Why Should You Throw an Employee Appreciation Event?
Corporate events and company parties are a great way to show appreciation for your employees. The largest companies — the Googles and Universal Studios of the world — throw extravagant soirees that use great food, music, entertainment, and decor to create a spectacular event.
“The way you treat your employees is the way they will treat your customers.” — Richard Branson”
But, company events are about more than showing off — they’re a chance to promote stronger bonds between employees, teams, and the company as a whole. Forbes magazine reported that companies who actively work toward a recognition-rich culture had a 31% lower employee turnover rate. And according to a report from the Boston Consulting Group, the top two reasons for job happiness are “appreciation for your work” and “good relationships with colleagues.”
Below, we share steps to help you throw an annual employee appreciation event that will benefit your organization for months to come.
Employee Appreciation Event Step 1: Define Your Goal
Before you start planning any kind of event, the first thing to do is define your event goals and objectives. Inexperienced event planners dive right into planning without even considering this crucial bit of information. Don’t make this mistake!
Setting event goals, even for an employee appreciation event, will actually make your planning stages much easier. Here are several examples of potential goals for your employee appreciation event:
Educate Your Staff
Do you have a new product or service about to release? A corporate event is a great time to get your staff excited and up to speed prior to launch. A good event planner will make sure you have all of the tools you need for a state-of-the-art experience, including high-tech stations where your employees can experience your new product or service up close.
Encourage Balance
Work-life balance has a huge impact on your company culture and the overall performance of your employees. Inviting teams and their families to celebrate everyone’s hard work doesn’t just celebrate employees, it acknowledges that you value a healthy balance between your success and the people they value as most important.
Boost Morale
This may go without saying, but if your work environment isn’t fun, people won’t stay. Appreciation events show your employees that they are valued. In turn, they foster company engagement. As employees pass on their enthusiasm to team members, your company culture and values improve over time.
Strengthen Teams
It’s important for team members to socialize, connect and celebrate together outside the office. Not only does an employee appreciation event strengthen existing bonds, but it encourages better working relationships between employees and teams that might not typically connect during their day-to-day routines.
Employee Appreciation Event Step 2: Set Your Budget
Create a spreadsheet to track vendor bids, final costs, due dates, and supplier contact info. If possible, reserve 10% of your available budget as a buffer-fund for unexpected costs, guests, or awards.
Employee Appreciation Event Step 3: Choose a Location and Set a Date
Once you have an approximate head count and budget, it’s important to contact venues as soon as possible. If your sights are set on one of your area’s better locations, plan to book the space six months in advance of your event date.
What do you do if your top choices are no longer available? First, check with your teams to confirm their availability — especially if your event is planned during the holiday season. If your dates are set in stone, consider a local museum or community center. If your event is set for a time of year with pleasant weather, parks and outdoor spaces are a creative alternative. You could even rent a climate-controlled tent and arrange for catering or popular food trucks.
Be sure to visit each location in person to avoid any surprises such as dated A/V equipment or insufficient parking. During your visits, we suggest taking photos that you can refer back to later as you complete your event planning.
Employee Appreciation Event Step 4: Reserve Your Catering, Entertainment & Event Rentals
When you have an approximate headcount, it’s time to decide how to entertain your guests. Select a caterer and reserve entertainment. If your choosen venue doesn’t provide furniture and decor, it’s time to reserve the appropriate chairs, tables, and decorations. If your itenerary includes lengthy periods of time when attendees will be seated, choose chairs that allow them to remain relaxed and engaged. Money saved by choosing inexpensive, uncomfortable folding chairs won’t make anyone feel appreciated.
Ask the caterer to make recommendations based on the budget and number of guests! And, before signing a contract, ensure that it allows options for employees with food allergies and those on a restricted diet.
Employee Appreciation Event Step 6: Get the Word Out
It’s time for your teams to save the date! Promote your employee appreciation event internally as soon as possible. Be sure to include the dress code and planned activities, as well as when and where it will be held. Because many catering and venue contracts limit your available headcount, it’s important to ensure employees RSVP as soon as possible. Finally, don’t forget to include the cut-off date to submit special meal requests.
You Don’t Have to Max Out Your Budget to Throw a Great Event
Do you need an extravagant corporate event? Nope!
A great company party contains three important characteristics: atmosphere, decor, and refreshments (food, beverage) — without trying to cut corners. No matter how large or how small your holiday party is, if it contains those three characteristics — and is done in the spirit of giving — it is bound to be a great night that your employees will appreciate.
Check out Our One-of-a-Kind Event Designs
In collaboration with our sister brand, Fresh Wata Events, we were invited to design and produce an ethereal, otherworldly employee appreciation event for Universal Studios Florida. Out of several themes, the idea to create an Enchanted Forest was unanimously loved. A previous visit to the Hilton Bonnet Creek Resort gave our creative designers the idea to create a giant chandelier as the focal point for the dinner, while the entire space was blanketed under a living canopy of twinkling lights.
Have you ever wanted to dine in an enchanted forest?
The process of creating a unique structure like this begins with a vision board. Ideas are then sketched, rendered, then fabricated. The Fresh Wata team made a custom metal frame to carry the weight of the application.
The frame was 18’ wide and 10’ tall when assembled. But, even more impressive than its size, the chandelier was carefully designed to break down for transport! Once it was transported to onsite, our labor production team works carefully to maneuver the pieces into the building. Our team assembled and attached the frame low to the ground so it could be decorated with an abundance of flowers and greenery.
Fresh Wata florists made the living chandelier came to life as it was covered with layer upon layer of green foliage, dendrobium orchids, lilacs, hydrangea, and roses. The entire bottom tier (10’ wide) was filled with fresh whimsical florals making an upside-down garden that even creeps up the sides.
Get in Touch for a Consultation with Our Event Rental Specialists
The experienced event rental specialists at FWR Rental Haus can help you plan a fun and memorable employee appreciation event! We offer a vast selection of one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture made by our very own team of fabricators and craftsmen. From screen surrounds, to podiums and ceiling treatments, our areas of expertise include metal fabrication, custom sewing, carpentry, and scenic painting. With a fleet of trucks operating from our locations in east, mid-west and west coast and we offer round-trip trucking to major cities nationwide.
If you don’t see anything you would like to use, we can make anything for you to ensure each rental piece captures the atmosphere and aesthetics you’re looking to create. Get in touch at 702.982.8102 or email [email protected] for a design consultation today.
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