If you have been given the fun, yet daunting task of organizing a party for your company, you may already be breaking out in a cold sweat. Planning any party is stressful enough, but when you have to please all of your colleagues, plus your boss, the pressure can be overwhelming.
However, you can do it. The key is in the preparation, as leaving any of the main elements to the last minute is a recipe for disaster.
Therefore, if you want to be able to actually have fun yourself at the event in question, keep reading to find out exactly what you need to do in advance to ensure that your corporate party is the best one to date.
1. Start Planning Sooner Rather Than Later
With most companies planning their events several months — and often even half a year — in advance, there is no reason you shouldn’t be starting to plan yours as soon as possible. You will no doubt have to wait for replies from many of your preferred venues or caterers, so unless you want to be pulling out your hair and clicking the refresh button on your emails 100 times a day, start your enquiries asap.
It is also a good idea to seek feedback from your colleagues about the previous corporate party to see what they liked and what they would change.
2. Establish Your Budget
Before you start researching into different venues, entertainment and catering options, you need to find out exactly how much money is available for you to spend on the event.
Do not worry if the budget is smaller than you would have hoped, you can still organize a memorable event without spending a fortune.
3. Choose a Date
The best party venues get booked up quickly, so you will want to secure your date as soon as possible. A good idea when choosing a date is to send out three or four possible options to your colleagues and see which one is the most popular.
When trying to decide between a weekday event and a weekend one, it can be hard to know which option is best. A weekday event has its advantages as top venues are more likely to have a free date in the week, plus they may be more cost effective. However, you run the risk of people overindulging and not coming into work the next day.
Friday afternoons or evenings can be a good way to overcome this problem, but be warned, your guests may not be willing to give up part of their weekend to attend a work do.
4. Book the Most Important Elements First
The most crucial aspects of a corporate party are the venue, the entertainment and the catering.
Venue
When making a decision on a venue, there are several elements you need to consider:
- Capacity
- Location
- Facilities
- Versatility
If you take all of the above into consideration, you can’t go wrong.
Entertainment
Entertainment-wise, it can be difficult to decide what to book as there is so much variety with entertainers nowadays.
Do you go with a band or DJ? Should you be booking a celebrity speaker? Are interactive games preferable to an entertainer?
This can leave you with too many questions and very little time to decide. Often the best option is to seek the advice of an entertainment booking agency like www.alivenetwork.com who can provide you with a wide range of options to suit your needs and your budget.
Catering
It’s important to first decide whether you want to use the in-house catering team (if your venue has one), or if you would prefer to hire external caterers. You also need to make the choice between a sit-down meal, a buffet or party food that is distributed by waiting staff. Always insist on a tasting menu before booking a caterer — you don’t want everyone to be disappointed with the offerings on the night itself.
5. Offer the Wow Factor
Once you’ve got the vital organizing out of the way, not only can you breathe a huge sigh of relief, but you can also start having a bit more fun with the event. Have a think about what else you could provide that will make your corporate party stand out from all the rest.
You may want to hire a photo booth or organize an awards ceremony for your colleagues. You could even arrange a cocktail making workshop!
Try and think outside the box, as well as ensuring that you take into consideration your company’s culture and the type of entertainment that they would like.
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Interesting related article: “Healthy catering options for business meetings.”