With many people having to isolate over the Christmas season, a lot of people missed their company’s Christmas party. However, with the summer comes a new season to celebrate. With the summer sun and the prospect of the first holiday trips for a long while, there is certainly a lot to enjoy. As more people are now working digitally from home, chances for co-workers to interact even in an office setting are being greatly reduced, with other team building activities such as drinks after work no longer being organised as so many are working from home. While working digitally offers greater flexibility, the loss of the personal connection with other employees can make collaborating more difficult. Corporate events such as parties offer a great way for co-workers to get to know one another and enjoy their time together.
Corporate events, when clients are not among the attendees, are generally an excuse to let your hair down and enjoy your colleagues’ company in a non-work related atmosphere. Corporate parties can be a great way to celebrate a job well done and act as a reward for your employees’ hard work. With the return of balmy summer weather, there are plenty of opportunities to have a fantastic summer party.
Format
When you are planning a corporate summer party consider the format of your event; are you having a sit-down meal with all your guests, or are you inviting your employees to a formal stand-up event? What works for your company events will depend on what industry you are in and how formal the work environment is. Here are a few ideas for you to consider when planning your corporate summer party.
Sit-Down Dinner
A sit-down dinner or lunch event is a great way to introduce new people and enjoy the company of your colleagues over a delicious meal. This works especially well for smaller companies, as most of the guests will already know each other and will be able to talk comfortably with the others seated around them.
Many venues may request that you send in the guests’ menu choices ahead of the event so they can accurately cater for such a large group of people. If any of those attending have an allergy or specific diet, checking with the chefs ahead of the night to ensure that there are menu items they can have will cut down on any stress during the day.
Cocktail Night
Holding a cocktail night can be a great way for a company to hold a summer party for all the employees working there, without having to provide a full three course meal. Cocktail parties are generally held during the evening, so your guests will have eaten at home. The relaxed format will allow guests to wander around the function room and talk with the other guests.
A cocktail night is generally a more formal event, with those attending dressing up to attend. If you want to make sure everyone arrives dressed to the nines, specifying in the invitation that the event is one with formal dress will ensure everyone knows what the plan is.
Buffet
Hosting a buffet-style corporate event can act as a happy medium between a more formal sit-down meal and a drinks night. During a buffet there are various dishes around for your guests to snack on, and your employees can enjoy a meal as part of the festivities, but as everyone is standing up there is more freedom appertaining to conversation partners.
Stand up parties are a great way to introduce new employees to other people working at the company. If there are colleagues in attendance who work from home and who might not interact much during work, they can mingle with the crowd and meet new people.
Date
While a Christmas party can be difficult to book due to the high demand for venues, the summer has the opposite problem. While many venues will have a lot of wedding event bookings it may be difficult to find a date that will work for all of the guests you want to invite. Summer is the holiday season and many will have booked their holidays abroad months in advance. This makes finding times when everyone is around to enjoy the party quite difficult, especially if you are booking late.
Booking a date and letting your colleagues know that this is when the party will be taking place well in advance of the actual event is a good way to ensure everyone will be able to make it.
Activities
If you are holding a summer party, arranging some activities can help you create a relaxed atmosphere and help get everyone invested in what is going on. Team building events are popular to include as part pf a corporate event, including parties. Here are a few popular activities to bring some excitement to your event:
- A quiz can be a great way to start your night; by splitting everyone up into teams and including multiple topics you can ensure that everyone gets involved in answering the questions.
- Detective is a game with individual players; while the detective is outside, one of the remaining people is nominated as the murderer. Whenever the murderer winks at someone, they then have to sit down and ‘die’. The detective has three chances to guess who the murderer is. If they fail, then the murderer wins.
- Musical chairs is great fun for adults and children alike. Everyone must circle the chairs set out. Once the music stops everyone has to sit down, the player left without a seat is out of the game. This continues until only the winner is left.
Indoors or Outdoors
For parties held during the winter or autumn months holding the event indoors is an essential, as the possibility of rain or even snow disrupting any outdoor events is quite high. During the summer, however, holding part of your event outside can be a fantastic way to make sure your party is a summer triumph. If you hold your party outdoors you get to take advantage of the beautiful summer warmth and the landscape.
Outdoor events will work well for smaller summer parties that are more informal, creating a fantastic outdoors space to set up activities and team building events in. They can also suit a more formal party, especially if you are hosting a garden party style event. If you are arranging an outdoor event, selecting a venue with a terrace or space for a marquee will ensure that your outdoor event goes as smoothly as possible.
If you are considering Salomons Estate as a venue for your corporate summer party, then please contact us here. Our staff will be happy to discuss what our beautiful estate can offer you.