Five tips for throwing an awesome staff party!

If you haven’t already started planning your end of year staff party, it’s time to get cracking! Are you running out of ideas for your party (one more year of having it at the pub next door…. Yawn!) and do you keep putting on the same old party year after year? Do your attendance numbers drop every year? You would think that the promise of free drinks and a night of hanging out with their workmates would be enough to entice staff to attend. Unfortunately that’s not the case, and if staff don’t feel that any effort is being put in to throwing a great party, they WILL stop coming. It’s time that you gave your staff party an overhaul, and shook things up a bit to create some excitement and get your people back in the mood for celebration! I’ve put together some tips on how to get greater interest from your staff, and put on a party that they actually want to come to.

1. DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT

I make it sound so easy, right? Well it is that easy. Don’t overthink it. You should be doing something different each year, whether that be the location, the time, the type of event – for example a winery trip one year, followed by a sit down dinner the next, followed by a Karaoke party the year after. Or a disco party theme one year, followed by a fancy ball the next, followed by a Jungle Safari the year after. You get my drift?

2. GET OUT OF THE OFFICE

Please please PLEASE do not have your staff party at the office! The purpose of a party is to stop thinking about work and have fun! This is impossible to do while you are in the same space you work in. You might be tempted to think ‘Oh, we have a bbq on the roof so we will just do it up there’. Don’t. Hire the park across the road instead and use their bbq.

3. LISTEN TO YOUR EMPLOYEES

If your numbers are dropping each year, this is a huge sign that the staff aren’t happy with the parties you’ve been putting on, or that they don’t suit their lifestyle. Find out why they haven’t been coming. Ask people, do a survey, or speak to the managers and ask them why people in their teams didn’t come (they should know why). You may find that most of them have children, so doing a Friday night drinking session may not suit them. Perhaps try doing a family day out on a Sunday where they can bring their kids instead. Or you may find that doing a sit-down dinner every year bores the younger staff to tears, so try doing a fun Karaoke party the year after. Listen to your staff and if you have a wide demographic, mix it up every year so that at least every 2 years there is something that suits everybody.

4. SURPRISE PEOPLE

Do something fun that’s been kept a secret, in order to surprise everyone. It can be something small, or extravagant, just use your imagination! For example, one year at a staff party I organised, a group of staff got together, learned a dance routine, and then on the night jumped on the stage with the actual hired dancers and joined in the routine! It was lots of fun and everyone was thoroughly entertained.

5. HAVE SOME FUN!

Don’t make it too serious. Instead of boring thank-you speeches, the management team could get up and do a funny skit to create a partying mood. Hire a karaoke machine, or do a themed lolly bar. Hire some dancers and get the crowd involved. Get some funny singing waiters. You only need to do one thing and it makes the world of difference!

The key to all of this is thought and effort. People know that you’ve put effort into throwing them a fun party, and really do appreciate it. In the end, isn’t the whole point to thank your staff for their great work throughout the year? So put your thinking cap on and come up with some fun ways you can actually show them that you appreciate their hard work and loyalty!

If you need some help coming up with ideas, or just don’t have the time or resources to plan your staff party, let us do the work for you. We guarantee a fun experience that your staff will love! Contact us now for a free event consultation.