There are so many ways in which your organization can benefit from a well-hosted office party, which is something that more and more Australian entrepreneurs are starting to realize. First of all, this is a great way for you to give recognition to your team and individuals that have earned it. Second, it’s great for office morale and it’s a great way to provide some additional motivation for your team. Lastly, it’s a great team-building activity that can bring your staff closer together and give their brand loyalty a boost.
1. Have a reason
The first thing you need to understand is the fact that all great parties have a theme and a reason. It can be a corporate anniversary or a personal milestone of an invaluable member in your employ. Now, one thing that they don’t often tell you is the fact that it doesn’t have to be a particularly good reason. Celebrating an obscure holiday is completely fine, as long as it gives you an opportunity to host a memorable office party. A real reason or a convenient excuse, in this scenario, it really doesn’t matter.
2. Involve everyone
As a person organizing an event, you’ll be the one doing the majority of heavy lifting. Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean that you need to do all the work. Delegate tasks as you would on a major project. Better yet, you can make this into a real project by making a to-do list on your collaboration tool and assign tasks to people in question. Same as with regular delegation, you need to assign tasks according to people’s skills, disposition, and abilities. Also, try to distribute these tasks as evenly as possible.
3. Make a guest list
One of the most important issues, as well as one that you need to address early on, is composing a great guest list. Amongst the burning issues that you’ll have to deal with is the question of whether you should allow your employees to bring other people to the party or should the event be staff-exclusive. If you fail to do so, some of your staff members might feel offended or even outright refuse to come. Nonetheless, if you do so, you might prevent people from mingling with each other and give them a chance to spend all the time with the person/people they’ve brought to the party.
4. Contact everyone you’ll need
Now, you need to start getting in touch with all the people whose assistance you’ll need in order to organize this event. We’re, of course, talking about catering services, as well as a trusted alcohol delivery service in Sydney. Also, if you want to hire a band or a DJ, now might be the right time to reach out to them. Naturally, all of this needs to fit within your budget, which is why you need to know exactly how much money you’re ready and willing to spend on this corporate event. This will be crucial when it comes to your negotiating, seeing as how you’ll see exactly where you’re supposed to push it further and where you shouldn’t budge.
5. Establish workplace party etiquette
Even though it’s a party, you need to understand that it’s still a corporate event. Therefore, there are certain rules that your staff should abide by. Think about it, while getting drunk and letting yourself loose may sound like a great idea, the fact is that these are the people that you’re working with, people you’ll have to encounter tomorrow as well as the day after that. Therefore, embarrassing yourself in front of them might not be the best of ideas. It’s not a nightclub and it’s not a single’s bar, so, you need to act according to it.
6. Take photos
You should never underestimate the importance of quality-made office party photographs. These photographs can become important mementos, but they can also be used in your marketing strategy. Some people even use videos and photographs in order to create footage that they’ll turn into a trailer for the next office event. All in all, it’s best that you find a professional photographer to capture all of this, which, alas, means adding yet another expense to the list.
7. Prepare the speech
In the end, you need to understand that your team will definitely expect a speech and you need to be ready for it. If you have an agenda, you need to start with a slow setup and build your way up until the end. Don’t be afraid to have your speech in writing, regardless of how small, close-knit or informal the party may be. Remember, we’ve already suggested that you need to pick a reason behind the office party, and this is something that you can use as a core of your speech. Needless to say, this is something that can help put everyone in the right mood.
Conclusion
The last thing you should understand is the fact that while you’re the one organizing an event, you might want to listen to expectations and ideas of other people in your employ. After all, you’re not throwing yourself a private party, you’re making an event for your staff. This is why your entire staff should have a say.
