Organizing a Company End of Year Party in 5 Easy Steps
Year-ending parties are crucial events for an organization and can pose several challenges. In this article, we will break it down into 5 easy steps to help you organize your company end of year party.
Determining the budget, planning tasks, selecting the venue, arranging the service providers, and picking the guests are the 5 steps necessary to organize a successful end-of-year party. You can easily bring out the best party for your organization by following these steps. In some cases, year end bonuses are awarded in year-end parties.
5 Easy Steps to Organizing a Year-end Party
Organizing a party takes time and extensive planning to make the event successful. Sometimes the process can be overwhelming and put you under a lot of stress. If you follow these steps, you can properly manage your duties and make the party enjoyable.
The 5 steps are:
- Determining the budget
- Planning tasks
- Selecting the perfect venue
- Arranging the service provider
- Crafting the guest list
Let’s take a detailed look at these steps:
Determining the Budget
Every event requires a certain amount of budget to be successful. The budget can be flexible, but it is a good way to set boundaries about what you can do or not.
Determine how much you want to spend on your party. Too little may not fulfill the purpose; too much will put pressure on other projects. So, you should be careful about determining the budget.
Calculating the per head budget is a good place to start. Then you can decide if you include all the costs or would charge the guests or not.
It is wise to include a registration process to have a rough idea about the number of guests arriving at the party. You can either distribute tickets or arrange for an online RSVP card. Either way, it will be helpful to generate a budget.
Planning Tasks
The scope and size of the event will dictate how early you will need to start planning for your event and how many tasks need to be accomplished.
Take your time and list out the steps needed to complete. You can make a tracking board to know the status of a task at any given moment. Also, you can take the help of an online task board. This will make your planning easier and more organized. Also, you can easily supervise where a certain task is situated right at this moment.
Make sure to plan what tasks should be done at one moment thoroughly. For example, you may need to book your venue and catering in advance. In comparison, flowers and food should get delivered on the ceremony day.
Selecting the Perfect Venue
The venue of your year-end party is quite important. It should accommodate all your guests and also uphold the theme. Here are two important factors to look at while choosing your venue:
- The important factors
- The “nice to have” things
Chalk out the things that you need to make your party successful. Then make another list of things that will make the party more enjoyable. Then consider how many guests you are going to have, your budget, required equipment, and atmosphere.
Check out several venues and compare them with your checklist. The venue that aligns with all your requirements is the best one to hold your party.
During the holiday season, most unique venues are often booked in advance. Therefore, start the venue selecting process as early as possible and book it ahead of time. Some venues may require to be booked at least six months in advance. So make sure to keep that in mind while you start planning your party.
Arranging the Service Providers
Food and beverage are a must for any party. Also, you will need to have some entertainment to keep your guests engaged. All these fall under services and cannot be ignored.
You can look for venues that include all these services, or you can hire external providers like video game truck for gaming enthusiasts for more customized experience services. Try to make this party a memorable one for your guests.
You can put in some budget to place photo booths, arrange small games, trivia questions, gift baskets to entertain guests. It will certainly make the party more engaging and memorable.
Crafting the Guest List
For your year-end party, guests are the most important part. You need to make an effort to reach all your guests accordingly to ensure their presence.
If you are reaching out to people you don’t personally know for inviting them to your party, you need to make sure you have a clear communication path. Only sending invitations will not cut the effort. You need to make follow-up calls to ensure if they are coming or not.
It is a good practice to collect necessary information along with RSVP cards. Include questions like food allergies, if they are bringing a plus one, if they need to have vegetarian food, etc. along with the invitation card. It will be a great way to survey your guests and have crucial information that will help you to organize your party.
Bottom Line
An office party will need to meet some specific requirements aligned with the company culture. However, it should be entertaining and engaging to build strong bonds between employees and employers.
By following these steps, you can successfully throw a party without getting overwhelmed.