the event. If something is trending over, you hear it while there is still time to decide — not afterwards.
Our fee is stated as a flat project fee or a percentage, your choice, and it is on the first page of the proposal. We do not take vendor commissions.
- ✓Line-item proposals — venue, F&B, AV, staffing and contingency shown separately
- ✓Weekly change log with the cost of every change
- ✓No vendor commissions or undisclosed rebates
- ✓Final reconciliation within ten business days
Tell Us the Goal and the Headcount
Thirty minutes on a call and we will tell you the format that fits, a realistic budget range and whether we are the right firm for it. No proposal fee, no obligation.
What Corporate Clients Ask First
How far ahead do we need to book you?
For a multi-day conference or a large gala, six to nine months is comfortable — mostly because the venues worth having book that far out. Smaller offsites and holiday parties we can often turn around in eight to twelve weeks. If your date is tighter than that, call anyway; we will tell you honestly whether it is doable.
We have already booked the venue. Can you still help?
Yes, and it is a common starting point. We will review the contract you signed, flag anything that will cost you later, and take the programme, vendors and on-site management from there.
Do you work outside Charlotte?
Regularly. We produce events across the Carolinas and have run programmes in Asheville, Raleigh, Charleston and Greenville. Travel is quoted separately and shown as its own line.
How do you charge?
Either a flat project fee or a percentage of the event budget — your choice, agreed before we start, and stated on the first page of the proposal. We do not take commissions or rebates from venues or vendors, so our recommendation is not influenced by what pays us more.
What does a corporate event actually cost?
It depends far more on headcount, food and AV than on anything else. A one-day offsite for 40 people is a different order of magnitude from a three-day conference for 500. Tell us the headcount and the format on a first call and we will give you a realistic range before you spend time on a proposal.
What happens if we go over budget?
You will know before it happens. Every change is logged weekly with its cost attached, so an overage is a decision you make rather than a surprise you discover. Final actuals are reconciled against the approved budget within ten business days.
Will you be there on the day?
Always. We staff load-in, the AV build, rehearsal and the show itself. A stage manager calls the show on comms and floor leads own their zones. Your team gets one point of contact all night.
What is your backup plan if something goes wrong?
Every run of show ships with written contingencies for the predictable failures — weather for anything outdoors, speaker no-shows, AV failure and catering delays. We also rehearse transitions rather than assuming them, which is where most visible problems actually start.
Start With a Thirty-Minute Call
Tell us the goal, the headcount and roughly when. We will come back within five business days with a format recommendation, venue options and a line-item budget.
- Visit us401 South Tryon Street, Suite 900, Charlotte, NC 28202
- Call us(704) 555-0148
- Email ushello@brayandhollins.com