5 Tips for the Office Party Planning Committee: "

If your lucky enough to have staff that is committed to helping when it is needed, maybe you could use some of these tips to improve on what you already have. If you don't have the help you need then maybe these tips can help you get started.


Start with a cool name. Employees will be more likely to attend events if they sound cool (or if you’re giving away free stuff). At my last office we had a contest to name the party planning committee. We gave away movies tickets to the winner and you’d be amazed at how many entries we received. The winner: CAKE, which stood for “Committee for Activities & Killer Events.”
Serve food. Everyone loves free food. Even if it’s after lunch and people are stuffed, they cannot turn down free food. If you find your group is having trouble getting employees to a party or even to planning meetings, serve food. Cake is an obvious solution for parties, but you might also consider having your planning meetings over lunch and order pizza. Make the committee feel special for volunteering their time.

Giveaway prizes. Everyone loves free stuff—maybe even more than free food. Again, if you’re having trouble getting people to your events (some companies have this problem more than others), find something fun to giveaway. Ask your vendors or partners if they have something to donate. Or use a tiny piece of your budget for an ipod. Chalk it up to employee moral, which has been proven to improve employee productivity.
Think outside the box. The types of parties that the party planning committee plans are typically pretty standard—birthdays, baby showers, retirement parties, going away parties. Instead of the standard party in the conference room with cake and gifts, try something different. Maybe a potluck picnic outside? Or a make your own sundae bar?
Figure out your funding source. Money is always a sticky subject, especially within an office where there are different pay levels and enthusiasm for office parties. If your company has a budget for parties, that’s great! If not, figure out how many parties you estimate during the month, quarter, year and either ask for money from the managers within the organization, or see if each employee can donate a small amount. Be careful though, asking for too much will be a turn-off.
Enjoy Planning.
Penelope
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