An office party can be an amazing opportunity for your employees to relax and release some of that work-induced stress. It can be a great opportunity for team building, and for making a relaxed atmosphere between your workers. But organizing a party for a lot of people can be a challenging task.
There are so many things to keep in mind when you are in charge of the office party organization that it’s completely natural to feel afraid. Guest lists, space, music, preferences of various employees, catering… It seems the list is endless. Luckily, there are various ways to approach the party planning and we’ve gathered some of the best ones for you.
Find a location
When it comes to office parties there are always two options: an office party in the working area, or somewhere else. Generally, research has shown that people are more into parties away from the workplace, but this doesn’t have to represent a significant problem for your budget.
While organizing a party in your offices can be quite cost effective, it will be very hard for your employees to relax and feel like it’s a party at all. Organizing a right venue or space for your office party may seem expensive or hard, but it doesn’t have to be. There are tons of quite cheap activities to discover all around. Matinees movies are less expensive than evening flicks, so you may take your workforce to a movie. There are various museums that have open doors days, so you may take your employees on an interesting tour, concluded with a dinner, or a park picnic. Most important thing to do is to understand what your workers and coworkers really want out of the party.
Organize a team
It may prove to be impossible to tackle a serious party organization by yourself. This is when your coworkers come in the plan.
Organize a team of people, and assign them tasks that match their expertise. For example, your company’s HR probably has all of the company and personal info about the employees. So anyone from that department can prove to be extremely valuable when it comes to notifying the people and defining the specific preferences. See who is interested and willing to help, and find a way to involve them in the organization of the whole thing. Having as many employees involved with the party organization ensures that most of them will be satisfied by the whole thing.
Ask for feedback
If you want your party to be a success, you must get some feedback from your employees. This party is firstly aimed at them, so make sure they are satisfied.
Make sure you know of their allergies, and food preferences, and organize the catering accordingly. Ask your workers and co-workers what they like, and what they want out of the party. Try to implement their ideas into the planning. You should plan the activities in advance, and contact everyone to see what they think about the certain idea.
Asking for feedback shows everyone that you care about their wishes. And it’s making them more engaged. You would be surprised how much good advice for cost reduction you might pick up along the way.
Specify guest lists
More guests – higher the price, yet fewer guests means your party doesn’t feel like a party. You must specify what type of party are you aiming for, and prepare it accordingly.
Decide whether your employees should bring guests to bring up a bit of diversity to the everyday faces. See how many of your employees have children and maybe include them in the party as well. Or, you can take your employees with no guests and organize a convention-type party for sharing mutual ideas.
Provide music and other party activities
If you want your party to be a fun one, you must think of music and other things to keep your party guests animated.
There are great party accessories and ideas that can make your party go wild. From smoke machines to foam generators, you’re limited only by your budget and your employees’ choice. There are even some amazing photo booth hire services based in Sydney that provide parties with portable photo booths for incredible party memories.
If you want to spend less money, and don’t want to hire a band or a DJ, you can always do well with some quality sound system and versatile playlist.
Be responsible
Quite a lot of people share the opinion that a party is not a party without alcohol. When it comes to an office party, you must think about this on a completely different level.
Imagine the consequences of one of your employees have an accident after the office party where they got intoxicated. It’s far from pleasant. Avoiding alcoholic beverages at the party, or defining a secure way for your employees to get back home can both save money, and maybe even lives.
Give gifts
A small memento that reminds your employees of a great party can really boost the way they feel about their work. You don’t have to get some expensive presents for everyone, but some small signs of gesture can mean a lot to your workers. Avoid giving gifts with company logo, as they are always perceived as an advertisement.
Wrap up
We hope you’ve found some ideas in these tips we’ve collected for you and that now you have a better understanding of what’s necessary for a good office party.
With careful planning and consulting with your employees, you will be able to pull out a great office party within limits of your budget, just remember, patience is the key.
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