How to plan a real EOFY work party

The end of financial year (EOFY) is no small event to plan. You have been tasked with creating an event that not only celebrates the last year, but is going to set the tone for this year. And that is even more the case if you skipped your Christmas party last year!

Pulling off a fantastic EOFY work party  is an exercise in detailed planning. Even the best event planners can have a hard time planning an EOFY event without a strong plan.

Here's a blueprint to get you started.

Build your EOFY Team

Before you go ahead and start finding event venues, you need to determine who is approved to make decisions, what budgets you will have and what the approval processes are.

A great EOFY event planning team includes people from multiple departments, at least one person with some event planning experience and the approval, backing and trust from the executive team. Often you might need to include a senior manager or executive as an 'advisor' in order to ensure you have their buy-in.

Core Event Suppliers

Now you have your team, you need to start searching, comparing and booking your vendors. You can find some execptional corporate event venues and vendor options on the free BizziEvents Platform.

• Venue providers: If you aren't planning to host in your office, or your office isn't the right fit, you will need to source a venue. If you start planning early enough, or are flexible with your times you might be able to book one of the nicer venues near you. Ideally you want to look for a venue that will cater for your group, without it being too big and feeling like a high school dance. Think about proximity to your office, accessibility, ambiance, and fitting your employee count. If you are needing to present, make sure the venue either has a screen and microphone, or ask for their partner AV companies - every venue knows an AV company.
• Caterers: Most venues will require you to go through them, and if you go with a major hospitality group or a function centre even more so. Plenty of venues will offer food and drinks packages, however you need to consider this to be one of the largest prices. Often  you don't need a 3 hour drink package, not for an EOFY event and not if your office isn't full of heavy drinkers. Instead consider more food and a bar tab limited to key drinks. When inviting guests you should also ask about dietary requirements, as you might need to set some canapes and food aside.
• Entertainment: Getting a photo-booth is one thing. It isn't anything special, but does enable you to lock down and brand your photos for the new year, but you can go a step further. If you are going to be presenting, running workshops or having a sit-down meal, consider hiring a professional MC might be great, the same applies to keynote speakers. If  you are having a cocktail party, or even hosting in your office, a band or DJ could be a nice addition. Take it further by hiring a roving magician. Some of these magicians are able to walk around to your groups, wow individuals and create an extremely memorable experience... not to mention one that your staff will be talking about for years to come.
• Event stylists: Some companies like to set a theme for the year. They adjust their targets and strategies to align as much. I once worked at a company that was obsessed with the All Blacks. They would deck the office and all events in the 15 Lessons in Leadership. Styling your event sets the tone for your event, reflecting your corporate branding and the event theme if applicable.
• Event tech suppliers: Think about AV needs for sound and video, staging for speakers or performers, and lighting. Your venue likely can support with this section, as they have likely worked with some great AV companies.

Crucial EOFY Event Considerations

Theme

Having a theme can make your party more engaging. Time-period themes, elegant black-tie, or a fun costume theme can add excitement to your party. Make sure you have this approved first, and know that the more exciting it is the more likely you will have a complete office match. Better yet to involve the executive leadership to pick the theme and ensure they are fully bought in - your CEO announcing their attendance with a costume will put the pressure on everyone else.

Budget

As this is a company event, keep a careful eye on your budget. Allocate funds appropriately among venue, food, entertainment and extras. Your biggest costs are going to be food and beverage, which often warps up into the venue minimum spend. After that you have entertainment, AV and styling.

Enggement Factor

Consider interactivity so it's not just another corporate event. Include an awards section, photobooths or enthusiasm-boosting games. Making this event something that isn't just about drinking will go a long way to making it clear the new year is about more than long friday lunches. Particularly with the rise of alcohol free attitudes.

Event Timing

The timing should not disrupt important tasks or deadlines. The best timings are usually at the closing hours of work, later in the week. After hours events are likely to be pushed for, however you will need to plan for a much lower attendance, with people having post-work plans or a desire to get home quickly. Make sure you also consider taxis and transport if you are hosting a later event.

Event Promotion

This is one of the things to never be skipped. What is the point in creating and planning an amazing EOFY event if nobody is going to attend. We believe it is so important we have a whole article about it: Promoting Your Staff Event

With our plan you are going to be on the right track to ensuring your work EOFY event is a hit.