At Alexander’s we develop, plan, execute and host a number of events for clients and associations. In order to make sure it’s not just our clients having all the fun, we host an annual summer employee celebration, right here at Alexander’s. Between the food, blow-up slides, and all the families, this event is always a success. Often, companies go all out, hiring entertainment and hosting a formal dinner for their employees, but our employees look forward to the laid-back barbecue where their kids can run around and the whole family can enjoy a night of fun.

So how do you organize a successful employee event without breaking the bank?

3 elements to help you plan a successful company party:

1. Don’t hire a caterer

Depending on the size of your company, you can prepare and serve the meal without the help of a catering company. We pull a few of the Alexander’s crew together to help grill burgers and hot dogs. We’ve found that when our employees help with the food, whether it’s manning the grill for a few minutes or participating in a potluck lunch, they’re more invested in the event and interacting with one another. There are definitely events where you’ll want a caterer, but when it comes to a summer party where your employees just want to kick back and have fun, food arrangements like potluck or hot dog dinners are an easy and affordable option.

2. Send a real invite

There’s no hiding it – we love print. We printed colorful posters about our event and put them on doors and in areas where our team members congregate. But your invites don’t need to be printed. You could send out an official email invite to your event. A simple company-wide memo is far less exciting than a real invitation. You could also opt for individual printed invites, especially if the event is more formal.

3. Invite the families

Unless you’re hosting the event during the workday, people want to bring their family. When you only invite an employee and their spouse, they likely have to hire a babysitter, making it harder to attend the event. Make your parties family friendly and you’ll likely have a better turnout.

Don’t let budgets or formalities discourage you from hosting a successful company party. Gather your co-workers and their families for a night of fun and make it simple and successful. If worse comes to worse, give us a call or contact us. We’re event specialists and we’d love to help.