STEP 1: GET ORGANIZED
Start with a notebook divided into sections for Budget, Location, Raffle Items, Party Favors, Food & Beverage, Invitations, Activities, and Games & Entertainment. Even for the smallest picnic, having this notebook will make your job easier and keep all of your important info in one place.
Get your picnic committee together and decide who will cover what duties. It is important to have people on the committee who are god communicators and who work well together. It is also important to appoint a committee chair who would be responsible for all final decisions which need addressed.
STEP 2: Check Your Calendar
Since your employees' families are going to be invited, the event will more then likely need to be held on a weekend. Make sure the date you pick is not a religious holiday, and unless you want to encourage a mutiny, don't plan to hold the event on a long weekend or when half of the staff is away on vacation.
STEP 3: Determine an Approximate Head Count
Determine who will attend your company picnic and attempt to put together an approximate head count of those who will attend. While there is no exact science to do this, we have found through our experience that about 80% of those invited will attend. Multiply that number by 2.5 to account for spouses and kids. This should give you a number to work with which makes sense.
STEP 4: Establish a Budget
The company will give you limited amount of dollars to spend on your event. This budget will dictate most of your decisions. Make sure to remember Food, Drink, Entertainment, Prizes, Location Fees, etc. Corporate Picnics & Events is an all inclusive turn-key event company. This means that you can call us up, give us a budget to work with and a head count and we will do all of the work for you. We arrange the location, provide catering, print fliers for your office, take pictures, and more. We take the stress upon our shoulders which gives you more time to focus on other things.
STEP 5: Pick a Location
If you have had your company picnic at the same spot for more than 2 or 3 years in a row, consider moving it. If you decide to have it in the same location as before, consider moving it to a different spot on the event site. This will give your employees a refreshingly new feel to the annual event.
Try to find a location that can offer privacy. Many companies are having their picnic on their own grounds, either in a grassy area or in the parking lot. However, if you do decide to have it off site, you should attempt to find a location which can be reserved. Who wants to police other groups and compete over ball fields and other facilities? Make sure you have enough room for your group. It's a picnic, so people will want to move around and kids will want to explore and run around.
If you are having the picnic in a hot month, find a place with lots of shade trees and/or pavilions. You should also think about room for tents. Make sure to plan ahead. Most public parks require a permit which start at about $20.00. The permit will ensure the spot you have in mind is reserved for the event along with picnic tables, fire pits or grills, and the like. Make sure to consider parking. You will want to have enough space for all of your guest's cars which should be within short walking distance. If this is not possible, you may want to consider a shuttle to help transport people to and from the event site.
Some companies have chosen to have their picnic at an amusement park. These evens can be fun, but they lose the group feel and may not promote the cohesion which an event like a company picnic should. It is hard to get everyone together with the large space for all of the activities. Having a smaller site where all of your guests are within ear range of the DJ or bull horn creates the unity that these events are planned for in the first place.
We suggest your entire picnic committee goes to see the event site. This will help establish in everyone's mind a feel for the site and what activities would work within the space. This will also help give everyone a chance to come up with ideas on how to make the event an exciting one.
STEP 6: Laying the Groundwork
Get the committee together and decide the times of the event. Most picnics last between 3 and 4 hours. If you have people working who come in shifts, then make sure the event lasts long enough to accommodate those employees.
Next, decide on any themes you may wish to have. Though a theme is not necessary, it adds a different kind of spice to the event. Some popular themes are Western, Mardis Gras, Circus Big Top, Country Fair, Safari, Luau, etc. You will want to decide on food to correspond to the theme. Your picnic can be catered or potluck. Your budget will dictate what you can and can't do. If you choose an entertainment company which provides turn-key event planning such as Corporate Picnics & Events, They should have you covered on catering if you so choose.
STEP 7: Activities and Entertainment
It's a picnic, so every one of all ages should have something to entertain them. At Corporate Picnics & Events, this is our specialty. We have many different packages and options which provide zones of entertainment for all ages, individual and family interaction included.
Inflatables are a huge hit with the kids all the way through the high school age group. Of course, many adults love to play on them as well. At Corporate Picnics & Events, we have the largest selection of inflatables to choose from in Arizona. All age brackets will have a fun and challenging experience with a variety of inflatables.
Carnival booths work great also. They offer a wide variety of games for all age groups. Just like at the fair. Prizes, which are often included in the cost of the carnival booth rentals, add a nice touch which gives all of your guests an opportunity to bring home a souvenir. Frisbee golf, volleyball, badminton, bocce ball, and other outdoor games can also be a popular segment of your picnic.
For the crowd that does not wish to participate in the more physical games, nothing beats old fashion Bingo. You can choose from a simple set-up, or a deluxe set-up which comes complete with a professional ball hopper. Prizes are what make this game so exciting, so make sure to pick some great ones.
For that extra touch, live entertainment is a great option. This could range from face painters, clowns, magicians, stilt-walkers, and balloon artists to a DJ or live band. They can also come in handy to fill in the gaps between planned events at the picnic.
Another popular option which goes over well is the classic family games package. This is a combination of old style picnic games such as egg toss, water balloon toss, 3 legged race, monster tricycle races, centipede skis, stick pony gallop races, beach ball hop races, and more. Ribbons or medals are often provided as part of this package.
STEP 8: Start an Information Campaign
Approximately one month prior to the picnic, you need to start getting word out about the event. There are many ways to do this such as talking it up in meetings, put an article in the company newsletter, attach notes to payroll, e-mails, and putting up posters and fliers in strategic locations throughout your building. When you book with Corporate Picnics & Events, we provide you a free event promo kit. This includes full color 11x17 customizable posters which feature all of the picnic information including pictures of the games and activities which will be present. We also provide a smaller size slick to use to pass around the office.
Be sure to let people know about what kind of prizes you will be giving away at the picnic. There are many ways to give the prizes away. You can have a raffle or you could even have a casino section where the employees play Vegas style games and bid their winnings on prizes at the end of the picnic. Most corporate events have prizes and gifts which are given away to reward their employees in one way or another. They also boost morale and show employee appreciation. It is not enough to just have several nice prizes or cash rewards without announcing in advance what will be given away.
Several companies worry about attendance if they spend the money and have a big event. This worry can be justified, however, we have found that poor attendance correlates with employees really not knowing what to expect, what activities will be at the picnic, and what prizes will be given away. Employees often respond better to an event which focuses on group and family fun, rather then the individual activities. Pre-event activities at the office can also spark interest in the picnic. Give employees opportunities to win or achieve additional raffle tickets to win prizes at the event and they must be present at the event to win. Also, make sure the event is located at a central site which is convenient for everyone.
STEP 9: The Big Day
As the stress and worries come to a peak, make sure to get some sleep the night before the event. Inclusive turn-key event companies like Corporate Picnics & Events take a lot of the stress away by providing all of the services which are required to make your picnic a success. In addition, they have their customer relations / Sales people keep in periodic contact with you in the weeks leading up to the event. This contact should include a map and layout of how the event will be set-up, a timeline for activities, and courtesy calls. These are added benefits which we have found to take much of the stress away from the committee and employees who are in charge of planning the event.
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