Organizing Company Events

[msgladiator]

Hello everyone!  Happy Friday to those who are here at the site!  Where I am it's about 90 degrees and muggy so many people are outside.  In my new position, I have the responsibility of planning and organizing the company picnics and christmas parties for two branch offices.  NO SMALL FEAT!  Does anyone else here do this type of activity?  What sources of information do you use?  Do you have any books that have helped you?  Web sites that you use?  Periodicals that you subscribe to?

[dedlered]

Hello MS  



I used to do this type of planning.  (Even arranged for the whole office to go to Cancun last year)



If you are looking for city events (picnics) Try your chamber of commerce or your parks department.  I would reserve a "picnic" area at the park and pay for the permit.  Then I would have the event catered (bbq). Sam's Club was great for purchasing sodas and games and we rented potato sacks from the local feed store.  If you have a theme park in the area, some of them will offer discount tickets with a meal package for groups.

[execsec]

I too have done my share of planning company picnics and Christmas parties.  One time we hired a company that had all the "blow up stuff" and rock climbing walls etc.  They did everything for me from setting it up to tearing it down and cleaning it up.  They even catered the food and brought in picnic tables.  We had the picnic on our company grounds. You can find places like that in the yellow pages under Party Planning or Party Supplies - Renting; sometimes under Event Coordination.



We've also had gatherings at the local amusement park.  They usually have someone who'll take care of all the details - all you have to do is show up and enjoy your "hard work."



Hope this helps.

[msgladiator]

Thanks!  This year we're doing the amusement parks, which has been the case the past 3-4 years.  Christmas parties are at a country club and the other at a ritzy hotel.  I'm just looking for that "out of the ordinary" thing to do.  I don't want to do the same old thing.  Do you know what I mean?  I'm looking ahead for the upcoming years.  Our budget is pretty generous.

[Judy Loux]

Our company just did a company party and what they did was to transform the cafeteria into a cruise ship with a big picture of a cruise ship with the company logo added to the bulkhead.  They used the hallway to the cafeteria as the gangplank to the "ship".  All of the decorations were appropriate for whatever island they were pretending to embark upon i.e. the carribbean, Hawaii.  This time we visited Hawaii.  The officers of the company were dressed in cruise gear with the CEO the designated captain, the COO was first mate, etc. and they served the food to the employees also



Each employee that attended was given a passport at the entrance to the gangplank, designed by the IS department, and was given a entrance stamp on the "visa".  The food was appropriate for the island we were visiting and they had boom boxes playing the music of the island.  Since our cafeteria is on the first floor and has a door to the outside, island games were setup outside for the employees to play and for the winners there were some really great prizes.  They even had badmitten and a putting green for those so inclined.  It was really neat.  



They even had a puzzle in the company newsletter the week before the cruise and a drawing was held for the person who solved the puzzle.  Of course there were more than one who solved it correctly so they did a drawingfor a really great prize.



All of this took place on a weekday afternoon.  It seems they found out from prior years that employees value their weekends and the majority of them would not attend a company picnic held on a weekend.  And, employees enjoyed having a fun afternoon and they got paid for the four hours as well.



I just started this job on Monday so it was a nice way to get to see what people make up my new company and it showed me the big bosses were human too.



Sure hope this helps.



Diva